Authors

Mike Smeth is the Owner of The Cardboard Connection. After collecting baseball cards for much of his youth, he took a 12-year hiatus from the hobby. One muggy summer day in 2006 he unexpectedly came across his childhood baseball card collection while packing up for an upcoming move. With every intention of selling them on Craigslist, Mike began sorting through them. Somewhere between the 3rd and 4th box, he rediscovered his passion for collecting and hasn't looked back since. Visit Mike's Google+ profile.

Ryan's collecting origins began with winter bike rides to the corner store, tossing a couple of quarters onto the counter and peddling home with a couple packs of O-Pee-Chee hockey in his pocket. Today, he continues to build sets, go after inserts with cool technologies, chase Montreal Expos and finish off his John Jaha master collection. Ryan can be found on Twitter @tradercracks and Google+.

Andrew Chrisman runs Sports Card Info, a blog that provides hobby news, stories, thoughts, and fake card information.

Brad walked into a hobby shop three years ago to buy a present for his father for Christmas. He wanted to get his dad a Roger Staubach jersey. He started to look around and saw how the hobby had changed since he was a kid and fell hard. Now, he is an avid collector, loves the hobby, and let's be honest, it's cheaper than therapy!

Visit Brent's eBay Store and catch him on Twitter @brentandbecca.

Brent has been a card collector since 1985 and an eBay card seller since 1995. He is one of the largest case breakers of Topps baseball products, each year busting 15-60 of most of their baseball products, as well as some football products. He is a believer in Christ and along with his wife Rebecca has two children: Luke, and Hannah.

The majority of his collection consists of Arkansas Razorback Players, Lance Berkman, Jose Canseco, Kurt Warner, Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Tiger Woods, Graded Baseball Rookies from 1978-now, Retired HOF Topps Heritage Autos, Base Topps and Heritage Sets, and Random HOF and Superstar Autos.

Brett is a former contributor to The Cardboard Connection.

Chris is an avid vintage sports card collector who is The Cardboard Connection's resident expert of all things vintage.

A history teacher and small business owner, Chuck Vanderbilt is an obsessive baseball fan born in Houston, Texas. Now living in the piney woods of east Texas, he follows all levels of the game of baseball and collects anything Bob Gibson related. You can follow Chuck on Twitter @ChuckVanderbilt

Former two time MLB All-Star and Guest Host of Cardboard Connection Radio.

Doug Cataldo was the founder of Card Corner Club and is the co-host of Cardboard Connection Radio, the Internet's only LIVE trading card and collectibles radio show. Doug has been writing about the collectibles industry for over a decade and has been published in several magazines, newspapers and online. He has over 35 years of collecting experience and collects Reggie Jackson & Kurt Warner cards, anything Star Wars, and dust on Sunday afternoons during the NFL season.

I’m currently employed as a Logistics Manager. I’ve been seriously collecting for over 20 years and am still trying to convince my wife that it’s just a hobby. My favorite teams are the Boston Celtics, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Yankees.

Jeremy Brannon is a banker and Sam Houston State University graduate. He collected off and on from 1988 to 2000, he started back after moving to Ft. Worth and has collected heavily since 2008. He is a die-hard Rangers and Cowboys fan, collects superstar autographs and PSA Bowman Chrome Baseball Autos and RCs.

My love affair with baseball began in the mid 1980's sitting in the front row of the Kingdome box seats watching Alvin Davis and Mark Langston try to keep the Seattle Mariners from losing 95 games a season. They didn't succeed. Regardless, the game of baseball caught hold of me and eventually introduced me to wax packs and powdered pink chewing gum. I haven't been the same since. Now older, I enjoy the twists and turns that our hobby takes us on which, like any good roller coaster, leads me to exhileration and sometimes nausea. Currently, I work at Rainout Sports Cards in Ferndale, WA. When I'm not at the shop, you can find me writing pithy little blog posts on my blogsite. When I'm not doing that, I'm probably spending quality time with my wife, Amber, and son, Derek. Thanks for reading my article and keep enjoying this great hobby!

Paul Lesko is the head of the Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides and Barnerd LLC's Intellectual Property Department (http://www.simmonsfirm.com). Don’t hold the fact that Paul is a lawyer against him, he’s also a rabid baseball and college basketball fan, and an avid baseball card collector. Paul can be found on Twitter @Paul_Lesko and Google+.