RECENTLY, I WANDERED the aisles of a Big Box retailer searching for Pokemon cards. I needed a birthday gift for my granddaughter, who collects these popular trading and game cards. After walking aisle after aisle without success, I was about to give up. But then I spotted and flagged down a store employee who directed me toward the book section to the Pokemon and other cards.
I stood in front of the display scanning the packets, my eyes never landing on the word Pokemon. My frustration level was growing. I just wanted to be done with this seemingly fruitless search. I even asked a middle schooler to help me as he, too, perused the card merch. He directed me back to the toy aisles. Long story short, I eventually found the location of those coveted Pokemon cards on an end cap. The shelf was empty. There would be no new Pokemon cards for Izzy to add to her collection.
Kids have been collecting forever. Maybe not Pokemon cards, but something. Rocks. Beanie Babies. Stickers. Back in the 1960s, I collected “Lost in Space” trading cards featuring the popular sci-fi TV show. I have a few of them tucked away somewhere.
My brothers, though, collected baseball trading cards, which were once packaged with bubblegum. They valued the cards more than the gum. I have a baseball card, too. A 1959 Ted Williams, card #80 of 80. He was a left fielder for the Boston Red Sox and 1966 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. I checked its value with a top end price of $89. But with creased corners, my Williams card is nowhere near that valuable.
Some cards are, though. And if you’re a collector, you know. This weekend, there’s an opportunity to source sports cards and memorabilia locally at the 2nd annual Sports Card Show from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, 515 Second Ave. N.W., Faribault. The towering historic Cathedral is easy to find near downtown and across from Central Park.
Vendors will be setting up shop for the public to browse, trade and/or buy sports collectibles and memorabilia, according to show organizers. That’s from vintage to modern and includes autographed collectibles. I expect there to be a good turnout at the event as interest in sports and in sports merchandise remains as high as ever.
How well I remember my older brother, Doug, listening to Minnesota Twins games on his transistor radio back in the sixties. How well I remember playing softball in the farmyard on summer evenings after the chores were done, used disc blades serving as bases. Doug always insisted on being Harmon Killebrew or Tony Oliva. There was no arguing with him. How well I remember the play-by-play action my brothers gave of our games. How well I remember the mini wooden souvenir baseball bat that lay atop Doug’s dresser. There was no touching that collectible.
All these decades later, I have minimal interest in baseball (except when my husband’s hometown ball team, the Buckman Billygoats, played in the state amateur baseball tournament). Many people, though, enjoy America’s favorite past-time and all that comes with it—like card collecting. Now, if you had a “Lost in Space” trading card, I’d be interested.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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