Thanks, Mom, for not throwing out my baseball cards

FILE PHOTO: A combination image shows the front and back of a childhood collection of 1960s baseball cards of New York Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle that were recently sold at auction, in Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S., November 9, 2021. Picture taken November 9, 2021. REUTERS/Steve Stecklow

LONDON (Reuters) - Like most moms, mine had many wonderful qualities. Among the feats that made her a standout: She never threw out my baseball cards.

I began collecting them around the age of 12 in the mid-1960s, picking up packs after school for a nickel each at a local drug store in West Orange, New Jersey, where I grew up. I can still smell the thin pink wafers of bubble gum that came inside each pack and contributed to countless cavities.