Baseball’s Opening Week is a celebration of Americana. Warmer weather, hot dogs on the grill, and, of course, Cracker Jack. There’s just something missing: the prize inside the box. Since 2013, Cracker Jack boxes have included “digital” prizes, rather than physical toys. But if you’re looking to get your toy fix, you’re in luck. The world of Cracker Jack collectibles covers 23 billion items over 125 years, ranging in value from a quarter to six figures.

Ann Brogley first purchased a vintage Cracker Jack toy in the 1980s. What began as curiosity soon evolved into a passion, and after garnering positive responses to a newsletter, Brogley founded the Cracker Jack Collectors Association (CJCA). This year, they’re celebrating their thirtieth annual convention in Columbus, Ohio.

Brogley’s collection features 10,000 items, which she called “small” compared to other members. Cracker Jack first started including prizes as a simple promotion in 1912, distributing over 500 different items off the bat. In a groundbreaking move, each toy was marketed as part of a larger “series”, rather than standalone items. With kids hooked to complete each series, soaring sales made prizes a permanent fixture.

via Worthpoint

In 1914, they added baseball cards to the mix… only to learn that most pulled cards were spotted in caramel stains (who would’ve thought?!). Now, stainless Cracker Jack cards are some of the most valuable in history. An incomplete set is currently available for $163,000, and its missing cards (such as Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson) have garnered over $500,000. But you don’t need to be a millionaire to collect Cracker Jack artifacts.

The draw to collecting Cracker Jack prizes comes with their diversity, and the community reflects those values. “Our association has been made up of people from various economical, racial, and political arenas,” Brogley noted. “It has never mattered.”

There’s a treasure trove of quirky items to be discovered. Some serve as forgotten time capsules, like an 8-inch toaster that was a sendaway prize. Most aren’t worth more than $100, and are rarely found at local hobby stores. They possess a combination of accessibility and mystique – you never know when you’ll find an antique shop or flea market selling an old prize for $5.

But some toys are growing in value. In 1922, Cracker Jack gifted all employees 50th-Anniversary booklets – naturally, hundreds landed in trash bins, leaving only six survivors today. Those six copies are the space’s most sought-after items, most recently selling for $500 in 2005. The next time one hits the market, it would be worth a once-in-a-lifetime bid.

Brogley’s “white whale” was a Jingle Beanie. Although the toy’s ads were widespread, the prize itself seemed impossible to find…until a fellow collector discovered one on eBay, and pointed her in the right direction. “We all blend together like extended family,” Brogley said.

What gets someone to amass a collection of over 10,000 items? Firstly, Brogley mentioned the collecting gene. This isn’t a world of selling for higher value – it’s collecting for collecting’s sake. The never-ending chase for new trinkets is driven by a deep relationship between product and consumer: “Apple pie, friendship, these are good things. The product is the same way.”

At the heart of it all, it’s the community she built that keeps the passion moving. That sinking feeling of finding paper in a modern Cracker Jack box instead of a physical prize? The CJCA found the solution in each other. “We’re all nine years old when we’re together. We laugh, we have fun. Cracker Jack turns people into kids.”