The history of baseball cards in Minneapolis dates back to the late 19th century when the first baseball cards began appearing as promotional inserts in cigarette packs and bubble gum. Some of the earliest baseball cards featured players from Minneapolis teams in the minor and regional leagues that were popular at the time.
One of the first baseball card sets to feature Minneapolis players was issued in 1887 by Goodwin & Company, a leading cigarette manufacturer. This set included 48 cards showing players from major league teams as well as select minor league clubs, including the Minneapolis Millers who were members of the Western League, a regional minor league based in the Midwest. Some key Minneapolis players featured in this early Goodwin set included pitcher Jack “Smoke” Smith and catcher Bill “Ducky” Drake of the Millers.
In the early 1900s, as baseball grew in popularity across America and the tobacco industry looked for new promotional strategies, numerous baseball card sets began appearing as inserts in cigarettes. Many of these sets included players from Minneapolis minor league teams who were gaining followings among local baseball fans. Notable Minneapolis players of this era who appeared in early tobacco era baseball cards included George “Mule” Haas and Jimmy Slagle of the Millers along with Joe Nealon and Jack Bliss who played for the Minneapolis Giants in the Central League during the 1910s.
The most iconic early baseball card set to feature Minneapolis players was the 1909-1911 T206 tobacco brand. Produced by the American Tobacco Company, the mammoth 511-card T206 set included portraits of over 200 players, both major and minor leaguers. Among the Minneapolis players showcased in the hallowed T206 set were Millers pitchers Doc Miller, Eddie Sprague and Hal Chase, as well as Minneapolis Giants hurler Rube Vickers. These well-known Minneapolis players achieved a measure of national renown through their appearances in the iconic T206 issue.
In the 1920s and 1930s, as gum became a popular candy product, numerous baseball card sets were issued as promotional inserts in packs of gum. Chewing gum manufacturers like Goudey, Play Ball and Diamond Stars released sets that featured both major and minor league players, including those from Minneapolis teams. Notable Minneapolis players of this era who had their likenesses reproduced in early gum era baseball cards included Millers slugger Chuck Hostetler, Giants ace Pete Scott and Saints pitcher Eddie Smith.
During the 1930s and 1940s, the Minneapolis Millers established themselves as one of the top minor league franchises, winning numerous league championships. As a result, Millers players gained considerable followings among local baseball fans hungry to collect cards showing their favorite players. Millers stars of this era like pitcher Jack Knott, first baseman Dick Siebert and outfielder Bobby Thomson had their likenesses widely distributed in 1930s and 1940s era sets from Bowman, Play Ball and Leaf.
After World War II, the golden age of baseball card production was underway, thanks to the entry of new manufacturers like Topps. In 1948, Topps issued its first complete set that included both major and minor leaguers. This set featured Minneapolis Millers stars like pitchers Johnny Schmitz and Joe Page, catcher Clint Courtney and third baseman George Metkovich, providing collectors in the Twin Cities area the chance to showcase these local heroes in their collections.
Throughout the 1950s, as Topps monopolized the baseball card market, the company regularly included Minneapolis players in its annual sets. Fans could find cards of Millers greats like slugger Vic Power, hurlers Jack Urban and Bob Buhl and catcher Earl Battey. The 1954 Topps issue is especially prized by collectors today for its cards of Millers pitcher Jim Kaat and third baseman Bob Allison, both of whom went on to stellar major league careers.
In the late 1950s, the original Millers franchise moved to Atlanta and became the Braves. The void was soon filled by a new Triple-A Millers team, known as the “New Minneapolis Millers.” Topps continued to spotlight players from this incarnation of the Millers in its annual sets throughout the 1960s. Fans collecting in Minneapolis could add stars like pitcher Jim Merritt, outfielder Graig Nettles and second baseman Frank Taveras to their collections.
The 1970s saw the end of the “New Millers” franchise and Minneapolis was without a minor league affiliate for several years. Collectors in the area still had opportunities to procure cards of former Millers who had reached the majors like Kaat, Allison and Nettles in annual issues from Topps, Fleer and Donruss. In 1984, a new International League team, the Minneapolis Loons, was established and players like Greg Gagne, Scott Erickson and Chuck Knoblauch gained local followings that extended to their baseball card appearances.
Today, collectors in Minneapolis still seek out vintage cards highlighting the rich history of local minor league baseball, from early stars of the Millers and Giants to later greats of the “New Millers” and Loons franchises. While no minor league team currently calls Minneapolis home, the region’s baseball card collecting community ensures its long minor league legacy lives on each time a vintage card featuring a former Minneapolis player changes hands. The history of baseball cards in Minneapolis is in many ways a microcosm of the growth and popularity of the sport nationwide over the past century.
