The tradition of baseball card collecting has deep roots in Illinois dating back over 100 years. Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced in the late 1800s by cigarette and tobacco companies as promotional items included in their products. These early cards helped grow interest in the professional baseball leagues that were forming at the time, especially among young boys who enjoyed collecting and trading the cards.
One of the most iconic early baseball card sets was the 1909-11 T206 series produced by the American Tobacco Company. Several of the stars featured in that set had ties to Illinois, including Frank Chance of Chicago and Ed Reulbach, a native of Joliet who pitched for the Chicago Cubs. While the rarity and value of vintage cards has soared in recent decades, early Illinois collectors in the early 20th century were amassing collections of those classic tobacco era cards without realizing their future worth.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the baseball card boom continued with the production of sets by Goudey, Play Ball, and Leaf. Illinois players of the era like Gabby Hartnett, Billy Herman, and Luke Appling had their likenesses featured on cards that Illinois youth eagerly sought. Production was interrupted by World War 2 paper shortages, but the postwar era saw the start of the modern baseball card era with the introduction of iconic brands like Topps in 1938.
Topps quickly came to dominate the baseball card market and maintained that position for decades. In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, Illinois natives like Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, and Billy Williams had their rookie cards released by Topps while starring for the Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile, legends like Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio collected as stars of the Chicago White Sox. Card collecting flourished in Illinois during this “golden age” as young fans amassed and traded complete sets with friends, often visiting local card shops and hobby stores.
Some of the most iconic baseball card shops in Illinois history opened during this period, fueling the boom. In suburban Chicago, Mile High Cards in Elk Grove Village and B&L Sportscards in Arlington Heights attracted collectors from around the state with their vast inventories and expertise. Mile High Cards in particular achieved national renown, featured in publications like Sport Magazine for its massive stock and role in the burgeoning direct mail order business for cards.
As values rose in the late 1970s and early 1980s, fueled partly by the introduction of higher quality photo cards in the early ’70s, dedicated sports card shows also emerged in Illinois. Some of the earliest and largest in the Midwest were held annually at the Arlington Park Racetrack outside Chicago. Drawn by appearances from former players and the chance to buy, sell and trade with hundreds of other collectors, the Arlington shows underscored Illinois’ status as a hotbed of card collecting passion.
The late 1980s saw an unprecedented boom and speculation in the sports memorabilia market that had far-reaching effects in Illinois. Buoyed by new brands like Fleer and Score, along with the debut of stars like Ryne Sandberg and Frank Thomas, values skyrocketed virtually overnight. Uncertified “gem mint” rookie cards for Chicago players routinely fetched thousands of dollars. Some enterprising Illinois dealers like Joe Orlando of Rosemont-based J.O. Collectibles became multimillionaires through savvy speculation. The market collapsed in the early 1990s after widespread overproduction and loss of collector confidence.
This boom and bust cycle marked the end of the “junk wax” era, but card collecting maintained immense popularity in Illinois through the 1990s and 2000s. The rise of the internet allowed Illinois collectors to easily buy, sell and trade online, broadening their reach beyond local shops and shows. Chicago-based Blowout Cards became one of the largest and most respected online dealers. At the same time, regional Illinois hobby shops like A&C Collectibles in Elk Grove Village and Chicago Card Show in Woodridge kept the local scene vibrant with events, new releases and a meeting place for collectors.
In the modern era, collecting baseball cards remains a beloved Illinois pastime. Young collectors can still find rookie cards of current Chicago players like Eloy Jimenez and Lucas Giolito to add to their collections. Meantime, vintage Illinois cards from the early tobacco and postwar years have achieved record prices at auction as collectors and investors recognize their historical significance. From the earliest 20th century cigarette cards to today’s top prospects, the tradition of baseball card collecting in Illinois spans over a century and remains deeply embedded in the state’s sports culture.
