The 1920 season saw baseball cards continue to grow in popularity during the deadball era of the sport. While the MLB season was significantly impacted by the onset of the 1918 flu pandemic which largely wiped out the 1919 season, baseball still remained America’s pastime. Fans eagerly collected cards featuring their favorite players as a way to remain connected to the national sport.
The 1920 season marked the peak of the deadball era in baseball history. Rule changes instituted in the deadball era favored pitching and defense over hitting in an effort to decrease game lengths and increase attendance. These rules included smaller balls that were harder to hit long distances, higher mounds that pitchers threw from, and larger gloves for fielders. As a result, scoring and offensive numbers plummeted across the league. The deadball era allowed pitchers to dominate games unlike any other time in baseball’s history.
Major League Baseball saw two new franchises join the league in 1920 with the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox, expanding the AL to 8 teams. Longtime star Babe Ruth was traded from the Red Sox to the New York Yankees in one of the most impactful trades in MLB history. Ruth immediately became the new face of baseball by leading the league in home runs and RBIs. Despite the lingering impact of the 1918 flu pandemic which caused cancelled games and roster shortages, attendance rebounded strongly after the disrupted 1919 season with over 10 million fans attending MLB games in 1920.
Trading card manufacturers continued meeting the growing demand among baseball fans to collect cards of their favorite players and teams. The most prominent producers of 1920 baseball cards included American Caramel, Sweet Caporal, Candy Cigarette, and Mecca cigarette companies. These companies included single player or team cards within tobacco products like cigarettes or candy to incentivize purchases from children and adults alike. Overall design and production quality of 1920 cards improved from the era’s early tetds. but cardboard stock remained thin and images were still primarily basic black and white renderings.
Some of the most notable and valuable players featured on 1920 baseball cards included Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, Rogers Hornsby, and Tris Speaker, who were among the games’ biggest stars at the time. Rookie cards were produced for future Hall of Famers like Charlie Grimm, Waite Hoyt, and Goose Goslin. Top teams of 1920 like the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Indians had full team sets within various card issues. Due to the significant rule and style differences of the deadball era, many 1920 baseball cards provide a unique look at how the early game was played in a time before large stadiums, night games, and power hitters took over.
Among the most significant producers of 1920 baseball cards was American Caramel, who issued cards 53-120 exclusively featuring players from the American League. Each player received their own individualized card stock image in either a blue or buff colored border. The rear of each card was left blank rather than including any stats or biographical information on the featured players. Another highly popular 1920 issue was issued by Sweet Caporal Cigarettes, featuring individual cards of star players from both the AL and NL within cigarette packaging and promotions.
While production quality and design was still simplistic compared to later decades, 1920 baseball cards are highly valued today among collectors for capturing a unique period in baseball’s development. In particular, rookie cards forfuture legends and complete team sets provide an unmatched snapshot of the deadball era. Top graded 1920 singles can fetch amounts over $10,000 due to their scarcity and historical significance depicting the sport in its purest early form. Sets are even rarer to find fully intact with all included players due to age and how the cards were distributed leading some pristine 1920 sets to sell for upwards of six figures at auction.
For dedicated baseball memorabilia collectors, owning an original 1920 Babe Ruth card or complete set provides a tangible link to one of the most pivotal players and seasons that truly transformed America’s pastime. Though challenges remain conserving the fragile 71-100 year old cardboard, growing preservation efforts have kept more 1920s cards available for modern fans seeking a peek into baseball’s formative early 20th century years. When factoring in accruing rarity and demand and the legendary stars and storylines featured, 1920 issues maintain importance as some of the most iconic and valuable vintage cards in the entire hobby.
