- Drawn to Cards
- Posts
- Mike Petty Does the Q&A
Mike Petty Does the Q&A
Plus some hobby thoughts
After nearly two months off, Drawn to Cards is back. First, I want to thank everyone for their patience. Second, I want to welcome the new subscribers and thank you for joining. I hope you all enjoy the newsletter and I want to make sure you feel a sense of ownership in the newsletter. As in, please let me know what you think. My aim is to build a community of sports card collectors/enthusiasts and write about things that community would enjoy, so please hold me accountable.
To that end, I plan to test out some new items here and there to see what feels like a good fit, with this week’s Hobby Thoughts serving as an example.
In this issue you'll find:
A Q&A with Mike Petty
A profile of former MLB player Jerry Narron
Some hobby thoughts
News in the hobby
Recent Vintage Card Voyage videos
Let’s get into it.
Collector Q&A: Mike Petty
If you’re part of the vintage sports card community on YouTube, it’s quite possible you know the name Mike Petty for his appearances on various channels. If you don’t, let’s get to know him a little better with the Drawn to Cards Q&A.

Mike Petty
(Edited for length and clarity)
What’s your card collecting story (when and why did you start, which sport(s)/card era(s), and do you consider yourself a collecting generalist or specialist)?
Act #1: I started collecting at about 7-8 years old. I remember opening a few packs of 1968 Topps baseball but more so in 1969-70, I also remember becoming hooked on 1969 Topps basketball tall boys. We would ride our bikes all around the San Fernando Valley on the hunt for liquor and drugstores that had a box of something. Same thing in 1970. In 1971 I think I hit my stride for buying up boxes whenever we could find them. I started mowing more lawns and saving more money. I remember having 20 of every card. I also collected hockey and football during these formative years. It was like my full-time job, sorting them a dozen different ways and stacking them in my drawer bottom in my closet and paper grocery bags. I remember around 1973 reading books on baseball card collecting and getting newsletters sent to my house. One of my favorite publications was a checklist of EVERY CARD. Mail order was getting popular and I would send away for many cards I didn’t already have and wanted. I was always drawn to “older cards” and the greats of the game. I collected baseball heavy until 1976.
Act #2: After selling off most of my collection in high school by 1979, I took it up again in about 1984-1985. It was at that time I started collecting sets. I started with 1968-1976. I completed them all as well as building up a nice cross section of some vintage cards. A few from every year going back to 1933 Goudeys. Nothing big but had some really nice cards as there was a nice card shop up the street from where I lived when I was married in 1987-94.
My wife at the time supported it and I had a great walk-in closet where I could store them. I remember collecting mass amounts of cards like vending cases of 1987 Topps and sets from every year. Still my passion were older cards. We had a house fire in October 1993. We lost everything including Heidi the dog. The only thing that survived in the house was my baseball card collection. They were spared being locked up in the walk-in closet. A little smoke damaged, but they made it. Heidi the dog was not so lucky and my marriage was over. Most of the cards were sold in 1997 and helped me get back on my feet as I had lost everything. I kept a handful I had cherished, but all the sets were gone. It was time to reinvent myself as a man and a single dad.
Act #3: I started my own business in 2000 and met my current wife the same year. We were married in 2003. We started to hit our stride financially and we purchased our home in 2005. She is a big Yankee fan as I am a Dodger fan. We both had offices at home but there was nothing on our walls for the first few years. A friend of mine had worked for Steiner and he had two 16 x 20 signed Mariano Rivera photos in his truck one day. I had to have them BOTH! It was then that I became hooked on autographs and wanted to decorate my office with signed balls and photos too.
I dusted my few cards off and decided to start collecting baseball cards again. If I had only known that baseball cards were just as bad and by 2010 I called it “A BILLION DOLLAR FRAUD!” People laughed, but I was proven right over time. Still, I just loved the cards.
Today, I just specialize in baseball from 1909-1975. Players I always “liked” is the criteria. No sets. Just around 1,600 cards in which ½ are graded and ½ are not.
What’s your favorite collecting memory?
