Gailen Thomas Stanitsch was an American businessman and former air force pilot known for founding the Grandstand Tobacco & Sports Cards company, more commonly known as GTS or Grandstand Trading Cards. Born in 1935 in Atlanta, Georgia, Stanitsch showed an early entrepreneurial spirit by starting his first business, a lawn mowing service, when he was just 12 years old. After high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he learned to fly various aircraft and rose to the rank of captain.
When Stanitsch’s military service came to an end in the late 1950s, he was unsure of what he wanted to do in the civilian world. Having always enjoyed sports, particularly baseball, as a kid growing up, he got the idea to start a business producing and selling collectible trading cards featuring professional athletes. In 1960, with just $5,000 of savings, Stanitsch founded Grandstand Tobacco & Sports Cards in a small storefront in Atlanta. His initial business model involved bundling baseball cards in packs along with sticks of chewing tobacco and candy, a promotional tactic commonly used at the time to attract new customers.
Those early GTS baseball card issues from the early 1960s are now highly sought after by collectors. Notable rookie cards that appear include Hank Aaron’s first card from 1963 and Johnny Bench’s rookie card from 1966. While production quality and card stock were basic compared to later issues, they represented some of the first truly “modern” style baseball cards to be widely distributed. Stanitsch demonstrated an early understanding that successful sports card brands needed to feature the hottest young players rising through the minor league ranks.
Through the mid-1960s, GTS established itself as one of the top three sports card manufacturers along with Topps and Fleer. Stanitsch’s hustle and promotional savvy paid off as the company began landing lucrative licensing deals with major league teams and players’ unions. This allowed GTS issues to use team logos and player likenesses legally. Packs were widely distributed through drug stores, tobacco shops, and convenience stores. By 1967, annual GTS baseball card sales had reached an estimated 15 million packs per year.
Mounting government pressure and health concerns over marketing cigarettes and candies to children posed an existential threat to GTS’ business model. In 1971, the United States Congress banned television and radio ads for cigarettes. This had a chilling effect on the entire tobacco industry’s promotional spending. Meanwhile, children’s advocacy groups accused GTS and others of using tempting candy and cards to get kids hooked on smoking at a young age. Stanitsch knew change was needed to survive.
In 1972, Grandstand Trading Cards underwent a major rebranding and pivot. All tobacco and candy promotions were dropped from card packaging. Moving forward, packs would solely contain sports cards and gum, similar to Topps’ model. The company shortened its name to just GTS, dropping “Tobacco & Sports Cards” to distance itself from its former marketing tactics. New card designs and improved printing techniques produced GTS’ sharpest issues to date. Stars like Nolan Ryan, Johnny Bench, and Tom Seaver graced the covers of the popular 1972 and 1973 sets.
Just as GTS was gaining traction with collectors in the mid-1970s, the sports card market became oversaturated with new competitors. Companies like Fleer and Donruss joined Topps and GTS in chasing licensing deals with leagues. An overproduction of cards depressed their resale value for collectors. Also, the 1973 baseball player strike hurt demand. GTS struggled to turn a profit as production and licensing costs rose amidst falling sales. In 1976, Stanitsch made the difficult decision to sell controlling ownership of GTS to American Tobacco Company, later known as American Brands.
Under new corporate ownership, GTS soldiered on for a few more years issuing sets into the late 1970s featuring players like George Brett and Dave Parker. Product quality declined and the original concept was lost. American Tobacco focused more on exploiting the GTS brand name rather than the type of innovative ideas that made it popular originally. By 1980, facing declining relevance in a field now dominated by Topps, Donruss, and Fleer, GTS quietly went out of business. Few noticed or mourned the passing of a once major player that helped kickstart the modern sports card craze.
In the decades since, GTS cards from the 1960s and early 1970s have taken on new appreciation from nostalgic collectors. While production was more basic than later competitors, they captured a fascinating snapshot of the emerging sports card culture during a transitional period. Rookie cards of Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, and Nolan Ryan remain some of the most coveted and valuable from the entire set roster. Due to their earlier issues being more limited, high grade GTS cards often trade for thousands of dollars today. While only around for two ephemeral decades, GTS left an indelible mark on the continued evolution of sports card manufacturing and licensing. The pioneering spirit of founder Gailen Stanitsch lives on each time a vintage GTS pack is opened for the thrill of the chase.
