Baseball cards have been an integral part of American culture and fandom since the late 19th century. While the city of Binghamton, New York may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of the history of baseball cards, the small city in upstate New York has actually played an important role in the story of these collectible cards.
Some of the earliest baseball cards produced in America came from companies based in Binghamton. In 1887, the Binghamton Cigar Company began inserting baseball cards into packs of cigarettes and cigars. These cards featured individual players from Major League teams and helped drive sales of tobacco products, especially among young baseball fans. While rudimentary compared to later baseball cards, the Binghamton Cigar Company cards helped popularize the concept of including sports cards in tobacco products.
In the early 1890s, another Binghamton company began producing baseball cards. The Allen & Ginter Tobacco Company, based in Binghamton, issued sets of baseball cards as part of their most popular cigarette brands. The Allen & Ginter cards were significant because they were the first baseball cards to include gum, a format that would become standard for modern baseball cards produced by Topps and other companies. The inclusion of gum helped target the cards at younger consumers. Allen & Ginter issued several series of baseball cards in the early 1890s before ceasing production. Their cards helped establish some of the conventions still used in baseball cards today.
During the early 20th century, Binghamton continued to play a role in the baseball card industry. In 1910, the Blossburg Cigar Company began inserting baseball cards into packs of cigarettes. These cards featured players from that year and helped collectors and fans keep up with the latest Major League stars. Through the 1910s and 1920s, other small Binghamton-area tobacco companies like the Endicott-Johnson Corporation included baseball cards in their products. While these companies did not achieve the scale of Topps, they kept the tradition of baseball cards alive regionally during the early 20th century.
The most significant Binghamton-based baseball card producer was the Gowanda Gum Company, which operated from the 1920s through the 1940s. Based in the nearby village of Gowanda, the company issued sets of gum-and-card packs featuring players from the National and American Leagues. In the late 1920s, Gowanda Gum cards directly competed with the dominant baseball card maker at the time, the American Caramel Company. The Gowanda Gum cards helped collectors in upstate New York and Pennsylvania keep up with the latest players during the interwar period.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the Gowanda Gum Company continued producing sets that directly competed with industry leader Topps. Their cards from this era are highly collectible today due to their regional significance and the company’s direct competition with Topps. Notable Gowanda Gum sets include those issued in 1933, 1935, 1936, 1938-1941 and 1946-1947. These sets helped keep the baseball card tradition alive regionally at a time when the Great Depression threatened its future nationally.
While the Gowanda Gum Company ceased baseball card production in the late 1940s, Binghamton and the surrounding area remained involved in the sport through other businesses. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Dake Brothers Company, based in Endicott, New York produced equipment for Little League baseball teams across America. Their equipment helped foster youth participation in baseball. Meanwhile, local hobby shops in Binghamton and surrounding towns helped facilitate the growing collector market for vintage baseball cards through the post-war era.
Today, Binghamton’s legacy in the story of baseball cards is commemorated through collector shows, card shops, and online communities. Websites like BinghamtonBaseballCards.com share the history of early producers like the Binghamton Cigar Company and Gowanda Gum. Local card shows draw collectors seeking vintage cards from regional companies. Hobby shops in the area, like The Card Closet in Vestal, New York, help today’s fans and collectors appreciate the rich history of baseball cards with roots in the Binghamton area. While it may not be a major baseball card producing hub today, the Binghamton region played an important role in the early history of these beloved collectibles. The area’s companies helped popularize baseball cards as we know them while directly competing with national industry leaders for decades.
In conclusion, Binghamton and surrounding towns’ involvement in the baseball card industry spans over a century. From some of the earliest tobacco inclusion cards to post-war competition with Topps, the region left an indelible mark. Today, collectors and historians work to preserve and share this unique local history. Though Binghamton may not be a first thought when discussing baseball cards, its impact was formative in popularizing and advancing the hobby nationally. The area remains proud of its role in the story of these iconic collectibles.