From the age of 11-16 I went to every Sunday day game at Dodger Stadium with my grandpa. He would buy me a program and I would run from left to right to get autographs. The Dodgers would have two players signing each side on each level. This particular day, June 4, 1972, I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were retiring Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax and Roy Campanella’s numbers … AND they were literally right in front of me. After the ceremony, an old guy in what looked like a “horse blanket” jacket came and sat right down next to me. It was always 100+ in the sun so he stood out like a sore thumb. My grandpa elbowed me with this look on his face as he sometimes did and said, “That’s Casey Stengel.” I didn’t know who he was at the time but I could tell by the look he was important. I asked him for his autograph and he signed my program three times and talked to me for 5-10 minutes before people started to recognize him. That day has been etched in my memory forever. I have been so blessed to have so many athletes and other celebrities cross my path in my life but this day shared with my grandfather can never be topped. I didn’t ask for many autographs as I got older as I appreciate “experiences” and handshakes over pictures and autographs.
Who/what do you personally collect?
The cards I had. The cards I never had and some I have dreamed about for a lifetime.
My “Burrito” Principle is well documented. Collecting mostly “Tier #1” but also stepping in Tier #2 from time to time.
What’s your favorite card you own and/or what’s your grail card? Tell us why.
My favorite card in my collection is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311. It’s was my grail card as a 11-year-old in 1972, when I saw it advertised in Sports Hobbyist publications. At the time, Mantle was already retired but I was lucky to come across a 1968 and 1969 copy so I was well acquainted with the name and of course, the Southern drawl. All us kids in little league did our best imitations on the field, in the street and especially “the drawl.” Even growing up in sunny So Cal.
In 1974 I finally tried to buy one. We would search through the ads of the publications that would come once a month or so and write the dealers what cards we wanted. We would send them cash through the mail and in 4-6 weeks, we would get the cards. Mostly .10 to a few dollars. I remember always checking the mailbox. After a summer of birthday money, cutting lawns and searching for pop bottles I finally saw the ad at the right time. $75 for 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle / $1,500 for T206 Honus Wagner.
I had my mom write me a check for the $75 and I remember my dad telling me I was “F***** in the head.” He rarely if ever used the F word. I waited the usual six weeks, once again checking the mail every day waiting, waiting and more waiting. Finally, the envelope came. I opened it and there it was. A 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax, a 1955 Topps Warren Spahn, a 1956 Roy Campanella and a $25 “CREDIT MEMO.” My dad was right. I remember crying and being really defeated and disappointed, then quitting collecting shortly thereafter without ever realizing my dream. It “builds character” my dad would say.
It would be another 44 years before I would fulfil that dream.
I am blessed to own so many of my grail cards today but my next one will probably be a 1916 M101 Sporting News Babe Ruth. I have wanted the card for many years but unfortunately saved it for near the end, instead of knocking it out early in Act #3.

What’s been the best part of your hobby experience so far?
The friends I’ve met and making my childhood dreams come true
If you could talk to/meet any person related to the hobby (person in sports, person in the hobby, hobby creator, etc.), who would it be and why?
Honestly, I think I’ve met everyone in the hobby I care about at this point. The only people I would love to have five more minutes with are my mother and my father.
Which five YouTube sports card channels do you think more people should watch?
Of course, Tony @ SouthernCollector14. The only guy that can put up with me on a monthly basis and lets me be me. We bring out the best out of each other, I think. Amazing collection, and a fantastic storyteller. “Beaver Feet” is the busiest guy in the hobby! (Editor: Here’s Tony’s Q&A)
Another can’t-miss is MidLife Sports Cards. Graig is a teacher by profession and it can sometimes be a thankless job. He carries his passion for teaching over to his channel. He is just a super guy, a great teacher and a fantastic collector with an eagle eye that he got from his dad, who I also love. (Editor: Here’s Graig’s Q&A)
A niche channel I enjoy is Mookie Chillson. Mook is such a creative guy, and also a YouTube HOF Commenter. You never know what you might see at the Mooseum. He’s made cards with pin holes desired and loved again. (Editor: Here’s Mookie’s Q&A)
I also enjoy Return to Collecting. Darren has an eye and collection every collector should aspire to. His brother Dean @ Goodman & W238th also has a channel you need to check out that is very creative.
Lastly, I have to mention 4 Collectors channel as those guys consistently put out great content separately and together. I could go on and I apologize to all the others with great content I enjoy.
If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change in the hobby?
Easy question. Bye bye breakers breaking people financially. See ya later repackers stealing money from collectors while fatting their wallets selling unwanted junk art. If you like polishing turds, that’s what this segment is doing and will not lead to future growth, IMHO. As more people leave the hobby they will enter rehab, divorce and bankruptcy. Fewer hobbyists will come in or come back after they have been busted by the house.
