Baseball cards have been an integral part of America’s pastime for over 150 years. While the modern baseball card is typically around 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches in size, throughout history there have been larger “big card” formats that provided more space for detailed photos and statistics. These oversized baseball cards were popular from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s and helped drive collector interest in the burgeoning hobby.
Some of the earliest known baseball cards date back to the late 1860s, when companies like Goodwin & Co. and Old Judge produced small cigarette cards featuring individual players. In the late 1880s, several manufacturers began experimenting with larger card formats known as “cabinet cards.” Measuring around 4 inches by 6 inches, these cabinet cards allowed for much more vivid portrait photographs of players. Allen & Ginter led the way with their N172 “giant” size baseball cabinet cards from 1887, followed by sets from companies like Mayo Cut Plug and Piedmont in the early 1890s.
The cabinet card era lasted through the turn of the century, with manufacturers continually striving to outdo each other with bigger and better photography. In 1886, the American Tobacco Company issued a mammoth 7 1/2 inch by 10 1/2 inch card of John Montgomery Ward, believed to be one of the earliest known “big cards.” Other notable early big cards included an 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch card of Buck Ewing issued by Goodwin & Co. in 1888. As photography technology advanced, the larger card formats allowed for sharper, clearer images that captured every detail of players’ uniforms and facial features.
The early 1900s saw the peak of big card popularity, as several major manufacturers issued large sets in unprecedented sizes. In 1909, the most famous and iconic of all big card sets was released – the T206 White Border set from American Tobacco. Featuring 515 total cards measuring an enormous 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches, the mammoth T206s became the holy grail for collectors and featured dazzling color portraits. Other legendary big card releases around this time included the E90 set from Elk Drug Company (1910-1911), the M101-1 set from Mayo Cut Plug (1910), and the C50 set from Cabañas Cigars (1911).
As baseball’s popularity exploded nationwide in the 1920s, more companies got in on producing big cards during the Golden Age of sets like T206, E90 and C50. Notable issues included the Batter-Up set from Batter-Up Gum (1921-1922), the B31 set from Best Gum (1923), and the Goudey Gum Company’s giant sized releases from 1933-1941. The Goudey sets in particular featured innovative photography techniques like dual and action images. By the late 1930s, most big card sets had transitioned to the now-standard 2 1/2 inch by 3 1/2 inch size.
A few straggler big card releases occurred in the 1940s, such as sets from Leaf Candy and Bell Brand, but the golden era of the oversized format was clearly winding down. The excess and scarcity of paper during World War 2 likely contributed to the demise of the big card as the hobby shifted towards smaller, more mass produced dimensions in the postwar period. But the allure and mystique of the early giant baseball cards lives on, as specimens from the most coveted T206, E90 and C50 issues can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction today.
While no longer commonplace, a few modern big card experiments have occurred to recapture the nostalgia and collector interest of the early 1900s issues. In 1998, Upper Deck released giant 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch replicas of the famous 1909-1911 E90 cards. In 2009, the Topps company issued oversized 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch “Allen & Ginter Giants” cards to commemorate the original 1887 cabinet cards. And in 2011, Leaf produced a “Memorabilia Masters” set with mammoth 11 inch by 14 inch cards containing swatches of game-used memorabilia.
The baseball big card played a pivotal role in the early development of the sport’s collectibles industry from the late 19th century through the World War 2 era. By allowing for larger and more detailed photographs, the oversized formats fueled fascination with the players and teams of the day. While no longer a standard size, the biggest and best of the early big card issues from sets like T206, E90 and Goudey remain the most coveted and expensive cards that money can buy for dedicated collectors today. The golden age of the baseball big card solidified the hobby’s roots and helped spark enduring passion for the cardboard collectibles of America’s favorite pastime.
