Baseball cards have a long history in Fairfield, Connecticut dating back to the late 19th century. Some of the earliest baseball cards produced featured players from teams like the Boston Beaneaters, Brooklyn Dodgers, and New York Giants who would come to Fairfield County to play exhibition games.
While the earliest cards from the late 1800s are quite rare and valuable today, baseball card collecting really took off in Fairfield in the early 20th century as production became more widespread. Kids in Fairfield would trade and swap cards on the playground, comparing their collections and looking to fill in sets. Popular early brands included Allen & Ginter, American Tobacco Company, and Mayo Cut Plug Tobacco cards issued between 1888-1914.
In the 1930s, Goudey Gum Company began mass producing colorful baseball cards as incentives to purchase gum. Their 1933 issue is considered a landmark set with stars like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig featured. Fairfield kids would ride their bicycles to local candy stores, delis, and corner shops hoping to find packs of Goudey cards to add to their collections. The Goudey sets of the 1930s really fueled the baseball card craze in Fairfield and around the country.
After World War II, production ramped up even more. In 1948, Bowman Gum began their colorful, photo-centric sets that would define the post-war era. Kids in Fairfield traded and compared their Bowman cards on the playgrounds and ballfields. Bowman cards of stars like Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, and Mickey Mantle were highly coveted. Topps Chewing Gum also entered the market in 1951 with color photographs, beginning their long reign as the dominant baseball card maker.
Through the 1950s, local card shops and hobby stores started to emerge in Fairfield where kids could browse boxes of loose cards to find ones they needed to complete their sets. Stores like Jim’s Cards on Post Road and Mike’s Sportscards on Unquowa Road became hangouts for collectors. The completion of sets was a big accomplishment that would be showed off and discussed in the schoolyards. Stars of the 1950s like Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, and Willie McCovey gained a huge following among Fairfield’s young collectors.
Into the 1960s and 70s, baseball card production and collecting reached a frenzy. Topps issued large sets each year along with oddball issues, high number cards, and parallel sets to challenge collectors. Their iconic design featuring a full color photo on the front and stats on the back defined the era. Meanwhile, competitors like Fleer and Leaf got into the game. For kids in Fairfield, collecting and trading was a daily obsession. They would ride their bikes all over town, visiting every card shop and deli, hoping to find the elusive cards they needed. Stars of the 60s and 70s like Roberto Clemente, Reggie Jackson, and Nolan Ryan were the most sought after by Fairfield’s collectors.
The rise of card shows in the 1970s presented a new opportunity for collectors in Fairfield. Shows would be held monthly at venues like the Fairfield Armory where hundreds of collectors from the tri-state area would gather tables to buy, sell and trade cards. Kids from Fairfield would scour their collections and hit the shows hoping to make trades to complete sets or obtain their favorite stars. The rise of specialized magazines like Sport Americana Beckett Price Guide also helped collectors properly evaluate and price their collections.
In the 1980s, the junk wax era saw an overproduction of cards that diluted their value but maintained popularity. The 1990 arrival of Upper Deck brought back prestige with quality, glossy cards and autographs of stars. Their Ken Griffey Jr rookie card from 1989 remains one of the most coveted in the hobby. The 1990s also saw the rise of independent regional card shows in Fairfield that drew collectors from all over New England. Stores like Fairfield Sportscards on Post Road continued to be community hubs.
Baseball card collecting remains a popular hobby in Fairfield, Connecticut even in the digital age. While production has declined from the junk wax era, sets from Topps, Panini, and others release each year featuring current stars. Meanwhile, vintage cards from the 1950s, 60s and 70s featuring legends like Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente have skyrocketed in value and are prized possessions for collectors. Local card shops like Frankly Sports collectibles and monthly regional shows keep the hobby alive. For over a century, baseball cards have been a beloved pastime among the youth and enthusiasts of Fairfield, chronicling the history of America’s pastime.
