Baseball cards have been an iconic part of American culture and fandom since the late 19th century. While the cards themselves are what have endured in popularity over generations, an important element that helped propel baseball cards into the mainstream was the inclusion of chewing gum or candy with wax paper wrapping. This innovation of including small treats or toys with trading cards is what really took off in the post-World War II era and ushered in the golden age of baseball cards that lasted through the 1980s.
In the early 20th century, most baseball cards were included in cigarette or candy packages as promotional inserts. It was the introduction of wax paper wrapping that contained small pieces of chewing gum that truly exploded the popularity of collecting baseball cards. The first mainstream company to pioneer this model was the American Caramel Company in 1938 with their Candy Wrappers gum, which were the first to include baseball cards as incentives. It was Topps Chewing Gum that took the concept to new heights after World War II and dominated the baseball card market for decades.
Topps’ innovation was including a single baseball card sealed within a wax paper wrapper along with a small chunk of bubblegum. This not only kept the card protected inside but also enticed young collectors with the promise of a treat. Suddenly, every pack of Topps gum had the potential to include star players or rare finds. The hunt to complete full sets of cards drove fandom and collecting into mainstream American youth culture throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
Topps had the baseball card market largely to themselves during the peak decades, as their competitors struggled to gain traction. Other gum and candy companies like Fleer and Leaf also entered the baseball card business during this time. The standard of including a single random card sealed in wax paper along with gum remained the model across brands through the 1980s. This ensured that every pack was a surprise, keeping the excitement of the hobby alive for collectors.
The unique smell and feel of the waxy paper wrappers became closely associated with the baseball card collecting experience. Kids would eagerly snap open the wrappers, sometimes with difficulty, to see which player or memorable moment from the previous season they had received. The wrappers protected the cards inside and allowed for portability, with kids trading and storing their collections in pocket-sized cardboard or plastic boxes. While the cards themselves changed over the decades to showcase the biggest stars and record statistical milestones, the basic concept of wax-wrapped packs remained consistent.
By the 1970s, as the population boom led to more disposable income for youth and an intensifying collector’s market, companies like Topps began inserting more premium chase cards to entice buyers. This included the first introductions of autographed and memorabilia cards sealed inside the familiar wax packs. As values rose on rare finds, the allure and mystique around the gamble of randomly finding a valuable card inside the wax further fueled the boom. Secondary markets and conventions emerged catering to the growing number of avid collectors.
By the late 1980s, the bubble had begun to burst on the baseball card industry. As supply far exceeded demand due to overproduction, values plummeted and the collector fervor waned. Companies like Fleer and Leaf exited the baseball card market. Topps remained but was forced to adapt, cutting back sets and experimenting with new materials and concepts like the first premium wax-free sets. The 1990s saw a darker period for the industry as wax-wrapped packs receded into nostalgia. But new generations of collectors would emerge and the classic wax-pack concept still endures today among those remembering baseball cards’ golden age.
While the baseball card industry has seen many changes, from the introduction of rare parallel prints to digital cards, the nostalgic appeal of those classic wax-paper wrappers still resonates powerfully among collectors and fans. The smell and feel of cracking open a pack, with the mystery of which cardboard treasure might be discovered inside, is ingrained in the memories of generations who grew up collecting in the 1950s through 1980s. That unique experience of randomly finding stars or memorabilia encapsulated in wax helped propel baseball cards from promotional inserts into a multibillion-dollar industry and enduring American pastime.