What do you think the future holds for your collecting voyage and for the hobby in general?
My hobby voyage will definitely slow down as I get a little older. Maybe sell off some of the fluff for bigger cards but I don’t think I really want to die with my collection. Probably a good time to shave 10-20% off very soon.
The hobby seems really strong right now to me. The bigger the scandal, doesn’t seem to matter or bother anyone anymore and no one stands for ANYTHING anymore. It’s a really, really dirty, stinking scammy grifting hobby if I’m being honest. It’s close to jumping the shark for me now, but I think there will always be people that enjoy it no matter what, like I do.
1980 Topps Baseball Player Profile: Jerry Narron
While he may have had an abbreviated playing career in the majors, Jerry Narron has managed to stick around and have a professional baseball career that’s already eclipsed five full decades:

1980 Topps #16 (rookie card)
Narron was born in 1956 in Goldsboro, N.C., into a family of baseball players. His uncle, Sam, was a catcher who played brief parts of three MLB seasons (1935, 1942-43), which included being awarded a World Series ring in 1942, and went on to become a coach with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates - and he had a son and grandson who also had professional baseball experience. Jerry’s older brother, Johnny, was a first baseman who spent two seasons in the New York Yankees’ farm system (including one season playing with Jerry with Johnson City in the Rookie Appalachian League), and, like his uncle, would also go on to coach with multiple teams, and currently offers hitting instruction.
Jerry, meanwhile, played baseball, basketball and football at Goldsboro High School, and was drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 1974 MLB June Amateur Draft. As mentioned above, he played in Johnson City in 1974, and would slowly move through the minor leagues, reaching Single-A in 1975 with Fort Lauderdale, Double-A in 1977 with West Haven (hitting 28 home runs), and Triple-A in 1978 with Tacoma.
Finally, in 1979, he reached the majors with the New York Yankees, as a backup catcher to team captain Thurman Munson. In early August, tragedy would strike as Munson died in a plane crash. In the game following Munson’s passing, Narron was the starting catcher and, per Wikipedia, during pregame ceremonies, he stayed in the dugout, purposely leaving the catcher’s position empty, as a sign of respect for Munson. Narron would start 30 games for the Yankees that season, which would be the only season with the team, as they would trade him that November to the Seattle Mariners.
Over the next two seasons, Narron would start 87 games with the Mariners, along with spending time in Triple-A Spokane, only to be released in March of 1982. Two days later, he was signed as a free agent by the California Angels, and would go back to Spokane, a team that was now the Triple-A affiliate for the Angels, spending the season with them. In 1983, Edmonton became the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate, where Narron would spend most of the season, batting .301 with 27 homers and 102 RBIs, along with a brief stint with the Angels. From 1984 to 1986, all his time would be spent in the majors, including his only postseason appearance, which included scoring the winning run in game 4 of the ALCS, but unfortunately for Narron, the Angels fell apart, squandering a 3-1 series lead to the Boston Red Sox. Narron was then released by the Angels in April 1987, only to be picked back up by the Mariners, spending most of the year in Calgary, while playing four games with the Mariners, only to be released in November of 1987.
(Editor’s Note: Each of the minor league teams mentioned in the above paragraph were Pacific Coast League teams, i.e., teams who played the Hawaii Islanders during seasons when I attended games and did my best to get as many baseball cards autographed as I could, but having reviewed my autograph collection, I apparently never got Jerry Narron’s.)
In 1988, Narron played 95 games in the minor leagues with Rochester, the Baltimore Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate, but wouldn’t get back up to the Major Leagues, retiring as a player in 1989.
In total, he would play 1,452 professional games, including 392 in the majors, where he batted .211 with 21 home runs and 96 RBIs. His career minor league stats, meanwhile, included a .274 average, with 129 home runs and 609 RBIs. But as mentioned above, he was far from done with professional baseball.
In 1989, he became the manager with the Frederick Keys, the Orioles’ Single-A affiliate, followed by managing the organization’s Double-A affiliate, Hagerstown, from 1990-91, and their Triple-A affiliate, Rochester, in 1992. He then found his way back to the majors, being hired as a coach for the Orioles and manager Johnny Oates. After two seasons, he moved on with Oates to the Texas Rangers, becoming the third-base coach in 1995, where he would continue until May 4, 2001, when Oates was fired and Narron would be named interim manager, a position he would keep the remainder of the 2001 season. In 2002, the interim tag was removed, but he only lasted that one season, finishing with a 134-162 record.
