A 40-Year Gap & A Son’s Suggestion

I’m Dad. My name is Mike. I collected cards back in the early 1980s, but life happened, and I walked away from the hobby for nearly 40 years. To clarify, I’ve dabbled in cards and collectibles on an off in the past 5 years…pokemon, basketball cards, memorabilia…nothing “serious”.

That all changed last year when my son – James – took an interest in my childhood interest – baseball cards. He suggested we start collecting together. He didn’t need to ask me twice, I was in. To take it a step further, he said we should start a “business”. Who am I to deny a pre-teen’s (now, he’s a teen!) request?

I decided to go all in—not just on building a collection, but on building something meaningful together as father and son.

Honoring the Name: More Than Just Cardboard

Both my mother and father passed away within the last four years. Today, our family name—Troha—means more to me than ever. Building this together is a father-son project, but it’s also a quiet tribute to my parents. Our goal is to build Troha into a trusted name that leaves a positive footprint on the hobby space. With my wife potentially joining in down the road, it is fast becoming a true family effort.

What We Focus On

We’ve built a respectable vintage (pre-1980) inventory focused primarily on classic baseball and basketball, and we’re actively expanding into football & TCG as well. Whether it’s slabs or raw cards, we focus on quality, We share our cards here (troha.com), on instagram (@trohobby), through our live eBay storefront, and in our Facebook Buy Sell Trade Share group.

Building Up The Hobby

Since stepping back into card collecting, we’ve met some incredible, honest people who truly love what this hobby represents. We want to bring more of that spirit to everything we do. For us, collecting isn’t just about dollar values or chasing the latest comps—it’s about the personal value, the history held in each card, and the relationships built along the way. We’re here to have fun, treat people fairly, and leave the hobby a little better than we found it.