An angle on commerce and consumerism through the “holy grail” of baseball card collecting

This episode hear from Allison Rudnick, assistant curator in the Department of Drawings and Prints, and Dave Jamieson, journalist and author of Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession. 

Featured artwork: Honus Wagner, Pittsburgh, National League, from the White Border series (T206). Issued by American Tobacco Company, 1909–11

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Spotlight features new perspectives on a single work from The Met collection. Familiar and celebrated works serve as the focal point for dialogue—posing questions, building understanding, and conveying how the presence of the work in the Museum has altered, limited, or enhanced the work’s interpretation. The series explores different ways of knowing, and relates to themes beyond art and museums through the expertise and personal experience of invited guests.