In 2003, he was bench coach for the Boston Red Sox, a role he would take on with the Cincinnati Reds in 2004-05, only to be named interim manager with the Reds on June 20, 2005, and would spend nearly two years as the team’s manager, finishing with a record of 157-179.
Following that, Narron coached with the Milwaukee Brewers for five seasons, the Arizona Diamondbacks for three seasons, the Boston Red Sox for one season, the Chicago White Sox for two seasons, and has been a catching coach with the Los Angeles Angels since 2024. And continuing the family tradition, Narron’s son Connor was a shortstop drafted by the Orioles in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB draft, playing in the minors from 2010-2014.
Hobby Thoughts
In the last couple of weeks, two pretty big events happened in the world of sports cards, so I thought they were worth mentioning.
First, if you haven’t read about the counterfeit autograph saga that emerged a couple of weeks ago, Sports Collectors Daily has a few articles about it (here’s one from July 20). In brief, it was reported that the FBI executed a search warrant at a location north of Indianapolis around a “sports memorabilia counterfeit scheme,” then the next day at a separate location officers found a deceased individual, later identified as Brett Lemieux, the same name used in an earlier Facebook post that seemed to serve as a confession.
It’s an incredibly tragic story, and if the person who posted about it initially in the Autographs 101 Facebook Group was being truthful (the rather large numbers of items and dollar amounts mentioned in the post have been disputed), it’s also something of a warning for the hobby about being able to trust the legitimacy of autographs not acquired directly from the athlete him or herself.
I will say I'm in no way an expert in the autograph arena, so all I have are my experiences and my opinions. About 95 percent of the autographs I have are ones I got in person. The autographed cards I specifically bought are those of Detroit Tigers players I got when I was a teenager, ones I spent (I have to assume) not much money on and ones I admittedly took a leap of faith on that they were legitimate. There are also some autographed cards that have been part of collections I’ve purchased that I can certainly hope are legitimate, but I know better than to assume that’s the case.
Since I got back into the hobby, even before this story came out, I’ve been hesitant to buy autographed cards that might interest me. Obviously things have changed a LOT since the 1980s, with autographed cards coming in packs now, and it’s become a whole industry unto itself. Everyone has to make their own decisions based on their own situations, but I do think this story will give more people pause when it comes to autographs. I’d be curious to hear what you have to say about this, as it’s a story that could affect a lot of people in the hobby.
Second, one of the major grading companies, SGC, was in the news last week because their president and CEO, Peter Steinberg, stepped down. Ever since SGC was purchased by Collectors (the parent company of grading company PSA) in February 2024, there has been plenty of speculation about what that meant for SGC’s future. Suffice to say, that speculation has now amped back up. As the Cllct story I linked to noted, based on an interview PSA president Ryan Hoge did on the NEO Cards and Comics YouTube channel, SGC is being positioned “as kind of a boutique grading brand.” Whether SGC will exist long-term or not seems like a question worth asking right now.
Most of the grading I’ve done has been with PSA, but I did grade a small number of vintage cards with SGC, ones I planned to sell, for two reasons. One, at the grades I thought each card would get, I thought the values would be very similar to PSA, and I thought that vintage collectors tended to appreciate the “tuxedo” slabs from SGC. Two, the price of grading at SGC is a bit less than PSA. Now, I wonder if SGC values will hold up based on people’s perceptions of the company since 2024. Mind you, that’s not based on any evidence. I just think about these types of things and speculate. I’d be curious to hear what you think.
News Briefs
Vintage Card Voyage: Recent Videos

For new subscribers, along with writing this newsletter, I also co-host the Vintage Card Voyage channel on YouTube with my friend, Ken, so I share recent videos - and this time I’ll include a series on a small collection of vintage cards I bought at an estate sale, one that I think you’ll get a kick out of.
We also had the privilege of taking part in this year’s Hobby Palooza, an annual virtual get-together with card collectors on YouTube. We talked about five cards every collector should own, on the 4 Collectors channel.
Thanks for reading. Subscribe for future issues, share with those you think would enjoy the newsletter, and please also check out and subscribe to Vintage Card Voyage. And for those going to the National, have a great time - and stay hydrated,