The history of baseball cards spans over 130 years and has seen many brands come and go as the collectible card industry has evolved. Some of the earliest and most iconic baseball card brands still in existence today got their start in the late 1800s as the hobby began to take shape.
In the earliest days of the baseball card industry during the 1880s, brands like Goodwin & Company and Old Judge Tobacco were producing cards as promotional incentives included in tobacco products. In 1886, the American Tobacco Company began including baseball cards in packages of cigarette brands like Pearl cigars and Sweet Caporal cigarettes. This helped popularize the inclusion of sports cards in tobacco products and marked the beginning of what would become some of the most legendary brands in the industry.
In 1887, the American Tobacco Company launched the famous Allen & Ginter brand. Their ornate designs and use of color lithography helped establish baseball cards as a true collectible. Allen & Ginter produced cards until 1891 and their issues from this early period are among the most coveted and expensive cards available today for collectors. Also in the late 1880s, the tobacco company Mayo Cut Plug started including baseball cards with their products, distributed by Buck Card Company. The Mayo Cut Plug and Buck brands produced some of the earliest star cards featuring players across the major leagues.
In the early 20th century, tobacco brands continued to dominate the baseball card industry. In 1909, the American Tobacco Company launched perhaps their most iconic brand – T206. The ornate T206 set featured 511 total cards including the most famous and valuable baseball card of all-time, the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner. Produced until 1913, high-grade T206 examples are among the holy grails for vintage collectors. In 1911, Goodwin & Company issued their Red Sox Caramel baseball cards, another early tobacco brand still pursued by collectors today.
In the 1920s-30s, tobacco brands like M101-4 Murads, Sweet Caporal, Iran Turkish, and Play Ball continued producing popular sets. The rise of gum and candy companies in the post-war era would help transform the baseball card market. In 1948, the Bowman Gum Company launched the first modern gum-included baseball card set. Their designs featured color photos on the fronts for the first time. Bowman Gum produced highly regarded issues annually until 1956.
Topps Chewing Gum became the dominant baseball card brand starting in 1951 with their iconic design still used on most modern issues today. Topps purchased the rights to Bowman in 1956, consolidating the market. Other memorable post-war gum and candy brands included Fleer, Leaf, and Play Ball. Fleer emerged as Topps’ chief competitor in the 1960s with innovative parallel sets and rookie cards of legends like Hank Aaron.
In the 1980s, Donruss entered the market and produced memorable rookies of stars like Cal Ripken Jr. Upper Deck also had a major impact when they started in 1989, known for innovative technology, higher quality card stock, and the infamous Ken Griffey Jr. rookie that exploded the hobby. In the 90s, brands like Score, Leaf, and Pinnacle produced sets alongside the giants Topps and Upper Deck.
In today’s licensed card market, Topps remains the exclusive Major League Baseball producer. Brands like Panini, Leaf, Bowman, and Stadium Club release well-regarded unlicensed sets featuring current players. Vintage and antique tobacco era brands still excite collectors with their history and iconic designs from the earliest days of the hobby. While brands have certainly come and gone, some stalwart producers from over a century ago remain household names for collectors today. The evolution of the baseball card industry has been defined by the memorable brands that helped establish it as a beloved pastime.
