Kit Young was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in the National League from 1901-1912. While he had a relatively short career in comparison to many of baseball’s all-time greats, Young put together impressive pitching numbers that have cemented his legacy over a century later. As a result of his success on the mound, Kit Young baseball cards have become highly collectible items sought after by vintage card enthusiasts and fans of early twentieth century baseball history.
As one of the superstar pitchers of the early National League era, Young’s career pitching stats still stand out. In over 1,500 innings pitched, he posted a win-loss record of 194-170 with an impressive earned run average of 2.63. Young’s 194 career wins rank him 30th on the all-time MLB wins list and his 2.63 ERA is one of the lowest among pitchers from the deadball era of baseball. Perhaps most impressively, Young tossed 30 or more complete games in eight different seasons during his career, highlighting his durability and stamina on the mound before pitch counts and specialized relief roles became commonplace in baseball.
Young spent the bulk of his career with the Boston Doves/Braves franchise from 1901-1910, helping lead them to four National League pennants in that decade. He was selected to participate in the first-ever MLB All-Star Game in 1933 as a member of the Braves. Kit Young’s top individual season came in 1903 when he went 28-9 with a minuscule 1.96 ERA to lead Boston to a World Series championship over the Pittsburgh Pirates. That historic 1903 season cemented Young’s place among the game’s legends and helps explain why his baseball cards are so highly valued by collectors today.
Among the most significant Kit Young baseball cards were those issued during the early years of the 20th century when he was in his pitching prime. Several companies produced cigar cards, candy cards, tobacco cards and other types of trade cards featuring images of Young and other top MLB stars of the era. Two of the most notable Young cards included an upright image of him in a Boston Braves uniform from around 1903 produced by the E95 cigarette company and a similar upright portrait issued by American Caramel around the same year or 1904. Given his unprecedented success and status as a star pitcher in 1903, cards from that season featuring Young in his Braves uniform are especially desirable among collectors.
In addition to tobacco and trade cards, Kit Young also had versions of his popular upright portrait image appear in several early sets issued by top American companies in the formative years of the baseball card collecting hobby. Most notably, his image can be found in the seminal 1909-1911 T206 cigarette card series, widely considered the most important set in the history of the collectible card industry. Young’s T206 card carries an image number of 592 within the massive 511 card tobacco release. As one of the most recognizable and prominent National League hurlers of his generation, it’s no surprise that Young’s likeness would be included alongside the games other top talent in this groundbreaking 1909-1911 release.
Beyond the prominent early twentieth century issues, Kit Young’s legacy persisted into the post-World War II vintage and golden era of modern baseball cards as well. Examples include appearances in 1950s and 1960s sets like Bowman, Topps, and Fleer. Many collectors consider his pre-WWI tobacco and trade cards to be the most historically significant and valuable within the wider hobby of baseball memorabilia and collectibles. In top graded gem mint condition, some of Young’s most iconic early 1900s cards can sell for thousands of dollars when they come to auction. Meanwhile, his common appearances from vintage 1950s issues can often be acquired for just a few dollars or less.
So in summary, Kit Young’s short yet enormously productive career as one of the aces of the early National League helped cement his place within baseball history and lore. His success pitching for some of the game’s most storied early franchises like the Boston Doves/Braves translated directly into widespread distribution of his likeness across a variety of memorabilia of the period like cards, photos, and autographed items. Among the collectible relics left behind, Young’s baseball cards spanning the pre-WWI tobacco era through post-war vintage issues remain highly prized by enthusiasts of antiquated card issues and historians of the deadball period of pro baseball. In top condition, his rarity and prominent subject matter continue to make Kit Young’s baseball cards some of the most valuable within the world of early 20th century card collecting.
