Transitional Objects: How Sports Cards Carry Our Memories

Transitional Objects, Collecting, and Baseball Cards

Interestingly, it often turns out that issues in everyday life provide remarkable insights into psychology, psychoanalysis, and the internal workings of the mind. This essay describes one of these situations. I want to discuss a stunning description about collecting mementos—highlighting the important concept of transitional objects. The mementos happen to be baseball cards. We very much appreciate Tony Schaefer and three collectors (J, N, and M) who describe the connections between past and present, and the intense feelings and memories elicited by these cards. I will start by describing the concept of transitional objects, and then present poignant descriptions of the meanings of these objects to the three collectors. Sports cards, especially baseball cards, are one of the most popular of “transitional objects.”

In psychology and psychoanalysis, the term “transitional” refers roughly to the area between our internal world and the external world. In children, “transitional objects” might include a teddy bear, blanket, pet, lovey, and so on. In adults, these objects might be special items (a ring, a picture), books, a pet, and the like. These transitional objects can provide a variety of functions: comfort, love, memories, consolation, tension-regulation, joy, play, and more.

The psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott was especially helpful in showing us how transitional phenomena can help us reach our authentic, creative, less-defended parts. Winnicott suggested that it is creative self-awareness “more than anything else that makes the individual feel that life is worth living. Contrasted to this is a relationship to external reality which is one of compliance, the world and its details being recognized but only as something to be fitted in with or demanding adaptation.” (Playing and Reality, 1971, p. 65)

Tony Schaefer has run a world-class sportscard collection business for over 30 years. He discusses the business from a psychological perspective, and then presents the views of three collectors.

— Paul C. Holinger

“It’s just sports.”

1981 Topps Ozzie Smith
1958 Topps Stan Musial All-Star

In one form or another, I hear that sentiment or read it on the internet often. It usually accompanies a story about fan overreaction or dollars spent on a new arena. But I’m here to defend sports. In nearly 30 years as a sportscard dealer, I’ve met so many great people through fandom, fantasy sports, and of course, sportscard collecting. Friendships and connecting with people are what this life is all about!

As my card business grew, I noticed myself changing as well. I was less interested in the dollars and cents and more interested in the people I dealt with. I wondered about the “what” of their collections as I found people were very creative in their quests. Then I questioned about the “how,” and eventually the “why.”

When the idea of transitional objects was presented to me, I first digested it as-is in the sense of comfort objects, before making a rough parallel to the card world. I started seeing cards and collections as a way of people communicating with their fellow collectors and the world. Some spoke about their collections as museums! Certainly if you’re curating a series of museum displays, you have a theme in mind and something to say. My curiosity compelled me to listen closer and eventually ask some of my more passionate and eloquent customers if they could formulate what their collections said about them to the world.

And I’m glad I asked! I posed the question “What does your collection say about you to the world?” to a handful of collectors and received three fascinating responses. All three, in their entirety, can be found below. As we read, we see similar motivations and feelings: these cards not only trigger nostalgia to their own childhoods (richly described below in their own words), but generate a connection to history, often before they/we were born.

Some of the more cerebral collectors I speak with and see post on message boards realize the fleeting power of the present moment. I’m reminded of another collector’s message board signature, which contains the quote, “We don’t own these cards; we just hold them for a while.”  To that same end, all three responses below reference the collectors’ ancestors and descendants. Though we’re here now, these little pieces of cardboard were here before us, and will be here after we’re gone.

1933 Goudey Sport Kings Babe Ruth
1975 Topps Nolan Ryan

The history of sports intertwines with the history of countries writ large: wars, civil rights struggles, gender equality, labor issues, etc. So viewing these possessions as “containers of memory” is on display when J references “the art, history, and stories kept very much alive in these little artifacts.”

A good story certainly fuels collectability. Hank Aaron eclipsed Babe Ruth as the all-time home run champ and held the title for over three decades. That’s an easy story to tell. And when N mentions the aspiration to “indomitability of spirit,” people are quick to think of civil rights pioneer Jackie Robinson…and to a lesser extent, Curt Flood, who challenged and eventually helped change baseball’s reserve clause.

