Pulling baseball cards has been a beloved hobby for generations that can be traced back over 100 years. The earliest form of baseball cards came in the late 1880s as promotional inserts included in packs of cigarette brands like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge. These cards featured standalone images of baseball players and could be collected and sorted by enthusiasts. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the mass publication of baseball cards truly began.
In 1909, the American Tobacco Company started inserting baseball cards as promotional items in packs of cigarettes. These were the first cards to include statistics and biographical information on the back, setting the standard template that modern cards still follow today. Players began appearing eager to have their likeness featured on cardboard as it brought additional fame and admiration from fans. The tobacco companies realized these early inserts were a major promotional success and driving cigarette sales, so production ramped up significantly in subsequent years.
Through the 1910s and 1920s, tobacco brands like Wheaties, Sweet Caporal, and Murad issued dozens of series highlighting the biggest stars of the era like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Walter Johnson. As baseball grew in popularity during these boom years, so did the passion for collecting and trading cards. Kids would eagerly await the weekend to crack open packs and see which players they received, often grouping duplicates and seeking out peers to make trades to complete their collections. The competition and thrill of the hunt ignited a craze that continues over a century later.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the most coveted cards came from sets issued by Goudey and Play Ball. These premium gum and cigarette brands offered intricate photographs and eye-catching designs that are amongst the most iconic in the history of the hobby. Mickey Mantle’s rookie card from 1952 Topps quickly became the grail item that every collector sought. But after overproduction and saturating the market in the 1950s, the baseball card bubble temporarily burst which ushered in a dormant period.
Topps remained alone dominating the market for two decades until competitors finally began entering in the late 1970s and early 80s. Donruss started strong with rookie cards of Cal Ripken Jr. and Wade Boggs. Fleer emerged soon after, shaking things up by purchasing the exclusive MLBPA license and inserting star players into each pack. The ’83 Fleer set highlight rookie cards of Ryne Sandberg and Darryl Strawberry that are legendary in their own right. But it was the ’86 set that took the hobby to new heights by introducing holograms and logos stamped on each card.
The late 80s and early 90s are remembered as the “golden age” when interest in collecting reached a fever pitch thanks to the arrival of Upper Deck. With premium card stock and cutting edge photography, Upper Deck sent shockwaves through the industry and forced the competition to up their game. Ken Griffey Jr.’s rookie from 1989 Upper Deck is one of the most valuable baseball cards ever printed due to the perfect storm of player, set, and timing. Millions of kids and adults were pulled into the obsession, seeking, sorting, and stashing away complete sets and memorable rookies in the hopes they would gain value.
The boom continued well into the 1990s until an overabundance of licensed products led to market saturation. When the bubble finally burst in the late ‘90s, it signaled the end of the golden age and a shift more towards memorabilia and autograph cards rather than the traditional base varieties. New generations have since rediscovered the magic and tradition of the original card packs inserted randomly inside wax wrappers.
While the companies and inserts may change, the fundamental excitement of pulling that unexpected star rookie or completing a coveted set endures. Modern day breaks on YouTube capture the nail-biting suspense of ripping packs open for the world to see in real time. Vintage and investment communities thrive hunting goldmines from the past like the famed ’52 Mantle and ’86 Donruss strawberry rookie BGS graded gems.
After over 130 years, cracking packs in search of cardboard treasures remains an iconic American tradition. Whether chasing down childhood heroes or seeking profit, the allure of the pull is as strong today more than ever. And so future generations will continue passing down their duplicate stacks, hoping to spark someone else’s collecting spark and fuel the never-ending hunt for the next big card to be unearthed from a fresh wax pack.
