For many years, baseball card fans loved opening a wax pack.

It was an exciting thing to do.

The wait for the cards and the sweet gum inside were part of the fun.

Some people opened the wrapper fast.

Others opened it slowly.

Brian Pirrip owns a collectible business called M1NT.

He said the smells of wax, gum, and cardboard take people back to a different time.

The wax pack started in 1951.

The company Topps made it first.

Opening a pack brought "an innocent joy," Pirrip said.

This was true for famous players and for common ones.

Kids traded cards and took them everywhere.

Baseball card collecting became a big business in the 1980s.

People felt nostalgia, and companies made too many cards.

Today, foil wrappers have high-value cards.

But Pirrip said nothing is like opening a wax pack.

He has taken his love of collecting to 47 states.

At a recent event at Citi Field, guests opened 1987 Topps packs.

Names like Nolan Ryan and Don Mattingly made people gasp.

But even unknown names made people smile.

"It instantly transports people to a happier time," Pirrip said.