For Bob Kenning, baseball cards were once just a childhood novelty—something fun to clip to his bicycle spokes to create the sound of a roaring engine.
"A lot of my cards wound up in my bike spokes to make my bike sound better," he recalled.
For his 12-year-old grandson, Keegan, however, collecting cards is a serious passion.
"I would say I probably have close to 10,000 cards," Keegan said.
A Routine Card Shop Visit Turns Historic
With nothing to do on Presidents’ Day, Keegan and his grandfather decided to visit Hobby Den, their local card shop, for an afternoon of pack-ripping fun."It was Presidents’ Day. We had nothing better to do, so Keegan called me up and said, 'Hey Pawpaw, why don’t we go to Hobby Den?'" Kenning said.
For Keegan, the excitement is in the chase—the unknown of what’s inside each pack.
"My favorite part is probably the thrill of pulling cards, seeing what’s inside, and hoping for something great," he said.
This time, something great is exactly what he got.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Discovery
Inside one of the packs, Keegan pulled an ultra-rare one-of-one Babe Ruth card, complete with the legendary slugger’s autograph.Even David Nguyen, the owner of Hobby Den, was stunned by the find, knowing how rare and valuable such a card can be.
For Kenning, though, the true value of the moment had nothing to do with money.
"When we can share this hobby together and have a grandfather-grandson bonding time, I mean, that’s priceless right there," he said.
As for Keegan? He’s keeping the card—a reminder that, sometimes, collecting is about more than just the price tag.