The Kellogg’s Baseball Greats cards were a series of baseball trading cards inserted in boxes of Kellogg’s cereal from 1959 to 1967. They featured iconic baseball players like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Hank Aaron. The cards were prized by collectors and served to introduce legendary baseball figures to young fans enjoying their morning cereal.
The cards were conceived by William O. Matson, the vice president of sales promotion at Kellogg Company, who wanted to develop a new marketing strategy to help boost cereal sales. Matson decided inserting collectible baseball cards into cereal boxes was a novel concept that could appeal to kids and parents alike. He worked with Topps, the famous trading card manufacturer, to develop and produce the cards.
The very first series of Kellogg’s Baseball Greats cards was inserted in cereal boxes in 1959. Each box included one card featuring a baseball legend from the early decades of the game. Some of the players featured in the 1959 set included Honus Wagner, Cy Young, and Walter Johnson. The cards measured 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches and featured a black and white photo of the player on the front with basic career stats on the back.
The 1959 inaugural issue was a huge success, leading to annual follow up issues through 1967. Each new series would focus on a different era of baseball history, moving progressively closer to modern times. The 1960 series highlighted stars from the 1920s and 1930s like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx. Subsequent years moved into the 1940s, 1950s, and even included some recently retired stars. By 1967, the final set featured active superstars like Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax.
An estimated 5 billion Kellogg’s Baseball Greats cards were inserted into cereal boxes over the 9 year run of the series from 1959 to 1967. The cards became extraordinarily popular with children and collectors alike. Kids eagerly awaited finding the bonus baseball card in their cereal boxes and began amassing collections. Meanwhile, adult collectors recognized the photographic quality and historic significance of the players and sets featured.
Because they were mass produced cereal inserts rather than traditional trading cards, the Kellogg’s issues had much higher print runs than comparable sets from Bowman or Topps at the time. Their ubiquity also made them less valuable individually. Still, finding a highly sought after star like a Mickey Mantle or Ted Williams card was always an exciting discovery for lucky young collectors.
While common in the hands of children at the time, many of those Kellogg’s Baseball Greats cards committed to cardboard by peanut butter and soaked in milk over the breakfast table did not survive in the best condition. Those that have survived in top preserved grade today are highly valued by vintage sports memorabilia collectors. Pristine examples of iconic stars from the earliest 1959 and 1960 issues can sell for thousands of dollars. Even well-kept commons from the 1960s runs can carry dollar values far exceeding their trivial worth decades ago.
The impact of the Kellogg’s cards also extended beyond collecting value. Their inclusion in daily breakfasts helped educate generations of young American baseball fans about the history and legends of the national pastime. Players long retired discovered new life and interest from kids seeing their images on cereal box prizes. Families and Little League coaches used the cards to teach kids about batting titles, ERA records, and the colorful stars that built the national legacy of our country’s favorite sport.
While the annual issuance of new Kellogg’s Baseball Greats cards ended after 1967 issue, their legacy and influence on collectors continues decades later. The iconic images they preserved and accessible histories they presented first introduced legions of baby boomers to the who’s who of early MLB stars. Those early sets remain some of the most historically significant sports card issues of all-time due to their mass reach and documentation of long retired greats. Though common as cereal inclusions decades ago, pristine Kellogg’s cards remain a valued part of the collections of dedicated baseball memorabilia historians today.
The Kellogg’s Baseball Greats trading cards inserted in cereal boxes from 1959 to 1967 had an enormous impact as both a marketing promotion and historical documentation project. Their wide distribution introduced generations of young fans to the players and eras that built the game. While common as prizes in their day, survivors in top condition today are prized pieces of baseball memorabilia collecting. Through them, forever immortalized in cardboard, the legends of the early decades of Major League Baseball will continue to inspire new generations of fans enjoying their morning cereal.
