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Evan Kendall

@retrievingcards

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Baseball card collecting with my Golden Retriever, Buster 🦮 • @evankendall21 in real life

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Growing up in Massachusetts, I learned the name “Ted Williams” at a young age. Talk to just about any Red Sox fan and you’ll quickly find that, to most, he was the greatest Red Sox player ever and one of the best to ever play the game.

At Fenway Park, you’ll see a couple of reminders of Ted’s greatness. You’ll see his number 9 retired alongside former teammates Bobby Doerr, Joe Cronin, and Johnny Pesky, a reminder of some of the excellent 40s and 50s Red Sox teams he led that fought tooth-and-nail with the Yankees for the pennant, which came to life through a recent reading of David Halberstam’s “Summer of ’49.” If you search a little harder, you’ll find a red seat among a sea of green in right field (Sec 42, Row 37, Seat 21) where Ted hit a 502 foot home run in June of 1946, a testament to his pure power and hitting prowess.

But Ted was so much more than a great ballplayer. He served in the U.S. military twice, missing almost five full seasons of his career while serving in both World War II and the Korean War — and in typical Ted fashion, he won the MVP after he returned from service the first time after three missed seasons.

Owning a Ted Williams rookie card is something I never thought I would be able to do. The image of a 20-year old Williams captures his intensity and focus for the game. The back lists him at a beanpole-like 6’3, 175 lbs. This card sits at the precipice of a budding career, well before Ted would become “Teddy Ballgame.” I was lucky enough to pick this up while in Chicago at the National and know it will be in my short list of “forever” cards. taken in Fenway Park by @retrievingcards

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a year ago

“The House That Ruth Built.” On April 18, 1923, Yankee Stadium hosted its first game, a 4-1 win for the home team over the rival Red Sox including a 3-run homer by The Great Bambino himself. When I picked up this 1933 Goudey Ruth #53 last year, my favorite of the four in that set, it felt like a different kind of special.

When I was a kid, I remember reading Dan Gutman’s “Babe and Me,” one of the books in a series where a young boy holds vintage baseball cards and transports back in time to see those players and experience life in their era. I loved that book (and the others in the series) for their ability to combine baseball cards, history, and adventure, which are so much of what makes collecting meaningful to me. While on the surface this is just a small piece of cardboard from nearly 100 years ago, what it represents — and the stories that it holds — is so much more. It’s the story of a superstar, larger-than-life figure who, in many ways, saved the game of baseball through The Great Depression. It’s the story of a kid who grew up in an orphanage, faced adversity in his early life, and overcame it all to become the greatest player of his time and, arguably, of all time. And it’s the story of a gum company producing small pieces of cardboard to sell their product, inadvertently setting in motion a hobby that so many of us are lucky enough to enjoy. by @retrievingcards

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6 months ago

“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was?”

I’ve always loved Satchel Paige. When I was a kid and first read “Satch & Me,” one of the books in Dan Gutman’s Baseball Card Adventures series, I was hooked. The legend of Leroy “Satchel” Paige is second to none: the ageless wonder who didn’t make his major league debut until he was 42 (or so he said), the fearless pitcher who once famously loaded the bases intentionally to pitch to Josh Gibson because he wanted to strike him out (and did), the 59-year old who started a game for the A’s and pitched three scoreless innings against the Red Sox (with the only hit from Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski).

Paige’s career will never be measured through statistics. The stories of every player who ever faced him are more than enough to know that he was one of the best pitchers to ever play the game. In some ways it’s fitting that numbers won’t define him, just as he never let his age define how old he was.

Happy Birthday, Satch.

This card is one I’ve wanted for a long time and beautifully complements the @graigkreindler giclee framed on my wall. by @retrievingcards

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3 months ago

The most valuable card in my collection cost me $2.42.

In 2001, Topps introduced a new version of its Gold parallels, serial numbered to match the year of the set. They’ve never been particularly expensive cards, but every once in a while, a serial number can turn an ordinary card into something much more meaningful.

On September 24, 2026, my wife and I welcomed our first child, Jackson, into the world. And I’m starting to understand what every parent means when they say you don’t really know love until you have a child.

