What are “wallet cards?” Simply put, they are baseball cards that I carry in my wallet for a year just to see what happens. Why? It’s fun.

Every year on my birthday I tuck a handful of cards into my wallet where they have no top loaders, penny sleeves, or protection of any kind. They accumulate all the creases and corner wear one would usually find on well loved vintage cards from the sport’s golden era. What follows below are accounts of what drove the selection of specific cards for this project, full details of their history, the results of 12 months of living in my pocket, and photographs of the adventures had along the way.

In Depth: 1990 Leaf Sosa
2025: Ends With “-IPKEN”
In Depth: 1986 Traded Bo Jackson
In Depth: 1986 Traded Canseco
Year in Pictures: 2024
In Depth: 1993 Finest Griffey
In Depth: 1986 Donruss Canseco
2024: Bo Jackson
Year in Pictures: 2023
In Depth: 1987 Fleer Bonds
In Depth: 1985 Topps McGwire
In Depth: 1986 Update Canseco
2023: Griffey Cards
2022 Recap
2022: PED Home Run Chase
2021 Recap
Other Collectors’ Cards
2021: Canseco Rookies
Introduction