The history of baseball cards dates back over 150 years. Some of the earliest known baseball cards were included in packages of tobacco in the late 1860s as a promotional item. These cards featured individual players and teams from the National Association of Base Ball Players, a predecessor to modern Major League Baseball. It wasn’t until the late 1880s that baseball cards began being mass produced in cigarette and tobacco brands.
In 1886, the American Tobacco Company began inserting baseball cards into packages of cigarette brands like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge. These early tobacco era cards are some of the most collectible and valuable today. Players featured included big stars of the time like Cap Anson, Pud Galvin, and Amos Rusie. The cards measured about 2 inches by 3 inches and were printed on thin cardboard stock. During this time, the tobacco companies would hire photographers to take portrait photos of players that were then reproduced on the cards.
In the early 1900s, more tobacco brands like Sweet Caporal, Hassan Racket, and Lime Juice Joe began issuing baseball cards. More stars of the deadball era like Honus Wagner, Nap Lajoie, and Cy Young achieved lasting fame through their tobacco era cards. Public health concerns over cigarettes led tobacco companies to phase out baseball cards by the 1910s. This ended the golden age of tobacco era cards, with the T206 and T205 series among the most coveted sets today.
In the 1920s, the gum and candy companies took over production of baseball cards. Companies like American Caramel issued sets featuring players from the newly formed Federal League that was competing with the AL and NL. But it was the Goudey Gum Company that had the largest impact, issuing their famous 1933 Goudey set that included legends like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in colorful photo portraits. Goudey would issue several other sets through the 1930s.
In the post-war boom of the 1950s, the Bowman Gum Company became the dominant issuer of baseball cards. Their 1948 and 1949 sets featured the stars of that era like Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, and Ted Williams. Topps Chewing Gum entered the market in 1951 and quickly outcompeted Bowman. Topps issued hugely popular sets almost annually from the 1950s onward, popularizing the modern cardboard trading card. Stars of the era like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron had their iconic rookie cards issued during this time by Topps.
The 1960s saw the rise of the amateur collector as the baby boom generation fueled interest in cards. Topps issued expansive sets each year of 700 cards or more. Stars of the 1960s like Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Roberto Clemente achieved lasting fame through their colorful Topps cards. But competition emerged as Fleer entered the baseball card market in 1956 and began directly competing with Topps’ monopoly. A trademark infringement lawsuit led Fleer to leave baseball cards in 1981 after issuing innovative sets in the 1960s and 70s.
In the late 1980s, the sports memorabilia boom led to a renaissance of interest in vintage cards from the tobacco and gum eras. Iconic rookie cards of Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Mickey Mantle skyrocketed in value. The overproduction of modern cards in the 1980s glutted the market and led to a crash. But interest remained high among collectors, especially in the highly coveted rookie cards of stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones issued during this time by Topps, Donruss, and Fleer.
In the 1990s, Upper Deck emerged as a new competitor to Topps. They issued innovative card designs and used higher quality cardboard stock. Stars of the era like Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, and Cal Ripken Jr. had some of their best and most memorable cards produced during this time by the card companies. The collector’s market also began to boom, with vintage cards continuing to appreciate greatly in value and online trading/sales of cards emerging as a major phenomenon.
In today’s market, Topps remains the dominant baseball card producer but faces competition from brands like Panini, Leaf, and Donruss. Relic cards, autograph cards, and memorabilia cards have become major collector categories inserted randomly in modern packs and boxes. The true blue-chip investments remain the vintage rookie cards, tobacco cards, and pre-war cards featuring legendary players. Sites like eBay also fueled a rise in singles sales and created a vibrant marketplace for collectors. New technologies have also allowed for innovative digital and virtual baseball cards to emerge alongside the traditional cardboard variety.
Over 150 years since their earliest known issues as tobacco promotional items, baseball cards have evolved into one of the largest and most popular collectibles worldwide. From the earliest stars of the 1860s to modern day legends, baseball cards have helped preserve the history of the game and its greatest players through affordable collectibles that millions have enjoyed amassing and trading over generations. The industry may change, but the allure of baseball cards remains as strong as ever for collectors around the world.
