The Old Makers of Baseball Cards
The history of baseball card production dates back to the late 1800s when the recreational activity of collecting cards began. Some of the earliest and most notable companies in the trading card business got their start by producing baseball cards. Over the decades, many of these old baseball card makers rose to prominence only to later fade away as new companies entered the lucrative market. Let’s take a look back at some of the pioneering businesses that first brought baseball cards to fans worldwide.
In 1869, a British-American tobacco manufacturer called Goodwin & Co. began inserting illustrated cards depicting famous baseball players into their cigarette packs and tobacco tins as a marketing promotion. Considered by many to be the first true baseball cards, the Goodwin & Co. cards helped fuel the emerging trend of collecting among American children and sparked the beginning of the baseball memorabilia craze. The company soon exited the card business to focus solely on tobacco production.
In 1886, another tobacco brand called Buck Chase Cigarettes released their own series of cigarette cards with baseball player images. This helped further popularize the insertion of collectible cards into tobacco products. While short-lived, the Buck Chase cards paved the way for the massive expansion of baseball cards by cigarette manufacturers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the biggest players during this time period was The American Tobacco Company.
Formed in 1890, The American Tobacco Company quickly grew to become a industry leader through strategic acquisitions of competing tobacco businesses. Looking for new promotional avenues, American Tobacco began distributing cards produced by a brand called Old Judge in the late 1880s. The Old Judge cards were lithographed and printed in sets meant to be collected. Widely distributed through their tobacco products, Old Judge cards helped elevate the baseball card hobby to new heights during the 1890s. Increased government regulations on tobacco advertising in the early 20th century eventually led American Tobacco to exit the baseball card market.
With American Tobacco retreating, the void was filled by two other legendary early baseball card makers – T206 and T205 tobacco brands. At the start of the 1900s, the Ohio-based manufacturer Buck Cigar Company launched their popular T206 series of tobacco cards. Featuring beautifully crafted color illustrations of over 500 different ball players, the T206 set became one of the most highly coveted in collector circles. Meanwhile, their competitor Michealson Art Litho Company put out their own T205 set of cards in packets of their Sweet Caporal cigarette brand between 1909-1911. Both these tobacco company card issues from the early 1900s still hold immense value today as some of the scarcest and most desirable in the hobby.
In the following decades, two other major early producers emerged – The American Caramel Company and Fleer Chewing Gum Company. American Caramel, known for their Candy bars and other confections, churned out a memorable 1911 series and 1918 series of baseball cards placed in caramel wrappers. Over in Philadelphia, the Fleer Chewing Gum Company saw the promotional potential in putting sports cards in their gum packs. Beginning in 1909, Fleer produced a range of baseball card sets distributed through drugstores and confectioneries. Fleer went on to become one of the longest lasting and storied makers of sports cards for much of the 20th century until filing for bankruptcy in 1981.
As tobacco companies exited baseball card production due to government regulations post-WWII, two new industry giants took over the market that remain iconic to this day – Topps Chewing Gum and Bowman Gum. Formed in 1938, the Brooklyn-based Topps Company began as a scrapbook supples wholesaler before moving into chewing gum and trading cards. Starting in 1950, Topps conquered the baseball card sphere with beautifully illustrated color photos and innovative designs. Meanwhile, their chief competitor Bowman Gum, purchased the assets of bankrupt Fleer in 1956 and released high quality glossy cards under the “Bowman Baseball” branding into the late 50s. These two brands, Topps and Bowman, battled for card supremacy for decades and still hold legendary status among collectors even today.
That covers just some of the pioneering old makers of baseball cards that helped build the multi-billion dollar sports memorabilia industry during the early 1900s up through the mid 20th century. From tobacco manufacturers to confectioneries, these forefather companies capitalized on the promotional potential of baseball cards, kickstarting a craze that still enthralls collectors worldwide today. While most have faded from existence, their classic vintage card issues remain highly prized pieces of both baseball and collectibles history.
