The history of baseball cards in Cleveland, Ohio dates back over 100 years. Some of the earliest baseball cards featuring Cleveland players were produced in the late 1800s as part of cigarette and tobacco card sets. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that dedicated baseball card sets started prominently featuring Cleveland players and teams.
In 1910, the Cleveland Naps featured several star players including Nap Lajoie and Addie Joss who became some of the first Cleveland players to be prominently featured on baseball cards in sets issued that year by the American Tobacco Company and other cigarette manufacturers. Fans in Cleveland eagerly collected these early cards featuring their hometown heroes. Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, cards produced by companies like American Caramel, Sweet Caporal, and Bread Back depicted Cleveland players as the team was known as the Naps and later Indians.
The Great Depression of the 1930s negatively impacted the baseball card industry for a few years. Production ramped up again in 1933 with the famous Goudey Gum Company issuing the first modern gum card set. This set included cards of Cleveland Indians legends like Earl Averill, Mel Harder, and Bob Feller who went on to have Hall of Fame careers. Demand for these early Goudey cards in Cleveland was high as kids traded and collected cards of their favorite Indians.
In the post-World War 2 era of the late 1940s and 1950s, the Topps Chewing Gum Company came to dominate the baseball card market. Topps issued full color photo cards featuring the Cleveland Indians annually. Hometown heroes like Bob Lemon, Larry Doby, Early Wynn, and Rocky Colavito achieved rockstar status in Cleveland not just for their play on the field but also their cardboard likenesses collected by fans. The 1950s were seen as the golden age of baseball cards in Cleveland as kids flocked to stores, ballgames, and card shows to add to their Indians collections.
The 1960s saw the emergence of the Cincinnati-based Fleer Gum Company as the first serious competitor to Topps. Fleer captured the colorful action shots and unique design of the era. Cleveland fans enjoyed collecting the oversized cards of players like Luis Tiant, Max Alvis, and Sonny Siebert. However, Topps remained the industry leader. They continued to release full team sets each year through the 1960s featuring the likes of Jim Perry, Sam McDowell, and Vic Davalillo.
Into the 1970s and 1980s, the baseball card market in Cleveland continued to thrive. The city endured some lean years on the field from their Indians who struggled through losing seasons. Still, hometown heroes like Dennis Eckersley, Buddy Bell, and Joe Charboneau found new generations of fans through the annual Topps and Fleer issues. The 1970s also saw the rise of regional Ohio-based card companies like Diamond Stars and Score Board issuing Cleveland-centric sets.
In the late 1980s, the baseball card boom took off as speculation and investment replaced childhood collecting. Cleveland’s baseball fortunes also turned as the Indians teams of the 1990s emerged as perennial contenders. Stars like Sandy Alomar, Jr., Carlos Baerga, and Manny Ramirez achieved superstardom in Cleveland not just for their play but also for their highly-coveted rookie cards. The city’s card shops, shows, and memorabilia stores boomed through the 1990s steroid era.
Into the 2000s and 2010s, the baseball card industry has consolidated around the “Big 3” of Topps, Upper Deck, and Panini. However, Cleveland’s passion for collecting cards of their beloved Indians remains as strong as ever. New generations of fans collect stars like Corey Kluber, Francisco Lindor, and Shane Bieber. Vintage Cleveland cards remain a popular niche in the hobby. The city’s history with the game is commemorated through annual releases that connect today’s fans with the past legends of their franchise. As long as the Indians take the field, Cleveland can always look back fondly at the history and tradition captured in baseball cards.
Baseball cards have deep roots in Cleveland tracing back over 100 years when the earliest tobacco issues featured the city’s players. Generations of Cleveland fans have formed connections to their hometown heroes through collecting, trading, and appreciating the cardboard history of the Indians franchise. Even through times of struggles on the field, the baseball card market in Cleveland has thrived as a way to celebrate the past and look toward the future. The tradition looks set to continue engaging new generations of Cleveland fans for many years to come.
