Queens Tribune

Brian Cataquet stepped through the door to the Baseball Hobby Shop, not knowing that this little corner store in Brooklyn would help determine his life’s path. At only 5 years of age, Cataquet fell in love with the store’s endless displays of priceless, vintage baseball cards, autographed pictures emanating from behind glass coverings, and some of the world’s most legendary baseball players crystallized permanently upon a flimsy piece of cardboard.

“We went to this small shop, and the dealer had so much old stuff,” Cataquet said. “It was the first time I ever walked into a card store. It was like a museum. I was amazed that you could do this for a living. I knew then that I wanted to be surrounded by all this memorabilia in my office and my home. It’s like an escape.”

Now 33, the Elmhurst native still holds the same amount of childhood wonderment for baseball cards, caring for thousands of his own. He now calls himself “New York’s most popular seller of vintage baseball cards.” Selling mostly on eBay and out of his home, Cataquet likes to focus on old time players throughout the early 1900’s. Though his greatest joy is baseball, Cataquet also collects many other sports, from wrestling to boxing.

Recently, Cataquet set out for Anaheim, Calif. to take part in the 27th National Sports Collectors Convention. He said that more than 30,000 people attended, including celebrities and athletes like Frank Robinson, Penny Marshall, and Cindy Williams. Cataquet was able to purchase complete sets of Topps, but his wallet couldn’t supply for what his heart wanted. “The older cards that I truly love, the pre-1950’s cards, are getting more and more expensive, so I wasn’t able to buy that kind of material,” he said.

There are many pieces of Cataquet’s extensive collection that he prides greatly. Among them is one of the first authentic baseball cards ever issued, distributed to customers in cigarette packs. He explained that these Old Judge baseball cards, created in 1887, were made of photographic images pasted on cardboard stock. Cataquet has a King Kelly card that he values at approximately $10,000.

Growing up in Elmhurst, Cataquet grew up in a baseball family and took very quickly to the New York Mets. When he was a boy, his grandfather would put him on his lap and tell him stories of the great ball players of old. He would attend card shows at the Elks Lodge in the 1980’s. Some notable Mets player cards that Cataquet has in his collection include a 1965 Warren Spahn, a 1968 Tom Seaver, and a Richie Ashburn.

There are some hardships facing traditional card dealers these days. As the age of the Internet becomes more prominent with each year, there are fewer direct deals made. “eBay has hurt a lot of retail stores,” Cataquet said. “It’s very convenient for a consumer to turn the computer on and buy something, so a lot of card shops have taken a hit. I’ve been on eBay for the last seven years, but I miss the old times. I miss the telephone calls from mailing advertisements. But you’ve got to follow the market.”

Cataquet’s collection can be viewed on eBay under his user name, tobeeecat. Visit his Web site at http://mallway.com/oldcards/.