Baseball cards have a long history in Detroit dating back to the late 1800s. Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced featuring players from the Detroit Wolverines, one of the first professional baseball teams in the city who played from 1881 to 1888. While these early cards were not mass produced, they helped fuel growing interest in the sport and players in Detroit.
In the early 1900s, several tobacco companies like American Tobacco Company and Goodwin & Company began inserting baseball cards as incentives in cigarette and candy packs. This helped popularize collecting cards as a mainstream hobby. Many of the early Detroit Tigers stars of this era like Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford and Hughie Jennings appeared on these tobacco era cards in the early 1900s and 1910s. Collecting and trading these cards became a popular pastime for many Detroit youth during the summer months.
In the 1920s, the Goudey Gum Company began producing high quality, colorful baseball cards as part of their gum packs. Considered some of the most visually appealing vintage cards ever made, the Goudey sets featured many Detroit Tigers like Harry Heilmann, Hooks Dauss, and George Sisler. These cards helped take the hobby to new heights in the Motor City during the roaring 1920s. The Great Depression in the 1930s slowed baseball card production significantly for several years.
The modern era of mass produced baseball cards began in 1938 when the American Leaf Tobacco Company started inserting cards in their products again. Their 1938 Goudey set had Tigers Mickey Cochrane and Schoolboy Rowe among the stars featured. In the post-war 1940s and 1950s, several companies like Bowman, Topps, and Fleer began regularly producing annual or biannual sets that collected avidly in Detroit. Stars like Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, and Dizzy Trout were highlights for local fans.
The late 1950s and 1960s were seen as the golden age of baseball cards in Detroit. More children were collecting than ever before, and stars like Willie Horton, Jim Northrup, and Mickey Lolich made the Tigers competitive and exciting to follow. Topps reigned supreme but Fleer and Leaf also produced cards. The 1960 Topps set is one of the most iconic in the hobby, featuring the likes of Kaline and Bill Freehan in their prime. During this time, card shops first began popping up around the city to serve the booming collector market.
In the 1970s, the popularity of collecting only continued to grow. More specialty and oddball card issues emerged from smaller companies trying to compete with the “Big 3” of Topps, Fleer, and Bowman. Stars like Willie Hernandez, Mark Fidrych, and Ron LeFlore gave Detroit fans players to chase. The city’s card shops thrived and organized shows where collectors could buy, sell and trade with others. The early 1980s saw the hobby decline some as interests shifted. Many shops closed but a hard core of collectors remained.
The late 1980s saw a baseball card boom the likes of which had never been seen before. Speculation and investment took over much of the hobby. Stores could not keep cards on shelves and shows were overflowing. Stars like Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, and Kirk Gibson made the Tigers relevant again. The bubble soon burst in the early 1990s leaving the industry in shambles. Many retailers went out of business but the hobby endured with collectors.
In the 1990s until today, the hobby has seen ups and downs but has remained popular. Insert cards, parallel versions, and autograph and memorabilia cards have been inserted to drive collector interest. Stars like Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, and Max Scherzer have drawn fans. While Internet sales have taken over much of the business, a few dedicated card shops remain scattered around Detroit to serve the needs of the area’s diehard collectors. The history of baseball cards in the city is one closely tied to the ups and downs of the Tigers franchise and remains an integral part of the game’s culture in Detroit to this day.
