Baseball cards have a long history in Kalamazoo, Michigan dating back to the late 19th century. Some of the earliest baseball cards produced featured players from the minor league teams that called Kalamazoo home in those early professional baseball years.
One of the first minor league franchises in Kalamazoo was the Kalamazoo Celery Eaters who played from 1886-1891. While no known baseball cards exist specifically featuring Celery Eaters players, it’s possible some local printers may have produced small runs of promotional cards to help market the new professional baseball team in town. Minor league teams were always looking for creative ways to draw more fans to games in those early years.
The next Kalamazoo team, called the Kalamazoo White Sox, played from 1903-1906 and were part of the Southern Michigan League. Several players on this team did eventually receive baseball cards in the larger sets produced by companies like Allen & Ginter, Old Judge, and Tobacco cards during the early 20th century. Notable players like pitcher Bill Bernhard and catcher Harry Steinfeldt appeared on baseball cards while members of the Kalamazoo White Sox.
In the 1920s, Kalamazoo was home to the Kalamazoo Kazoos minor league franchise who were part of the Michigan-Ontario League. Several Kazoos players received baseball cards in sets produced by companies in the 1920s like E134, Exhibit, and Caramel. Stars of the Kazoos like catcher Jack Fournier, first baseman Cliff Bolton, and pitcher Bill Walker had their likenesses preserved on cardboard for collectors of the time.
It was also in the 1920s that the first known baseball card shop opened in Kalamazoo. Located downtown on Michigan Avenue, Ernie Meulenberg’s Sport Card Shop dealt primarily in boxing cards but also stocked local stocks of baseball cards featuring Kazoos players and stars from other minor and major league teams. Meulenberg is believed to be one of the first sports card shop owners in America.
In the post-World War 2 era, Kalamazoo was home to the Kalamazoo Lassies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1950-1954. While the AAGPBL did not produce official baseball cards of its players, collectors today seek out vintage photos of the Lassies which serve a similar function as rarities from that unique period in women’s sports history. Notable Lassies included pitcher Joanne Winter, catcher Shirley Burkovich, and outfielders Wilma Briggs and Ann Harnett.
During the 1950s and 60s, many Kalamazoo youth collected baseball cards as the hobby boomed across America. Production was being handled by the dominant Topps company who issued yearly sets featuring all players in the major leagues. Kids in Kalamazoo traded, swapped and competed to complete these annual sets featuring the biggest stars of that era like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and more.
In the 1970s, the Kalamazoo Kings minor league team joined the Midwest League and played at Homer Stryker Field from 1976-2000. Kings players who received official MLB baseball cards during their tenures included pitcher Dave Rozema, third baseman Howard Johnson, and outfielder Dmitri Young. Cards of Kings alums increased in value for local collectors.
Today, the hobby of baseball card collecting remains strong in Kalamazoo. Card shops like Stadium Cards on West Main Street and Grand River Cards in Portage offer supplies for collectors new and old. The annual Kalamazoo Sports Card and Memorabilia Show each January draws hundreds of vendors and attendees. While no professional baseball is currently played in Kalamazoo, the city’s long history with the hobby is commemorated through the cards of its many past ballplayers and teams. That cardboard legacy helps keep baseball’s history alive for future generations in Kalamazoo.
