Baseball cards have been an integral part of American culture and childhood memories for over 130 years. The tradition of collecting and trading baseball cards started in the late 1800s and exploded in popularity throughout the 20th century. While many associate baseball cards with their hometown, the city of McKinney, Texas has a unique history with America’s favorite pastime on cardboard.
Located just north of Dallas, McKinney was established in 1846 and developed into a agricultural trading post along the stagecoach route between Dallas and Denison. By the early 1900s, the town had grown with the establishment of the Texas and Pacific Railroad and an economy based around cotton farming. Baseball had also grown significantly in popularity across the United States in the late 19th century. Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced in the 1880s and 1890s by tobacco companies like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge as promotional items to be found in their cigarette and tobacco products.
In the early 20th century, the tobacco card era was coming to an end but baseball card collecting was just taking off. The rise of gum and candy companies producing baseball cards in wax wrappers helped popularize the hobby. In McKinney, two local five-and-dime stores, McKinney Drug Store and J.J. Newberry Five and Dime, helped introduce baseball cards to local children in the 1910s and 1920s. Both stores stocked the popular baseball card brands of the time like T206 White Border tobacco cards, Sweet Caporal cigarette cards, and sets from Bazooka gum, Goodies gum, and Chiclets gum.
The owners of McKinney Drug Store, the Williams family, were avid baseball fans themselves. They closely followed the careers of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and other early baseball legends whose cards were popular items in their store. On Saturdays during the summer, they would set up baseball card displays near the soda fountain to encourage kids to collect and trade. They also organized the town’s first annual baseball card show in 1928 which was held in McKinney City Park and attracted collectors from across North Texas with its prizes and competitions. This helped further spark the baseball card craze locally.
Through the 1930s and 1940s, the golden age of baseball cards was in full swing. Gum companies like Goudey, Play Ball, and Leaf produced beautifully illustrated sets that have become iconic to this day. In McKinney, these cards could be found at local stores and were also sometimes given out by teachers as rewards in elementary school. Many lifelong McKinney residents still have fond memories of trading cards on the playground and meticulously organizing and caring for their collections at home. Two of the most collected players during this time were Ted Williams and Bob Feller, who both appeared in many highly sought after card issues.
The 1950s saw the rise of Topps as the dominant baseball card company. Their innovative use of color photography and focus on current major league players kept the baseball card boom going strong. In McKinney, the local IGA and Kroger grocery stores sold Topps packs and the high school’s baseball team even made a deal with Topps in 1957 to have their squad photographed for a promotional team card. This helped further grow interest in the sport and collecting culture within the McKinney community. Kids would ride their bikes to the stores, hoping for packs containing stars like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, or local Texas legend Nellie Fox.
The 1960s was arguably the peak of baseball card mania in America. Topps released larger and more visually exciting sets each year containing the likes of Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, and Mickey Mantle. In McKinney, card collecting had truly taken over. Neighborhood kids spent summer afternoons trading in driveways and ball fields. The local library even started a baseball card cataloguing program for collectors to properly store and reference their collections. Stores struggled to keep Topps packs on shelves. In a sign of the changing times, McKinney’s five-and-dimes had largely been replaced by discount stores like K-Mart where the baseball card aisles were some of the busiest areas.
While the 1970s saw a downturn in baseball cards due to overproduction, the arrival of the hobby’s modern renaissance in the late 1980s brought renewed interest to McKinney. Stores like Hobby Town USA and McKinney Card Shop opened to cater directly to the growing collector base. They hosted tournaments, auctions, and special releases that drew collectors from across North Texas. The rise of the internet in the 1990s also connected McKinney collectors to a larger online community where rare vintage and modern rookie cards of players like Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones could be obtained.
Today, baseball cards remain a beloved part of the culture in McKinney, Texas. While the heyday of packs being found in grocery stores or flipped through at the barbershop may be in the past, the nostalgia of the hobby lives on. Local card shops still thrive holding events, many residents still enjoy organizing their childhood collections, and a new generation is being introduced to the joys of the cardboard through online communities and YouTube influencers. Whether finding that one elusive card to complete a set or just reminiscing about summer afternoons of yesteryear, baseball cards will always have a special place within the fabric of McKinney.