Somewhere in the blur of sleepless nights and the first few weeks at home, a thought occurred to me: what if I could find a 2026 Topps Gold parallel numbered 0924/2026?

A needle-in-a-haystack search for a card that would mark the day our lives changed forever.

And here we are.

It may be too early to tell, but I have a feeling we might have another baseball card collector in the family. In the meantime, I’m pretty happy to have found Jackson’s first card. by @retrievingcards

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3 days ago

There’s no shortage of hobby love for the 1933 and 1934 Goudey sets for good reason. But the 1935 set often feels like the forgotten little brother of the early Goudey cards. Adding this card to my Hank Greenberg playing-days run for the PSA Set Registry from this year’s National gave me an excuse to dig a little deeper into the set, and I came away appreciating it a lot more than I expected.

On the surface, it’s a pretty simple set: just 36 cards, each featuring four players in the same four-box format. Most of the images were carried over from the 1933 and 1934 Goudey sets, although Hank is one of the relatively few players whose image differs from his 1934 Goudey.

But the real fun is on the backs.

The cards come with different back variations that can be combined to create one of 12 different “puzzle” images, featuring either the Tigers, Indians, or Senators, or one of nine different players, including Klein, Frisch, Cochrane, Cronin, Foxx, and Simmons. I included one of the completed puzzles for reference (via sabrbaseballcards.blog), because seeing the cards come together really brings the creativity of the set to life.

As for the card itself, I think this is an outstanding copy. It’s well centered, has minimal whitening along the delicate red borders, and has a really sharp image of Hank against that deep blue background. With just 101 examples in the PSA population, I don’t expect to be looking to upgrade this one anytime soon. by @retrievingcards

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4 days ago

I’ve always loved the originality of the 1935 Diamond Stars set. It’s like they looked at the least used color palette and chose that as a starting point. The prominent yellows, oranges, and deep blues are frequent on many of the players in the set, and Hank is no exception. This was another National pick up this year as I continue to put together his full playing days run.

Two added bonuses on this one:
1. It’s the error version which misspells his name with a “u” instead of the “e”. The pop count across PSA on this is 112 vs 535 with the correct spelling, making it much harder to find.
2. The eye appeal, particularly with the centering, is top notch. When I stumbled across it at a table, I knew I wasn’t going to walk away without it. by @retrievingcards

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a month ago

With this year’s National a month or so in the rear view, I wanted to post my pick ups and spend more time sharing and enjoying the cards I own. This was an upgrade from the previous 34 Goudey I had purchased the year prior at the National (a PSA 1.5mk) that I picked up in a trade (thanks again, @pawlscardsllc!).

I love the color and sharpness on this one. These are harder to come across than they seem, with a total PSA pop across all grades of 680. I wanted a high eye appeal copy for a card that I consider one of the cornerstones of my collection, and the most significant in the Greenberg playing days run that I’m working on. by @retrievingcards

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a month ago

A pretty special addition to my Hank Greenberg playing days run: the 1934 Batter-Up.

I love cards like this because they capture the fun, innocent side of early baseball-card collecting. The die-cut player was designed to be folded out and stood upright, turning the card into a little 3D display. It’s hard not to imagine a kid in 1934 popping out Hank Greenberg and proudly putting him on the shelf.

This one was a birthday present to myself this year, and it’s quickly become one of my favorites. The image is remarkably sharp, and the eye appeal really stands out when you consider how many of these were cut, folded, and played with nearly a century ago.

With just 131 examples in the PSA population, I’m grateful to have one in the collection. Another one checked off the list as I work toward the goal of owning each Hank Greenberg playing days card in the PSA Set Registry. by @retrievingcards

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17 days ago

I bought a few of these 1998 Metal Universe David Cone cards, which I think hold one of the most important images on a baseball card, in the weeks leading up to the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. What began as a small idea quickly turned into something special. I offered to sell them at any price each person wanted to pay and donate what I paid as well as the full amount received to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum (www.neverforget.org), allowing each person to get one of these for their collections while contributing to the foundation.

