Those who dismiss cards from the 1980s and early 90s as “worthless” are right. They’re not worth much of anything.
Unless, of course, you grew up in that era.
One man’s trash is another man’s nostalgia. Upper Deck. Topps. Fleer. Donruss. Beckett. Card shops everywhere.
Memories.
Kids who bought them are now adults. Some are in law school.
Others are in jail.
In January we reported on a burglary spree in Albany, New York during which an apartment burglary resulted in the loss of a box of baseball cards from that era. Not exactly a massive heist and it turns out that taking the box of near worthless cardboard is what helped lead police to the two men who admitted to their crimes.
Robert Spraker and Gregory Amyot were sentenced last month to five years in prison and five years of parole after a plea deal.
They were captured on security cameras after stealing from a local store and police connected them to the string of thefts in part because of a 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card that was among the highlights of 26-year-old Andrew Woodman’s childhood collection.
Apparently, at least one of the men convicted had a soft spot for the card, too.
Jennifer Gish of the Times-Union does a nice job tying in the era, the victim, the crooks, the cops and baseball. Read her story.
