The popularity of baseball cards in Elmhurst, Illinois can be traced back to the late 19th century when the hobby first started gaining steam across America. Like many other towns and cities at the time, young boys in Elmhurst became enthralled with collecting cards featuring their favorite players and teams. Early baseball cards were included as promotional inserts in packs of cigarette brands like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge in the late 1880s.
By the early 1900s, dedicated baseball card companies like American Tobacco Company and the American Caramel Company were mass producing sets of cards solely focused on the sport. Elmhurst kids would eagerly await the arrival of the newest series at local general stores and corner shops. Two of the most coveted early sets for collectors in Elmhurst included T206 from 1909-1911 and the famous 1914 Baltimore News issue featuring legendary players like Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb.
With no local minor or major league teams to root for in the first half of the 20th century, the people of Elmhurst developed strong allegiances to teams like the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals through their baseball cards. Kids would swap, trade, and compete to assemble full rosters of their favorite players. Some of the most iconic cards from this era that still surface in Elmhurst collections today include Babe Ruth from the 1918 Baltimore News issue and Lou Gehrig’s 1933 Goudey card.
The postwar boom of the 1950s saw an explosion in the production and collecting of baseball cards across America. In Elmhurst, little league teams were formed and youth participation in baseball reached an all-time high. Topps Chewing Gum became the dominant force in the industry, releasing full color, photograph centered sets on a yearly basis. Their 1952 and 1953 issues are particularly well represented in the collections of longtime Elmhurst residents. Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron rookie cards from Topps’ 1952 set are some of the most valuable from this era.
The 1960s represented the golden age of baseball card collecting in Elmhurst. Kids could be found trading, sorting, and admiring their collections at local shops, ball fields, and on their bicycles throughout the town’s neighborhoods. Topps continued to innovate, producing the first modern style cards in 1961 that featured player attributes on the back. The 1963 Topps set paid tribute to the 100th anniversary of the game and included the first color photos on cards. High-numbers and rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Reggie Jackson, Tom Seaver, and Johnny Bench were hot commodities among Elmhurst collectors.
In the 1970s, the rise of competitive little league and high school baseball programs in Elmhurst helped maintain a high level of enthusiasm for the hobby. The industry faced uncertainty as the bubble began to burst due to an overproduction of cards in the late ’70s. Fleer and Kellogg’s joined Topps as major manufacturers but quality control and scarcity issues took their toll. Still, Elmhurst kids amassed impressive collections featuring the stars of the era like Nolan Ryan, George Brett, and Dave Winfield. The 1975 Topps set paid homage to the American pastime’s bicentennial and remains a favorite of longtime collectors.
The 1980s saw significant changes in the baseball card industry that impacted collectors in Elmhurst. Increasing production values, especially of rookie cards, led to a speculative boom. Kids began focusing more on investment potential than the love of the players and teams. The arrival of upper deck in 1987 as the first premium card company reinvigorated interest among collectors. Iconic rookie cards of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas from that year are highly sought after by collectors today. The late ’80s also heralded the ‘junk wax’ era as overproduction caused a crash in 1991 that nearly destroyed the industry.
Through the 1990s and 2000s, the baseball card industry stabilized under the “Big 3” of Topps, Fleer, and Upper Deck but collectors’ enthusiasm in Elmhurst waned some from the heyday. Still, interest was maintained among older collectors and a new generation was exposed through the boom in memorabilia and autograph cards. Icons of the steroid era like Ken Griffey Jr, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire had strong followings. In the 2010s, the arrival of new companies like Bowman Draft and Stadium Club helped reinvigorate the modern hobby. Elmhurst collectors remain dedicated to assembling complete sets and chasing rare parallels and autographs of current stars like Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, and Ronald Acuña Jr.
Today, the legacy of baseball card collecting lives on strongly in Elmhurst. Local card shops like The Baseball Card Exchange attract collectors of all ages to buy, sell and trade. The Elmhurst History Museum has assembled one of the finest archives of local baseball memorabilia, including some truly rare early tobacco and candy issue cards. Vintage card shows are regularly held in the area drawing collectors from near and far. While the means of collecting may have changed with the digital age, the passion for the cardboard remains as strong as ever for collectors in Elmhurst, keeping the beloved hobby thriving for future generations.
