The city of Elgin, Illinois has a long and rich history with baseball cards dating back over 100 years. Located approximately 35 miles west of Chicago, Elgin developed into a hub for the production and collection of early baseball cards starting in the late 1800s.
One of the earliest known baseball card manufacturers was based in Elgin – The Elgin National Watch Company. In addition to producing watches and clocks, the company experimented with printing trade cards, business cards, and other ephemera using lithography. In the late 1880s, Elgin National began printing small lithographed cards featuring individual baseball players as a promotional item. These early Elgin National baseball cards are now extremely rare and valuable collector’s items.
While Elgin National’s baseball card production was limited, it helped spark interest in the city for these novel trading cards. Local drugstores and general stores began carrying baseball cards as a side product in the early 1900s. Companies like American Caramel started including baseball cards in candies and gum sold in Elgin. Kids around the area got hooked on collecting and trading these early cardboard pieces featuring their favorite ballplayers.
The first dedicated baseball card company to call Elgin home was the Benjamin Hartz Company, established in 1905. Hartz produced sets featuring players from several different teams each year through the 1910s. Their cards had a distinctive embossed border design and were sold primarily in the Midwest region out of Elgin. Hartz helped popularize the modern concept of annual baseball card sets focused on the current season’s players.
In the 1920s, three major baseball card manufacturers set up shop in Elgin – Exhibit Supply Company, World Color Printing, and the Morris & Company candy makers. These companies produced some of the most iconic early 20th century baseball card sets like T206, T205, and more. Their large production facilities in Elgin pumped out millions of cards that were inserted in candies, cigarettes, and other products distributed nationwide. The city truly became the epicenter of American baseball card manufacturing during this “Golden Age.”
As the decades progressed, Elgin’s baseball card industry remained strong but started facing more competition from larger national companies. Allen & Ginter, American Caramel, and others still had regional production plants in the area. In the post-World War 2 era, Topps emerged as the dominant force and local manufacturers struggled to keep up. The last Elgin-based company was Sportscard Packers, which closed its doors in the 1970s.
However, Elgin’s legacy and influence on the hobby remained. The city developed multi-generational families of passionate baseball card collectors. Local hobby shops like The Sports Collector (open since the 1960s) became renowned destinations for enthusiasts. Major card shows started being held in the area every year, drawing collectors from around the country. Today, Elgin is home to the largest baseball card auction house in the world – Heritage Auctions.
While the manufacturing side faded, Elgin solidified its place as one of the epicenters of American baseball card collecting. Local museums hold exhibits honoring the city’s rich history in the hobby. The influence of those early 20th century production plants is still very much alive. Elgin’s contribution to developing baseball cards into the popular collectible we know today cannot be overstated. Over a century later, the city remains deeply connected to this beloved piece of Americana.
