31,000 cards: Montreal woman passing along father's extensive collection of Expos baseball cards
A Montreal woman is passing along her father's extensive collection of over 31,000 Expos baseball cards.
April Whitzman's father, Steve Whitzman, collected the cards from 1969 to 2016. A huge Expos fan, he's got every player covered.
"I know they say there's no crying in baseball, but I think that was one of the few times I saw my Dad cry, during that last game. The Expos were very much everything to him," April told CTV News.
April Whitzman is passing along her father's extensive collection of Montreal Expos baseball cards. (CTV News/Christine Long)
Today, Steve is in ill health and lives in a nursing home.
"My Dad now has Alzheimers, so I decided to take the collection and, one-by-one, record every card that you see here."
After carefully cataloguing each card, April says it's time to send the collection off to a new, loving home.
"I've a good idea of what each card is worth, but I do believe as a collection, it's worth more to the right person, whether that's from Dad's love that he put into it," she added.
Steve Whitman amassed a huge collection of Montreal Expos baseball cards between 1969 and 2016. (Courtesy photo)
Perry Giannis is the founder of Expos Fest, an annual event for fans of the franchise, which relocated to Washington in 2004.
He's also a big-time collector of Expos memorabilia.
"It's a great story about her Dad and his passion for the Montreal Expos, and as a collector I completely get it. I collect everything else, besides cards: jerseys, helmets, bats, whatever else there is out there," Giannis said. "Everything must go at a certain time, it's gonna be the same thing with me one day."
April hasn't had all the cards appraised yet, but has a buyer on deck.
The Whitzmans are hoping the pay-off pitch is down the middle and the collection will go to a loving family -- just like the one that gathered it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.