The history of baseball cards featuring the Dodgers franchise spans over a century, documenting the many highlights and stars that have played for one of baseball’s most storied franchises. Some of the earliest baseball cards included Dodgers players dating back to the late 1800s when the franchise was known as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and Brooklyn Grooms. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that baseball cards started becoming widely collected and traded by fans.
One of the earliest and most iconic sets to feature Dodgers players was the 1909-11 T206 tobacco card series. Considered one of the most valuable vintage card sets ever produced, the T206 set included stars like Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie and future Dodgers player Casey Stengel during his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers/Superbas franchise in the early 1910s. Other early Dodgers stars to appear in early 20th century tobacco sets included Zack Wheat, Jake Daubert, and Wilbert Robinson.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the franchise was known as the Brooklyn Dodgers and featured some of the best players in baseball during the Golden Age of baseball cards. Stars like pitcher Dazzy Vance, outfielder Pete Reiser, and Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher all appeared in iconic 1930s sets like Goudey and Play Ball. The post-World War II era saw the rise of stars like Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, and Roy Campanella. These future Hall of Famers all appeared in iconic 1950s sets like Topps and Bowman.
The late 1950s saw the Dodgers relocate to Los Angeles, beginning a new chapter in the franchise’s history now known as the Los Angeles Dodgers. Icons of the 1960s Dodgers like Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale began appearing in the first color baseball card issues from Topps during this decade. Koufax’s iconic 1965 rookie card featuring his windup is one of the most coveted cards from this era. Other stars of the 1960s Dodgers to appear in the early Topps issues included Maury Wills, Ron Fairly, and Tommy Davis.
The 1970s saw the Dodgers reach the World Series three times, winning it all in 1981 led by ace pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. Stars of the 1970s Dodgers era like Bill Russell, Ron Cey, Davey Lopes, and Steve Garvey all appeared in the early 1970s issues from Topps, the dominant card producer of the era. Fernando Mania exploded in 1981, with Valenzuela’s rookie card from that season among the most iconic Dodgers cards ever produced. Other 1980s Dodgers stars like Pedro Guerrero, Mike Scioscia, and Orel Hershiser also made their card debuts in the 1980s Topps sets during the franchise’s resurgence.
In the 1990s, collectors could find Dodgers stars of the era like Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Brett Butler, and Hideo Nomo in the flagship Topps sets of the decade. Piazza’s rookie card from the 1992 Topps issue is one of the most sought-after Dodgers cards ever. The franchise reached the World Series again in 1988 and 2004 but came up short both times. Into the 2000s and 2010s, collectors could find cards of Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig, and others in the modern issues from Topps, Upper Deck, and other card manufacturers.
Kershaw’s rookie cards from 2008 Topps are highly coveted, as he went on to cement his status as one of the greatest Dodgers pitchers ever. Mookie Betts joined the franchise in a blockbuster 2020 trade and now has several Dodgers cards available from his time with the team so far. The Dodgers have remained one of the most successful franchises in baseball history and their stars have been featured prominently in baseball cards for over 100 years. Collecting vintage and modern Dodgers cards provides a visual history of the legendary players, managers, and teams that have made the Dodgers one of the most storied brands in all of professional sports.
