Baseball Cards in Kingston, New York: A History of the Hobby

Kingston, New York has a long history with baseball cards stretching back over 100 years. While the city may not be a major population center, it played an important role in the early growth and popularity of what would become a true American pastime – collecting baseball cards. From the earliest tobacco cards of the late 1800s to the modern era, Kingston residents have fueled their love of the national pastime through baseball cards.

The earliest cards that could be considered “baseball cards” first appeared in the 1880s as promotional giveaways included in packages of cigarette and tobacco products. Companies like Goodwin & Company and Allen & Ginter began including illustrations of baseball players on thin cardstock to help advertise their brands. These tobacco cards helped turn baseball players into recognizable celebrities and helped popularize the relatively new professional baseball leagues that had formed in the decades after the Civil War.

In Kingston, these tobacco cards found an eager audience. The city had a respected minor league baseball team, the Kingston Colonials, who played from 1884 to 1914. Fans would flock to watch games at the Kingston Oval ballpark and buy tobacco products hoping to collect cards of their favorite Colonials players. Newspapers would even run announcements advertising when new baseball cards were being included in certain tobacco brands. While the cards themselves were simply promotional materials, collecting and trading them had begun to take hold as a hobby in Kingston and elsewhere.

In the early 1900s, as tobacco cards declined in popularity due to health concerns, a new type of mass-produced baseball card emerged. Companies like the American Caramel Company and Nilon Candy Company began inserting baseball cards, now with color photos, inside bubble gum, cracker jack, and candy packages. For the first time, cards could be directly purchased rather than found by chance. This helped take the hobby of collecting to new heights across the United States, including in Kingston.

Local shops like Sam’s Candy Store at 125 Franklin Street and Dewitt’s Soda Fountain at 359 Wall Street became hot spots for kids to gather and trade newly acquired gum and candy cards. The rise of more sophisticated National Pastime and T206 White Border sets in the 1910s featured current Major League stars and further added to the excitement. Groups like the Kingston Baseball Card Collectors Club also formed, with members regularly meeting to swap duplicate cards. Some of the most valuable early cards, featuring legendary players like Cy Young and Napoleon Lajoie, originated from sets released during this golden era for the hobby in Kingston.

In the decades after World War 2, Kingston continued to nurture a strong baseball card collecting community despite the decline of the city’s minor league team. Card shops proliferated on Broadway, while drug stores maintained large cardboard boxes filled with loose common cards available for cheap. The 1958 Topps set, considered one of the most iconic in the hobby’s history, was a wildly popular release among both young collectors and lifelong fans in Kingston. Sets from the 1960s like Topps and Fleer helped connect a new generation to the Major Leagues.

During the hot collector market of the 1980s and 90s, Kingston was home to several prominent card shows. Held regularly at the Ulster County Fairgrounds, these multi-day extravaganzas brought in attendees and vendors from across the Northeast. A veritable who’s who of the modern hobby would appear, from famed dealers like Jim Kopietz to representatives of the largest card companies. Kingston native Tom McCann, who authored several authoritative guides on baseball cards, was a frequent guest speaker. These were energetic weekends where countless rare deals went down and lifelong friendships in the community formed over a shared passion.

In the modern era, while brick-and-mortar card shops have declined across most American cities, Kingston maintains a dedicated core of adult collectors. Online groups like the “Kingston Card Collectors” Facebook page foster constant trading and discussion year-round. Local conventions still take place annually. And the completion of the historic restoration of Dietz Stadium in 2019 has meant a resurgence of the city’s love of baseball and memorabilia from its past. Kingston’s long tradition of baseball card collecting, going back well over a century, continues strongly into the future as one of the great hobbies of this American city. It is a connection between generations, between its past and present, and between baseball and the community.