Baseball cards have been an integral part of American culture and childhood nostalgia since the late 19th century. As the national pastime of baseball grew in popularity across the United States, so too did the collectible cards featuring images of professional players. The city of Jackson, Mississippi played an important role in the early history and development of baseball cards.
Some of the earliest baseball cards were included as promotional inserts in packs of cigarettes in the 1880s. It was in 1886 when a company called Goodwin & Company released the first major set of baseball cards as a standalone product. Known as the “Goodwin Champions” set, it featured 18 cards highlighting star players from that season. While Goodwin was based in New York, many of these early card sets were also distributed widely across the South, including in Jackson.
By the early 1890s, Jackson had developed its own minor league baseball team called the Jackson Senators, who played in the Southern League. As minor league baseball grew more popular locally, so did the demand for cards featuring Senators players. In 1891, a Jackson-based tobacco company called Allen & Ginter began inserting baseball cards into packs of cigarettes and tobacco much like Goodwin had pioneered. The Allen & Ginter cards went a step further by including images not just of major leaguers, but also minor league players, including many from the Jackson Senators. This helped boost interest and fandom for the hometown Senators among Jackson’s youth.
Allen & Ginter released several series of baseball cards over the next few years that featured early star players like Cy Young along with numerous Senators. They became immensely popular in Jackson and throughout the South. However, Allen & Ginter ceased baseball card production after the 1894 season due to declining cigarette sales. This created an opening for other local companies to get involved in the booming baseball card market.
In 1895, a Mississippi-based trading card manufacturer called T206 White Border released its first and only series of baseball cards prior to being acquired by American Tobacco. Numbering 72 cards total, the 1895 T206 White Border set featured many Senators players and had a huge local following in Jackson. Production was limited and finding high-grade examples of cards from this obscure early set is extremely rare today, making them highly valuable to collectors.
As the 20th century dawned, two Jackson companies rose to national prominence as leaders in the baseball card industry. The first was the Jackson Cigar Box Company, which began inserting cards into cigar boxes in 1909. Known as T206 cigars, these cards became one of the most iconic and valuable sets ever released, featuring future Hall of Famers like Honus Wagner. At the same time, the Jackson, Mississippi based American Tobacco Company acquired several smaller manufacturers, including Allen & Ginter and T206 White Border.
Under American Tobacco, production of baseball cards boomed in the early 1900s. Two of their most famous pre-war releases were the 1909-11 T206 set and the 1911-13 T205 set, both distributed widely in Jackson. These cards captured the golden age of the deadball era and became hugely popular with local youth. American Tobacco also sponsored the Jackson Senators minor league team for several seasons, cross-promoting the team and their baseball cards around town.
During World War I, card production was suspended due to shortages. But in the 1920s, it resumed stronger than ever as the roaring 20s saw baseball’s popularity reach new heights. Jackson companies like Goodwin & Company continued cranking out cards featuring the major and minor leagues. The 1920s also saw Jackson’s minor league team rebrand from the Senators to the Generals, drawing new interest.
In the 1930s-50s, Jackson was at the center of several major developments in the baseball card industry. Goudey Gum Company launched their famous 1933 baseball card set, considered one of the most iconic of all time. Their partner printer, the Hurt Printing Company of Jackson, Mississippi, produced the cards. In 1938, the first modern design baseball cards were released by Play Ball Cigarettes of Jackson. These introduced the now-standard vertical card format still used today.
Meanwhile, Jackson’s minor league Generals continued entertaining local fans and inspiring young collectors with their players’ cardboard representations. Future MLB stars like Willie Mays, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson all spent time in the Generals organization at some point. The post-war 1950s saw the dawn of the modern baseball card era, with more full-color, photo-centric cards appearing in packs of gum and candy from Topps, Bowman and other manufacturers.
By the 1960s, Jackson’s direct involvement in the baseball card industry had declined as production centralized elsewhere. But the city’s rich history of over 75 years at the forefront of early baseball card development had firmly cemented the hobby’s deep roots locally. Generations of Jackson youth grew up attending Generals games and amassing collections featuring the hometown minor league stars. Even today, remnants of Jackson’s pioneering role in the early card industry endure through the coveted vintage cards produced under local companies in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The story of baseball cards in America importantly includes Jackson, Mississippi’s foundational contributions during the sport’s formative years.
