Sporting News baseball cards have been an iconic part of the hobby since the late 1880s, with the newspaper brand producing memorable cards of the game’s all-time greats for over a century. While not as widely collected today as cards from Topps, Fleer, or Upper Deck, Sporting News issues remain highly valuable for dedicated vintage baseball card investors and historians.
Sporting News began inserting illustrated baseball cards as promotions in its newspaper in the late 1880s, making them one of the earliest producers of printed baseball cards. These early tobacco-style cards featured individual players and basic stats on the front, without gum or candy included. Production was sporadic in the early decades. Some notable pre-WWI issues include an apparent 1894 set and larger runs in 1887, 1902 and 1909.
From 1911-1912, Sporting News inserted cards as part of its semi-annual baseball guides published during spring training and late in the season. The 1911 issue included 78 cards across Series 1 and 2, while 1912 had 60 cards. Players included superstars Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Grover Cleveland Alexander. The thick cardboard stock and larger size made these guides quite collectible, even at the time. Today, unpunched honors of these player samples can fetch well over $1,000 in top-graded condition due to their historic significance and low surviving population.
After World War I, Sporting News issued baseball cards more regularly as part of a weekly card insert program running from 1920-1936. Each year consisted of between 100-150 total player cards issued over 30-40 weeks, similar in concept to modern serial sets. The 1920s issues highlighted the careers of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and other heroes of that era in their prime. Later 1930s sets featured legends like Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, and Lefty Grove in their later playing days.
In terms of condition, Sporting News cards from the 1910s and 1920s are extremely scarce in high grades like NM-MT 7 or above due to the fragile paper stock and heavy circulation through newspapers at the time. Even well-cared for examples often grade no higher than AG-FN 3 or 4. As a result, pristine samples fetch big bucks when they surface—a SGC-slabbed 8.5 grade 1921 Babe Ruth PSA/DNA is currently asking over $32,000! More available but solid VG-EX 4-6 condition players can sell for $100-1000 depending on the name.
The Great Depression put a temporary halt on Sporting News’s card production from 1937-1940, but the weekly insert program continued once more from 1941-1947, covering the war years and immediate post-war season. Star appeal increased value for cards of Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Stan Musial issued during their hitting achievements. High grades remain scarce, but many mid-grade EX-VG examples can be acquired for $10-50 each depending on the player.
A final run was made from 1949-1951, missing a year over league realignment. These late 1940s/early 50s sets highlighted legends in the later stages like Bob Feller, Phil Rizzuto, and Enos Slaughter. Unfortunately, the poor paper quality from post-war shortages leads most surviving examples to grade no higher than VG or so. Still, a complete 1949 set in overall average condition can bring over $1,000 on the vintage market today due to its landmark status.
Beyond the periodic sets, Sporting News also issued some one-year basketball sets during this era in 1942, 1947-1948, as well as occasional football cards too. But it was baseball where they made their biggest impact. The newspaper also produced multiple visual history magazines and paper guide books containing sets of player samples over the decades in both color and black-and-white. All Sporting News issues remain highly collectible to this day given their place in the early development of sports card manufacturing prior to the modern bubble gum era.
Values today are mainly determined by three key factors—the individual player, overall condition, and the specific year and series of issue. Examples from the earliest 1910s issues and 1920s serial sets command top dollar, followed by the iconic DiMaggio/Williams/Musial 1941-1947 runs. Later 1940s/50s workers are more affordable, with complete common player sets starting around the $300-500 range depending on condition. Single superstars can sell for over $1000 each.
While not quite in the league of the candy giants, Sporting News baseball cards hold an important historical role as one of the pioneering producers of formatted baseball memorabilia cards. Their early 20th century newspaper inserts and regional magazine sets put memorable faces to the heroes of generations past. For dedicated vintage collectors, examples in top grades represent some of the most challenging—and valuable—cards to acquire from baseball’s early heyday. With rarity enhancing prices, the Sporting News brand remains a valued part of the larger collecting universe over a century after their launch.
