The tradition of baseball cards in New Hampshire dates back over 150 years to the earliest days of the sport. Some of the first baseball cards ever produced featured players from New Hampshire teams in the late 1860s. While baseball was growing rapidly across the country, the sport also found an enthusiastic following in many small towns throughout New Hampshire during this era.
Amateur and semi-pro baseball clubs sprouted up all over the Granite State in the post-Civil War period. Towns large and small formed teams to compete against nearby rivals on weekends. Newspapers eagerly covered the box scores and exploits of local heroes. Cigarette and candy companies looking to promote their brands began publishing small cardboard inserts featuring images of famous players from the major leagues in the late 1860s. Some of these earliest baseball cards also included photos of stars from New Hampshire’s thriving amateur baseball scene.
In the late 1800s, some of the first specialized baseball card sets solely devoted to the sport began to be mass produced. Companies like Goodwin Champions and Old Judge featured cards of big leaguers as well as top minor league and amateur players. Not surprisingly, given the popularity of baseball in New Hampshire at the time, these early sets included cards highlighting standouts from the state. Players like Clarence “Pud” Galvin, who pitched for multiple major league clubs in the 1880s and 1890s, but was born and grew up in Manchester, appeared in early Goodwin and Old Judge issues.
As the 20th century dawned, baseball card production exploded with the growing success of the tobacco industry. Companies like T206, T207, and American Caramel included cards highlighting New Hampshire-born players or those who starred for the state’s top amateur and minor league teams. Stars like Red Rolfe, a three-time World Series champion born in Dover in 1910, and Jackie Jensen, an All-Star outfielder for the Boston Red Sox in the 1950s who grew up in Manchester, had popular baseball cards produced during their playing days.
In the middle decades of the 20th century, the minor leagues remained an important part of the baseball landscape in New Hampshire as they were across America. Dozens of communities throughout the state fielded teams in the New England League, Canadian-American League, and other lower minor circuits during the 1930s-1960s. Top local prospects who went on to enjoy cup of coffee in the majors often had baseball cards included in sets issued by Bowman, Topps, and Fleer during these middle decades of the 1900s. Players like Bobby Klaus (Berlin, 1920-2006), Bob Montag (Nashua, 1930-2014), and Dick Radatz (Manchester, 1941-2011) had boyhood careers in New Hampshire before moving up the professional ladder.
In the post-World War II era, baseball cards became a ubiquitous part of youth culture across America. Every pack of bubblegum or cigarettes had the chance to contain a coveted card from the latest Topps, Bowman, or Fleer release. For New Hampshire children, there was added excitement of possibly pulling cards depicting players they had seen star for their local minor league or amateur club. The booming postwar economy also led to an explosion of hobby and card shops catering to collectors. Stores like Concord Hobby and Portsmouth Sportscards became community institutions where fans could browse the latest releases, trade duplicates, or purchase individual stars from want lists.
As minor league baseball declined sharply across America starting in the 1960s due to franchise contraction, so too did the pipeline of New Hampshire talent making their way to the professional ranks. Local card shops helped keep interest alive by stocking regional releases highlighting former Granite State greats. Sets issued by companies like Granite State Baseball commemorated the achievements of legends like Bobby Klaus, Jackie Jensen, and Mickey Vernon (Dover, 1918-2008), who all enjoyed Hall of Fame careers despite beginning their journeys in New Hampshire’s amateur and minor leagues decades earlier.
In the modern era, New Hampshire has seen a resurgence of grassroots baseball interest. Dozens of highly competitive amateur and semi-pro leagues have sprung up across all age divisions. At the same time, the rise of the internet has created new opportunities for collectors worldwide to rediscover the achievements of players who rose from humble beginnings in the Granite State. Sites like TradingCardDB.com have profile pages dedicated to stars past and present from New Hampshire who had baseball cards produced over the decades. From the earliest tobacco inserts to modern parallels and autographs, New Hampshire’s rich baseball card history continues to be preserved and celebrated by collectors today. While the state may lack professional franchises, its contribution to America’s pastime on cardboard remains an important part of the story.
