The History of Baseball and Football Trading Cards
Baseball and football cards have been around for over 150 years, dating back to the late 19th century. They started out as simple promotional items given away at sporting events or included in cigarette and candy packages. Over time, they evolved into a beloved hobby and lucrative business. Let’s take a look at the origins and evolution of these iconic sporting collectibles.
The earliest known baseball cards were produced in the late 1860s during the rise of professional baseball. Companies like Goodwin & Company and American Tobacco Company began inserting lithographed cards into packages of cigarettes as a marketing tactic. These early cards featured only basic player information and images. They helped promote the growing sport and introduced the concept of collecting player cards.
In the 1880s, cigarette companies like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge started producing more elaborate baseball cards with color lithographs and statistics on the back. These higher quality cards are now some of the most valuable vintage issues. Around this same time, candy companies like Peck & Snyder also entered the baseball card business to promote their brands. By the 1890s, tobacco companies dominated production and distribution through their cigarette packages.
Football cards emerged in the late 1880s and 1890s as well. Like baseball cards, early football issues were included in tobacco products as advertisements. They were much less common since football was still developing as a sport. Some of the earliest known football cards featured players from the University of Michigan, Harvard, and Yale teams. Production remained low through the early 20th century as college football was more popular than the fledgling pro game.
In the early 1900s, tobacco companies continued cranking out baseball cards at an enormous rate, which helped popularize the hobby of collecting among children and adults alike. Sets from this era like T206 and E90 are among the most coveted issues for vintage collectors today due to their rarity, quality, and association with the deadball era of baseball. Concerns were rising about marketing cigarettes directly to kids. This would eventually lead to major changes in the baseball card business model.
In the 1930s-1950s, the golden age of baseball cards arrived as production and set quality hit new heights. Gum and candy companies took over distribution from tobacco firms due to increased regulation. Topps Gum became the dominant manufacturer and is still a major player today. Sets from this post-war period like 1952 Topps, 1956 Topps, and 1959 Topps are considered some of the most iconic in the hobby due to the stars they featured from baseball’s golden age.
Meanwhile, football cards were still playing catch up to their baseball counterparts. In the 1930s, some candy companies like Goudey produced college football cards but pro football issues remained rare. That started to change after World War 2 as the NFL gained popularity. Bowman Gum began issuing sets featuring players from both the NFL and All-America Football Conference in the late 1940s. Topps followed suit and released several classic football sets in the 1950s like their 1952 and 1957 issues.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the sports card industry boomed as it really started to catch on with the baby boom generation. Manufacturers released vastly more sets each year featuring the biggest stars and leagues. Topps, Fleer, and Kellogg’s produced the bulk of the output. Iconic issues included the 1967 Topps set, known for its classic design and rookie cards of future Hall of Famers. The 1970s saw the arrival of star NFL players on cards due to the league’s rising popularity, with sets like 1975 Topps being prized by collectors today.
The modern era of sports cards began in 1981 when Topps lost its exclusive license and Fleer jumped into the baseball card market. This introduced competition, innovation, and new collecting opportunities. In the late 1980s, the industry exploded into a speculative frenzy as investors drove up prices of star rookie cards like Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Sanders issues. The bubble soon burst. Many manufacturers went bankrupt in the early 1990s recession.
The sports card market stabilized and found new collectors in the 1990s and 2000s. Manufacturers utilized technology to create insert cards, autographs, and memorabilia patches that appealed to a new generation. Iconic rookie cards emerged like 1991 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr., 1996 Topps Chrome Peyton Manning, and 2001 Topps Chrome Tom Brady. The rise of the internet also allowed collectors to easily research, buy, sell, and trade cards online.
Today, the baseball and football card industries have found renewed strength through a combination of nostalgia, investment, and fun collecting. Manufacturers release massive sets each year while also producing high-end products. The advent of memorabilia cards mixed with the potential investment value of star rookies ensures the continued popularity of the hobby. Sites like eBay give collectors access to a vast secondary market. Whether enjoying cards from childhood or just starting a new collection, the history and appeal of these classic sports collectibles remains as strong as ever.
