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CINCINNATI (UPI) — Baseball cards are not kid stuff to some 50 enthusiastic adults who are expected to bring some 100,000 of their bubble gum scented treasures to a baseball card collectors convention here this weekend. The convention is being organized by Bob Rathgeber, 27, a Cincinnati Reds publicity man and admitted ‘‘baseball card nut.” Rathgeber has a 30,000- card collection. “For the past five years Detroit has had a baseball card collectors convention in the summer,” Rathgeber said. ‘‘We hope to make Cincinnati the winter convention center, “And we're encouraging the general public to search through their attics and shoe boxes for cards to bring in — not necessarily to part with, but just to show around.” Rathgeber began collecting cards when he was seven and considered himself lucky to have a few nickels to spend on cards. Today he can do what thousands of kids across the country only dream about — buy baseball cards by the case. “This year a friend and I went to a candy wholesaler and bought a case of Topps bubble gum and cards for $40, he said. “There were 570 pieces of bubble gum and 5,700 cards. “We sat down, opened the 570 packages and separated the slabs of gum from the cards and gave some of the gum away to neighbor kids, he said, ‘We got six complete sets (660 players) off the cards and saved the duplicates for trading. What's the rarest of all baseball cards? ‘A 1910 Honus Wagner,” answers Rathgeber. ‘There's only 12 known to be in existence. They've been auctioned for more than $1,000 apiece. They were put out by a cigarette company but Wagner didn't want his picture associated with tobacco and threatened to sue. But at least 12 of them were circulated.”
Newspaper Details
Nampa Idaho Free Press
Nampa, Idaho, US
Fri, Nov 09, 1973
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Martin K.
USA 15 Feb 2026
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