Brooklyn, New York has a long and rich history with baseball cards that spans over 100 years. Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced in Brooklyn during the late 1800s as the sport started to gain widespread popularity across the United States.
One of the first companies to mass produce baseball cards was the American Tobacco Company, which was headquartered in Brooklyn in the late 19th century. In 1886, the American Tobacco Company began inserting baseball cards into their cigarette packs and plug tobacco tins as a promotional marketing tactic. These early tobacco era cards from the late 1800s are now considered some of the most valuable baseball cards in existence due to their rarity and historical significance.
During this time, Brooklyn was home to two Major League Baseball teams – the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Brooklyn Superbas, later renamed the Brooklyn Robins. Both teams featured prominently on early tobacco era baseball cards produced in Brooklyn in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some of the most coveted cards from this era include cards featuring players like Nap Lajoie, Cy Young, and Honus Wagner while they were playing for the Dodgers or Robins in Brooklyn.
In the early 20th century, baseball cards continued to gain popularity across the United States as the sport’s popularity exploded. During this time, many baseball card companies opened shop in Brooklyn to capitalize on the baseball card craze. Companies like American Caramel, Cracker Jack, and Yuengling’s Ice Cream started inserting baseball cards into their products. These early 20th century tobacco and candy trading cards featuring Brooklyn players are highly sought after by collectors today.
The Goudey Gum Company, famous for their 1933 Goudey baseball card set, was also headquartered in Brooklyn during the 1930s. Their factory and offices were located in the Greenpoint neighborhood. The 1933 Goudey set is considered one of the most iconic and valuable vintage baseball card sets ever produced. It featured photos of many Brooklyn Dodger legends like Babe Herman, Van Lingle Mungo, and Earl Averill.
After World War II, the baseball card industry in Brooklyn started to decline as many companies moved their operations to other parts of the country. However, Brooklyn remained an important center for baseball card collecting and dealing well into the 1950s and 1960s. Shops like Brooklyn Sportscard Exchange, Sportsworld, and Brooklyn Card World were popular hangouts for collectors in the post-war era. These shops bought, sold, and traded cards featuring the beloved “Bums” as the Dodgers dynasty teams of the 1950s won pennants.
Some of the most iconic and valuable baseball cards ever produced also featured Brooklyn Dodgers. The 1952 Topps baseball card set is considered the most famous non-wax baseball card set ever made. It included rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale in their Brooklyn Dodgers uniforms. The 1955 Topps set had the last baseball cards featuring the Dodgers in Brooklyn before their move to Los Angeles after the 1957 season. Cards of players like Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and Jackie Robinson in their final Brooklyn seasons are extremely rare and valuable today.
Even after the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles in 1958, the borough still had a strong connection to baseball cards for collectors. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, shops like Brooklyn Sportscard Exchange remained popular hangouts for collectors to trade and buy cards. The store became famous for keeping extensive records of every transaction and developing a strong sense of community among collectors in Brooklyn.
Today, Brooklyn maintains its strong historical ties to the early roots of baseball cards. Museums and historical societies in Brooklyn pay tribute to the pioneering baseball card companies that got their start in the borough in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Every year, collectors from around the world travel to Brooklyn to see rare vintage cards of Dodgers legends at exhibits dedicated to Brooklyn baseball history. Brooklyn also hosts large annual card shows and conventions that celebrate the rich history and culture surrounding baseball cards that was nurtured in the borough for over 100 years. From the earliest tobacco cards to iconic 1950s Dodgers rookies, Brooklyn left an indelible mark on the baseball card industry.