Through the generosity of @incardboardveritas, @southerncollector14, @maxathoncards, and @1956toppsguy, we were able to donate $1,000 to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum through the Never Forget Fund, which will also be employer matched for a total impact of $2,000.

I feel incredibly grateful to be part of this hobby community. There are some amazing people in this world and sometimes all it takes is a couple shared loves — like baseball and sports cards — to create something meaningful together.

#neverforget by @retrievingcards

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a month ago

I’ve written before about how much the moment memorialized in this iconic image of David Ortiz means to me. But this story is a little different. This is a story about feeling like a kid again, meeting a childhood hero, and turning an already special card into a true forever PC piece.

I bought this copy earlier this year and immediately knew I wanted to make it my own. As I started planning for my trip to the National, I realized I had the perfect opportunity to do just that: meet David Ortiz and have him sign and inscribe this card for me.

It’s hard to put into words how excited I was leading up to that moment. As a kid, I’d always try to get autographs from my favorite players at games, and standing in line waiting to meet one of my heroes brought all of those feelings rushing back. The signing itself was quick, but thankfully my friend @thesmartercollector graciously stood in line with me and helped capture the moment.

I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The autograph placement is perfect, and the “This Is Our F’n City” inscription makes it even better. And to top it all off, it came back exactly as I’d hoped: PSA 9 with a PSA 10 autograph, making this a population 9 with none higher.

A card I already loved, now tied forever to a memory I’ll never forget. That’s what collecting is all about for me. by @retrievingcards

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11 days ago

April 20, 2013. It had only been five days since the Boston Marathon bombing, a day in which four people were tragically lost and countless others injured. The city of Boston was still in mourning, hurt and confused by what happened. Although I was living in New York at the time, nearly all of my friends and family were in Boston, shaken by what had just taken place and angered by the acts of terror against our city. For anyone from Boston, whether you live there, work there, went to college there, or grew up in the area, there’s a collective pride that we all feel. And for a few days, it felt like something was missing, that something had been taken from us.

I’ve long believed that sports can be so much more than just a game. Sports can bring people together, break down barriers, give people hope and light, and entertain us no matter what’s happening in the world or in our lives. And when the Red Sox played their first game at Fenway following the events on April 15th, they did just that. Before the game began, David Ortiz went to the mound in front of an American flag draped over the Green Monster and gave what I believe is one of the greatest speeches in sports history. This speech means so much to me, and owning a ticket from that day’s game reminds me of those rare moments when sports truly transcend the game.

“Alright, Alright Boston
This jersey that we wear today
It doesn’t say Red Sox, it says Boston.
We want to thank you Mayor Menino, Governor Patrick, and the whole Police Department for the great job they did this past week.
This is our fucking city, and nobody gonna dictate our freedom.
Stay strong, thank you.” by @retrievingcards

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6 months ago

I recently finished reading “Two Pioneers: How Hank Greenberg and Jackie Robinson Transformed Baseball — and America.” Going deeper into Jackie’s history and really spending time to understand what he went through to become the American hero that he is gave me even greater appreciation for his story, which will be shared throughout today on Jackie Robinson Day. One quote from a conversation between Rickey and Robinson stuck out to me, which begins with Rickey saying, “We can win only if we can convince the world that I’m doing this because you’re a great ballplayer and a fine gentleman.... If you’re a good enough man, we can make this a start in the right direction. But let me tell you, it’s going to take an awful lot of courage.... Have you got the guts to play the game no matter what happens?” To which Robinson responded, “I think I can play the game.” And did he ever.

When I re-entered the hobby a couple of years ago, I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do was to add a beautiful Jackie Robinson card into my collection. I found this one in the wild, ungraded but sharp, centered, and clean, and my wife encouraged me to buy it. I’m reminded every time I look at the card of how much Jackie persevered at every stage of his life and career and how he left this world a much better place than he found it. We should all be reminded today of the importance of being courageous and kind no matter the adversity thrown our way. Happy Jackie Robinson Day! by @retrievingcards

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6 months ago