I have some experience in this! My son Joseph (age 12) has developed a real love for the game and for cards. Both of his grandfathers enjoy baseball too, so perhaps he couldn't help avoiding the baseball genes.
My wife and I got him involved in Little League several years ago so that he could enjoy playing on a team. About a year ago my daughter asked me if she could have his room after he was drafted. I was sort of surprised that she knew about the military draft and explained that the armed forces were now volunteer. Well, I quickly learned that Joseph expects to be drafted by a major league team, not Uncle Sam and that she wanted Joseph's room after he leaves for Single A ball!
Joseph loves cards that have stats on the back. In fact, he is the anti-rookie card collector. He wants cards from the end of the player's careers so that he can look at their complete MLB stats. The oldest card that I could interest him in was a 1966 Topps Koufax.
Almost all his cards are loose. I have been careful not to buy anything too nice since he likes to handle his cards. I also try to avoid mentioning how much cards are worth, prospects for increase in value, etc. There is time enough for that later, in my opinion.
Jeff
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