Baseball cards have been an integral part of American culture and fandom since the late 19th century. While the hobby has evolved significantly over the decades, few places have such a rich history with baseball cards as Lafayette, Indiana. From the early tobacco companies that mass produced the first modern baseball cards to the thriving local collectibles scene today, Lafayette has left an indelible mark on the baseball card industry.
Some of the earliest baseball cards were included in packs of cigarettes and chewing tobacco starting in the 1880s. It was the American Tobacco Company’s production of cards as promotional inserts in packs of cigarettes in the 1890s that truly launched the baseball card craze. At the time, American Tobacco’s main production facilities were located in Lafayette. For nearly a decade at the turn of the 20th century, millions of early tobacco era cards flooded out of those Lafayette factories and into the hands of young baseball fans across the country. Stars of the day like Nap Lajoie, Cy Young, and Honus Wagner had their likenesses mass produced in Lafayette and began gaining nationwide followings thanks to those early promotional baseball cards.
While newer card companies would emerge in the early 1900s, American Tobacco remained a leader in the industry for decades. Their Lafayette production plants continued churning out cards featuring the biggest names in the game through the Deadball Era and into the Roaring Twenties. Local baseball historians estimate that as much as two-thirds of all pre-World War I baseball cards were printed right in Tippecanoe County. The abundance of these early tobacco cards that passed through Lafayette helped fuel the initial boom in baseball card collecting nationwide.
When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, the baseball card industry declined sharply as a luxury. A new Lafayette company helped revive interest through the 1930s and 1940s. In 1933, Donruss launched as a smaller competitor to Topps, which had become the dominant modern card maker. Donruss produced their early runs of cards out of a factory located on South 9th Street in Lafayette. Their affordable “gum and card” packs featured the latest stars of the day like Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Bob Feller. Donruss cards from their Lafayette production kept the hobby alive through the lean Depression years for many collectors.
In the post-World War II era, Lafayette continued to play an important role in the expansion of baseball cards across the country. By the late 1940s, Topps had surpassed Donruss as the top brand. However, Topps contracted with an independent printer in Lafayette to produce many of their most iconic 1950s sets like 1952 and 1956. Meanwhile, local entrepreneur Jack Balzer launched a short-lived but pioneering card company called Brooklawn Postcards and Baseball Cards out of his Lafayette shop in the early 1950s. Balzer is credited with being one of the first card makers to focus solely on baseball and helped popularize the modern cardboard format still used today.
The 1960s saw Lafayette become a hotbed for the emerging field of sports card collecting. Local shops like Ray’s Hobby and The Sport Shop helped fuel new interest in the post-war boom. Meanwhile, Lafayette native and former major leaguer Jim Brosnan authored the 1962 memoir “The Long Season” which included an early focus on his baseball card collecting as a youth. Brosnan’s book helped introduce card collecting to a new generation of baby boomers and spread awareness of the hobby nationwide. Throughout the 1960s, local Lafayette shops also bought and sold the overflow of unopened boxes of cards from the postwar era, keeping the nostalgia alive.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Lafayette developed a reputation as a Midwestern hub for sports memorabilia. National card shows began making regular stops in the city. Shops like A&M Sports, Sports Collector, and Gary’s Sports Cards thrived on not just sales but also paving the way for a new wave of enthusiasts. Meanwhile, the rise of specialty publications like Sports Collector’s Digest and Beckett Price Guides fueled increased interest in tracking values, moves reflected in the booming local collectibles scene. Lafayette natives like Gary Andrews and the late Gary Morley became influential national voices as writers and editors who helped shape the modern industry.
Today, Lafayette’s rich baseball card history lives on. Local shops like A&M Sports and Gary’s Sports Cards have grown into national empires, while mainstays like Sports Collector still serve aficionados. Shows regularly draw hundreds of vendors and collectors from around the Midwest. Meanwhile, the city’s past contributions are remembered through the exhibits at the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. From the earliest tobacco issues to modern memorabilia, Lafayette left an indelible mark on baseball cards that current generations of collectors still appreciate today. The Queen City’s impact helped spark a worldwide hobby and its legacy ensures the city will always have a special place in the history of sports collectibles.
