The Baseball Hall of Fame’s collection of more than 2,000 baseball cards exhibited in its Shoebox Treasures exhibit has some new additions.
Opened in May of 2019, the permanent exhibit showcases the history of baseball cards with displays and pullout drawers featuring some of the game’s memorable players and their cards. It’s now been updated to include 29 key new cards, including 14 of the game’s earliest Black players following Jackie Robinson’s big league debut in 1947.
The new collection also features some of the more modern valuable issues, including a 2009 Bowman Chrome Red Refractor Mike Trout (# to 5). Issued two years before his big league debut, the Bowman Chrome Trout cards, which include numerous low-numbered colored parallels, have become some of the most popular of the last decade. One of the Red Refractors sold for $922,500 at auction earlier this year.
On loan from collector Todd Rosko, the cards featuring the 14 Black pioneers now on exhibit include:
– 1954 Topps Hank Aaron
– 1954 Topps Ernie Banks
– 1949 Bowman Roy Campanella
– 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente
– 1949 Bowman Larry Doby
– 1959 Topps Bob Gibson
– 1951 Bowman Monte Irvin
– 1961 Topps Juan Marichal
– 1951 Bowman Willie Mays
– 1960 Topps Willie McCovey
– 1949 Bowman Satchel Paige
– 1957 Topps Frank Robinson
– 1949 Bowman Jackie Robinson
– 1961 Topps Billy Williams
According to the Hall, the cards “show how quickly the design and appearance of cards evolved during the era, suggesting why collecting baseball cards became such a passion in an age of otherwise black and white media.”
The other cards are on loan from the by the PWCC Marketplace Vault.
Arranged over 700 square feet, Shoebox Treasures tells the story of the history of collectors’ cards, dating back into the mid-19th century. Admission to the exhibit is included with regular Hall of Fame admission.
In all, the Museum’s collection includes more than 200,000 cards.
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