When I was 9 years old, some of the first cards I ever collected were from the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. That year my parents had just started dating, and one of the first things my dad and I connected over was baseball cards.

I remember going from shop to shop with him, hunting down the last few players I needed to complete the set. When I was 10, we moved in with my dad, and that Christmas he surprised me with a display he built himself — holding the full team set, ready to hang on my wall.

That memory has stuck with me for life. Over the years we drifted in and out of the hobby, but sports and collecting were always something we shared. My dad passed away three years ago, and not a day goes by when I’m in my office, surrounded by cards, that I don’t think about how much fun he’d be having in the hobby today. I can almost see him walking a card show, getting excited about every table we passed.

Even now, in my 40s, collecting means more to me than just the cards — it’s the memories, the bond, and the joy it brings back. And that 1976 Topps Cincinnati Reds team set will always hold a special place in my collection.