The Villages Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — It is a story countless people have heard or experienced themselves.

Back in the 1940s and ’50s, when you were a kid, you had a bunch of baseball cards. You memorized the statistics on the back. You put them in the spokes of your bicycle’s wheels.

After a while, you put the cards away and lost track of them as you grew older. Years passed, and you wondered whatever happened to that Mickey Mantle card you had.

Then one day, your mom tells you that she threw out your whole baseball card collection.

Thankfully, Sandy Robins’ mother didn’t do that to his 500 cards when he left for college.

“I was one of those fortunate ones,” Robins said. “I kept them up in the attic with rubber bands (around them), which is a big no-no. Now I handle everything with care.”

Robins has managed to replace some of those cards, and he now has more than 200,000 baseball cards.

“I am amazed by that number,” Robins said. “(Eventually you have to ask) ‘How much can you have? What are you going to do with them?’ (Some might say the cards are) going to their grandchildren. I can’t part with them. There’s too much time and energy (put into getting them).”

In long cardboard boxes or thick binders with protective sheets, Robins has placed cards from Bowman and Topps from 1948 to 1953, as well as sets from 1968 to 1990.

“I specialize in complete sets,” Robins said. “Oh, it’s great (when I complete a set). The condition (of a card) is important. I’m a nut on conditions.”

Robins’ wife, Linda, is impressed with the collection. She has even gone to card shows with him.

“I think it’s a wonderful hobby,” she said. “It’s something he’s passionate about. I find it interesting.”

Robins started collecting at the age of 8, gathering cards from 1948 to 1956. Years later, his own children started collecting and he got hooked again.

Living in New Jersey provided Robins with a wealth of opportunities to get cards, with shows and conventions appearing in the New York/New Jersey area just about every week.

“When people do the shows, they share their knowledge (about the cards) and show off the cards,” Linda said. “They go there for the camaraderie.”

In recent years, Robins has used eBay to find particular cards that complete his sets; he also gets several auction catalogs.

“I’ve got a needs list for a card here and there,” he said.

Robins, who is a member of the Sports Card and Collectible Club in The Villages, has taken part in the group’s card shows.

“I sell cards, which pleases my wife,” Robins joked.

That first set — from Bowman in 1948 — is comprised of small, square-shaped cards with black-and-white photos of such players as Stan Musial, Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto, some with irregular borders, and some with biographical information on the back. There is even an ad for gum on them: “Ask for Blony Bubble Gum.”

Robins’ favorite set is from Bowman in 1953. It was the first time the company used color photography for the cards; the prior year, an artist created painted renderings of the players and the cards themselves were smaller.

“Beautiful, beautiful cards,” Robins said of the ’53 set.

Michael Fortuna is a reporter with the Daily Sun. He can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9234, or michael.fortuna@thevillagesmedia.com.