About

Take me out to the ballgame…

Hardscrabble Cards is a joint venture of father and son, Mark and Sam Newman.  A love of baseball and sports in general has been a passion of Mark and Sam for many years. 

Collecting baseball cards began as a child for Mark, who enjoyed playing with his cards like most kids his age, who grew up in the 1960s.  Trading cards with his friends, trying to get that one player you never seemed to get in the wax pack, was both fun and educational.  The only thing better than collecting baseball cards was playing baseball.  The best baseball was played on the playgrounds and backyards of the neighborhood.  “Those games were played all day and then we went to Little League”.  That’s where the name “Hardscrabble” comes from.  Hardscrabble Little League in Clayton Ohio pulled kids from 3 communities and some incredible players came through that organization.  These were the days before select or travel baseball.  Everyone played together and the competition was fierce and the quality of baseball high.  Hardscrabble was a special place and a special time for many young boys back in those days.

This passion for the game was passed along to Sam as a boy and many great days were spent on the ball fields of his youth.  Sam also enjoyed collecting cards and learning about the players and the game just as his father had a generation earlier. Modern players are the future hall of famers of tomorrow.

Sam and Mark bring that same passion to collecting cards today.  Hardscrabble is a unique combination of both modern and vintage cards and collectibles, just like Mark and Sam.  While collecting cards, the hobby has become more of a business, the ultimate goal of Hardscrabble Cards is to also instill a lifelong passion for baseball and sports in general for all ages.

Hardscrabble Cards welcomes you to our website and eBay store to both collect and trade sports cards. 

Thank you for being a part of our venture!