The C and L brand of baseball cards was produced from the late 19th century through the early 20th century and helped popularize the collecting of baseball memorabilia. C and L cards were produced by the tobacco companies Carroll & Co and the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company and inserted in cigarette and chewing tobacco packages. The inclusion of baseball cards in tobacco products helped drive sales while also cultivating a new generation of baseball fans through collecting.
One of the earliest C and L card issues was produced around 1886 and featured individual player portraits on cards measuring approximately 2.5 x 3 inches. These early tobacco era cards set the standard for future baseball card designs by including a headshot photo of the player along with their name and team. Some key early C and L issues and their production years include the 1886-1887 Goodwin & Company issue, the 1890-1891 Mayo Cut Plug issue, and the 1896-1900 Liggett & Myers issue among others. These issues helped popularize baseball cards at a time when the sport was still growing in popularity across the United States.
In the early 1900s, C and L continued producing popular baseball card sets that documented the stars and teams of the era. Their 1903 issue is notable for featuring the first cards of Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Nap Lajoie. The 1909-1911 T206 card set produced for American Tobacco is also highly coveted by collectors today. This iconic set featured detailed full body photos on larger 3.5 x 2.5 inch cards. Subsets within the massive 524 card T206 set like the rare Wagner have become the most valuable collectibles in the hobby.
During the 1910s, C and L cards continued to gain in popularity riding the wave of two new professional baseball leagues, the Federal League and the upstart Negro National League. Their card issues from this era provided coverage of these new circuits in addition to chronicling the established National and American Leagues. Sets like the 1911 and 1912 C and L Department store issues as well as issues inserted in Fatima and Sweet Caporal cigarettes helped preserve the history of early 20th century baseball for future generations.
In the 1920s, C and L cards entered their golden age of production as tobacco companies competed fiercely for baseball card insertion rights. Lavish multi-year sets were produced with each company trying to outdo the others. The most famous of these was the iconic C and L “Play Ball” series issued from 1924-1931. Featuring over 2000 total cards across its run, the Play Ball set included cards in various sizes and formats while also issuing special subsets each year. Contemporaneous C and L issues of the 1920s like those found in Murad cigarettes and Goodwin Champions cigarettes also contributed to the boom in baseball card popularity.
The Great Depression of the 1930s saw tobacco companies scale back baseball card production due to economic difficulties, though C and L did issue some sets during this era. Notable 1930s C and L issues included their 1933 Goudey gum company cards as well as sets inserted in various tobacco brands like Piedmonts, Raleighs, and Melachrinos. World War 2 paper shortages led to the cessation of most baseball card production during the 1940s aside from a few minor issues. However, C and L’s tradition and prestige had been firmly established in the collecting hobby by this point.
After the war, C and L resumed baseball card production on a smaller scale. Topps Chewing Gum had emerged as the new dominant baseball card maker starting in 1951 but C and L still managed to issue sets periodically over the following decades. These included issues in 1953 and 1956 produced in conjunction with the American Tobacco Company as well as some regional tobacco insert sets. By the 1960s though, C and L’s baseball card production had ended as the Topps monopoly took hold. Their early tobacco era cards from the late 19th/early 20th century remain among the most iconic and valuable in the hobby.
In the modern era, C and L cards are avidly collected and command high prices in the vintage sports memorabilia market. Their production spanning baseball’s early professional and deadball eras through the 1920s golden age makes them important historical artifacts. Individual rare C and L cards like the legendary 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner can sell at auction for over $1 million. Even common cards from their most produced early 20th century sets remain popular with collectors. Through their innovative use of baseball cards as tobacco advertising inserts, C and L helped launch the sports card collecting craze while preserving the history of America’s pastime for future generations to enjoy. Their tobacco era cards remain beloved icons of baseball collectibles.
