Black and white baseball cards have long been a staple of the hobby of collecting baseball memorabilia. While the earliest baseball cards from the late 1800s were printed only in black and white due to printing technology limitations of the time, black and white cards continued to be produced well into the 20th century even after color printing became widely available. This was largely due to black and white photographs being cheaper to reproduce than color images. As such, black and white baseball cards provide a window into the evolution of the sport from the earliest days of organized professional baseball up through the middle decades of the 20th century.
Some of the very first baseball cards ever produced were part of cigarette packs and rolls from the late 1880s produced by companies like Goodwin & Company and Allen & Ginter. These early tobacco era cards featured images of star players from that era in simple black and white lithographed images. Sets from this tobacco era are among the most highly sought after and valuable cards in the hobby today due to their great age and the fact that very few survive in intact condition from over 130 years ago.
Into the early 1900s, baseball cards continued to appear primarily as promotional incentives included with tobacco products. Most notably were the famous T206 White Border set issued between 1909-1911 by the American Tobacco Company. Featuring over 500 total cards, the T206 set ranks as one of the most iconic in the history of the hobby with its brilliantly detailed black and white images. Examples in the finest conditioned can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars today.
In the 1920s, the rise of gum and candy as the primary baseball card distribution method led to some of the most famous early 20th century sets being issued in black and white. Examples include the iconic 1924 Babed Ruth Sporting News card, the 1929-30 Goudey Gum Company set which had photographic images for the first time, and several issues by the Davids Candy Company in the late 1920s. Production of black and white cards continued regularly through World War 2 as color printing was still an expensive process.
The post-war 1940s and 50s saw a boom in black and white baseball card production as the hobby greatly expanded its popularity across America. Most sets of the era like those produced by Bowman, Topps, and Fleer used monochromatic photographs on a gray or white stock paper. Famous stars of the era like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron had some of their earliest card appearances printed in simple black and white. The 1950s also saw the first post-war tobacco issues like Red Man and Leaf.
Topps in particular relied heavily on black and white photography for most of its baseball card releases through the mid-1950s as the company rose to dominance in the field. Its famous 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1955 issues were all printed monochromatically. Topps’ first color photograph set wasn’t until 1957, though black and white cards continued to be mixed into sets for several years after. Fleer also issued its rookie cards for players like Willie McCovey and Bob Gibson in black and white during this decade of transition to wider color use.
Even as color slowly became standard through the 1960s, some beloved sets like Topps’ annual issues in 1965 and 1966 reverted back to black and white photographs for budget reasons related to the rising costs of the Vietnam War. Into the 1970s, black and white images persisted for oddball and regional issues produced by short-lived manufacturers. But the rise of vivid color printing firmly took hold industry-wide by the late 1970s as an expected standard that has remained to today.
While no longer a primary printing method, black and white cards retain a nostalgic appeal that is highly valued by collectors. Reproduction and specialty sets are occasionally issued today paying homage to the classic monochromatic look of early 20th century baseball’s memorabilia. And for those who enjoy the history of the hobby, flipping through well-worn examples from the earliest tobacco and gum card eras in simple black and white remains a special connection to the founding era when the tradition was just beginning. They represent a reminder of how far the baseball card industry has come during its long and storied history.