Please enjoy these thoughts of collectors, in their own words:

“My collection, at its heart, reveals my philosophy that the only thing we have, ultimately as sentient beings, is memory. The present moment is a frontier that is infinitely small, before everything we feel, understand and remember is translated to memory, where it changes, settles and is sorted in some way that makes us who we are.

Therefore our memories are essential: they are everything, psychologically. This informs my belief that early childhood and adolescent memories are hugely important. I never trivialize them as an adult; I magnify them.

My collection isn’t just a way of cataloging memories that were meaningful to me, but trying to go back further generations into my father’s, grandfathers’ and great-grandparents’ memories. To capture stories of their childhood, stories that made our culture what it is.”

-J

“What would I hope my collection says about me? That I moved through the Hobby with an open heart. Connection runs through all of it – to my father and my son, to the friends this passionate pursuit has brought me, to those who have encouraged and helped me, and to the art, history, and stories kept very much alive in these little tangible artifacts.

And beyond connection, I’d hope it reflects something of who I aspire to be: a sense of justice, excellence, character & indomitability of spirit. I’d like it to show thoughtfulness and rigor, but also whimsy. It should reflect a seriousness about beauty, history, curation, and community – but joy and humor should always shine through.

That’s an awful lot of lifting for a dusty old pile of cardboard to do! If it does even a third of that, I’ll be lucky – but those are my hopes for when someday the collection is Final (though it will never be complete).”

-N

“So you hear a lot of collectors say they collect sports cards because it gives them a link to the past – nostalgic reasons. Heck, I wanted a Cardinals Coca-Cola set because it reminded me of a time in my life – my early childhood – and a friend who I spent a lot time with growing up. It reminded me of grade school and a classmate who was (MLB player’s name redacted) daughter. Then that reminded me of watching my first World Series in 1982 and getting the 1982 Topps set as my big Christmas present that year. A true trip down memory lane. I can literally put myself back in the family room of my parent’s house in 1982 and remember the feeling of looking through those cards and pulling out the Cardinals and thinking about the World Series plays and highlights of Sutter, Porter, Ozzie, McGee, Herr, Hernandez, Oberkfell, etc. Wow! A feeling of comfort and nostalgia.

My collection as an adult is still about finding those items that bring me that same level of comfort and nostalgia. In some ways, like buying a seat in a time machine…I would chase cards that I had in my childhood. 1958 All Star Musial, 1959 Ken Boyer, 1964 Lou Brock, 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers, 1981 Ozzie Smith in a Padres uniform, and that 1982 Topps set, etc. I wasn’t really focused on value or long term investment but wanted to capture those good vibes from childhood.

1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson
1953 Topps Satchel Paige

Today, I value finding cards that have incredible history and provenance, and cards that give me the feeling of owning a true piece of history. All the rookie HOFers, all the Babe Ruth cards, all the Yankees and Cardinals greats. Holding a card that is 100 years old just makes me feel something…I can watch highlights of these players and feel something, but holding a physical object that has survived wars, survived the Great Depression, survived mothers who did vigorous spring cleanings, etc…is amazing to me. I think about the Civil Rights Movement when I hold Jackie (Robinson), (Satchel) Paige, (Willie) Mays, (Hank) Aaron, (Bob) Gibson, and even Curt Flood. I think about how the Babe was bigger than life and “had a better year than the President!” I remember my grandmother retelling the story of the game where she saw Babe Ruth hit a home run in Sportsman’s Park!

There is also an aspect of collecting that just gets my juices flowing – endorphins – pure enjoyment – the thrill of the chase. “Wow man, I finally own a single signed Babe Ruth ball.” I can’t believe I’m holding a ball that Babe Ruth once held. I watch those auctions all the way through extended bidding because I am so excited to see if I win the Babe Ruth card that came with a scoop of ice cream or candy in the 1920s. That stuff really gets me excited.”

-M