CMC Baseball Cards was a popular brand of baseball cards produced from 1979 to 1981 by Consolidated Mint Corporation (CMC). During its short run, CMC released sets that featured current major league players and helped popularize the modern baseball card era.
History and Founding of CMC Baseball Cards
CMC was founded in 1977 by Richard McWilliam with the goal of producing quality collectibles and memorabilia. The company started by creating commemorative medals and began exploring other markets like coins and sports cards. In 1979, CMC obtained the licensing rights to produce official Major League Baseball cards and launched its inaugural baseball card set.
The 1979 CMC set included cards of major league players from that season. Each wax-packed box contained 72 randomly inserted cards with no guaranteed stars or inserts. The design featured a color team logo in the foreground with a action photo of the player in the background. Backs included career stats and a brief biography. The set was a major success and helped reinvigorate the baseball card hobby.
Following the popularity of the 1979 issue, CMC continued to release annual baseball card sets through 1981. The 1980 and 1981 sets followed a similar formula to the debut year with updated rosters and player photos. CMC also produced smaller specialty sets highlighting All-Stars, award winners, and playoff teams in between the flagship yearly releases. These supplemental issues helped keep the CMC brand fresh all year.
Innovations and Impact on the Hobby
While CMC built upon existing baseball card traditions, the company also introduced several innovations that influenced the entire sports card industry:
CMC was among the first companies to use glossy full-color photography on cards, enhancing the visual appeal compared to earlier issues. This set a new standard that remains today.
Special “hit” cards with serial numbers, signatures, or memorabilia pieces were inserted randomly in wax packs as chase cards. This popularized the idea of rare insert cards in the modern era.
CMC pioneered the concept of annual set release cycles to keep up with the most current rosters and player stats from that season. This became the model for virtually every sports card manufacturer.
The CMC brand helped reinvigorate the baseball card market just as the sport was entering a new golden age of popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their high-quality issues attracted both collectors and fans.
Distribution was widespread through national retailers like drug stores and hobby shops, making CMC cards easily accessible to the mass market of collectors for the first time.
While only in production for three years, CMC had an outsized influence on the entire baseball card industry. Many of the company’s innovations became standard practices that still define the sports card market today. CMC cards from their 1979-1981 runs remain some of the most iconic and valuable issues for collectors.
Decline and Legacy of CMC Baseball Cards
By 1981, CMC faced new competition from industry giants like Topps who were producing their own expansive and premium baseball card lines. That year CMC produced its final baseball card set before selling the sports division to another company called Pro-Cards. While CMC continued minting other collectibles, they exited the baseball card market.
Some factors that contributed to CMC’s decline included:
Increased competition from larger, more established sports card manufacturers like Topps with deeper pockets.
Higher production costs and licensing fees that came with the growing sports memorabilia business.
Potential over-expansion trying to produce multiple sets each year that may have stretched resources thin.
Industry-wide lull and consolidation in the baseball card market by the early 1980s that impacted smaller players.
Despite only a three year run, CMC Baseball Cards left an indelible mark. Their innovative spirit and high quality issues attracted a new generation of collectors. CMC established many practices that still define the baseball card industry. Cards from their popular 1979-1981 sets remain some of the most iconic of the era and hold significant value for enthusiasts. While short-lived, CMC had an outsized impact cementing the modern baseball card’s ascendance. Their issues remain beloved by collectors decades later.
