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.

Reds fans are gonna feel this one…

For my birthday in 1988, at what I believe was my very first Cincinnati Reds game, I walked away with something I’ll never forget — a signed ball from the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.

A family friend was the visiting clubhouse manager at Riverfront Stadium and wanted to do something special. He tried to get the Reds to sign one, but that couldn’t happen… so he went to the other dugout.

And if you grew up watching baseball in the ’80s and ’90s, you know how wild that was. The Reds and Dodgers were heated division rivals — every series felt like a playoff series.

This ball has been with me for 37 years now, first sitting on my dresser as a kid and now proudly displayed in my collection. It’s not just a ball — it’s a piece of that old-school NL West rivalry that shaped my baseball childhood.

Picked up this 1993 Upper Deck MJ #204 at a show this weekend. It’s not a “big” card by any means, but it has some personal significance.

I had the reprint as a kid, and I remember just being happy to have a Jordan card. I found that reprint in my collection box when I got back into the hobby last summer and promised myself I’d grab a clean original if I ever saw one for the right price.

Saw it Sunday. Picked it up. The kid’s smiling.