Baseball cards from the 1910s can be extremely valuable collectors items, with some cards fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. This decade saw the rise of tobacco cards as the dominant form of baseball cards, with companies like T206 and E90 issuing some of the most iconic and valuable sets from the early 20th century. While it may be over 100 years old, 1910s-era baseball memorabilia remains highly sought after by collectors.
One of the most famous and valuable baseball cards from the 1910s is the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner card. Widely considered the rarest and most coveted card of all time, the Wagner card was part of the massive T206 set issued between 1909-1911 by the American Tobacco Company. What makes the Wagner so rare is that the legendary Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop demanded American Tobacco stop producing his card, likely due to his opposition to promoting tobacco. As a result, it’s estimated fewer than 50 graded Wagner cards exist today in all conditions. In recent years, PSA-graded examples have sold at auction for over $3 million, with one mint condition specimen fetching $6.6 million in 2016.
Another hugely valuable 1910s card is the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card. Issued while Ruth was still playing for the Red Sox, it captures “The Bambino” in his early minor league days before his legendary Yankees career. Only a small number of the News cards are known to exist, and in high grades they can sell for well over $100,000. In 2016, a PSA NM-MT 8 grade 1914 News Ruth card set a new record when it sold for an astounding $368,500. Other ultra-rare 1910s Ruth rookie cards include issues from the 1914 Cracker Jack set as well as Baltimore cards from 1915 and 1916, with high graded examples of any Ruth rookie frequently topping $50,000.
While the Wagner and Ruth cards command the highest prices, there are dozens of notable 1910s players whose rare early issue cards can still net five and six figures. Hall of Famers like Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, and Eddie Collins all have scarce tobacco-era cards that attract intense bidding. A key subset is the 1910 Old Mill Tobacco cards, which featured 25 future Hall of Famers but are exceptionally rare in high grades. Just a few years later, the 1914 Cracker Jack set similarly featured legends like Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Nap Lajoie. Even in low grades, these early 20th century cards can sell for tens of thousands.
Beyond the star players of the time, error cards and oddball issues from the 1910s can also hold tremendous value. One example is the ultra-rare 1912 Naples Fireman tobacco card, which was accidentally printed with a photo of a local firefighter instead of a ballplayer. Only a handful are known to exist, with a PSA-graded example selling at auction in 2014 for $36,000. Other anomalies like a 1914 Baltimore News Hal Chase card missing statistics, or a miscut 1911 Turkey Red Cabinets card can excite collectors. Even common players portrayed in scarce early sets have found new appreciation, such as 1911 W514 cards of Bill Carrigan or Wally Schang.
When it comes to grading and preservation, mint condition examples from over a century ago are understandably few and far between. Cards in high grades often command the biggest prices. The leading third-party authentication company PSA has graded fewer than 10 examples of the legendary 1909-11 T206 Wagner above a PSA 5. Meanwhile, the population reports for pre-WWI stars like Mathewson, Walter Johnson or Nap Lajoie in high PSA grades are often numbered in the single digits. This scarcity is a big factor in the valuations of top 1910s cards – the better the state of preservation, the more collectors are willing to pay for a direct connection to the early days of the game.
While the golden era of baseball cards may have started 100 years ago, the collectibles and memorabilia from the 1910s continue to enthrall fans and command impressive sums. Iconic issues like the T206s and early tobacco sets remind us of baseball’s history and the first superstars of the game who were captured in card form. With such a small surviving population after decades of wear and tear, mint condition examples from this decade will likely remain among the most valuable in the hobby. Serious vintage card collectors know that when it comes to the 1910s, time has only increased demand for reliving that early period through the cards that were produced.
