Baseball cards have long held a special place in American popular culture and collectibles. Originally included as an advertisement or promotional item inside tobacco products in the late 19th century, baseball cards evolved to become coveted pieces of memorabilia that capture moments in time and allow fans to collect pieces of their favorite players and teams. In Pennsylvania especially, the baseball card industry took root and still has a strong presence today.
One of the first companies to mass produce baseball cards was the American Tobacco Company, which inserted cards into cigarettes and chewing tobacco starting in 1886. Their production of cards featuring major league players helped popularize the new national pastime of baseball across the country. In the early 1900s, other tobacco brands like Fatima, Sweet Caporal, and Piedmont also released sets of cards. These original tobacco era cards from the late 1800s through the World War I era are among the most valuable collectibles today.
As concerns about marketing to children grew in the 1950s, tobacco companies were restricted from including baseball cards in their products. The Topps Chewing Gum Company of Brooklyn, New York had been packaging baseball cards with gum since 1951 and was well positioned to fill the void. Topps became the dominant force in baseball cards for much of the post-war era and beyond. Their iconic design aesthetic and comprehensive annual sets helped propel the hobby into a golden age of collecting during the 1960s.
While Topps produced their cards in New York, the company established significant operations in Pennsylvania that helped drive the local baseball card industry. In 1960, Topps opened a large production and distribution facility in Duryea, Pennsylvania near Scranton. Here they oversaw all aspects of baseball card manufacturing from design, printing, and cutting to packaging and shipping. The Duryea plant employed hundreds of workers and was a major economic boost for the region. It also allowed Pennsylvania residents easier access to the latest baseball card releases and memorabilia.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Topps reigned supreme but also faced new competition. In 1971, the Fleer Company began producing a competitive baseball card set for the first time since 1911. This introduced new card designs, photo variations, and parallel sets that increased collecting options for fans. In 1981, Donruss entered the market with glossy photography and oddball promotions. These rival brands were licensed and printed by the Philadelphia firm Studio Card Company, growing the city’s stake in the baseball card industry.
While production shifted overseas in later decades, Pennsylvania maintained a strong memorabilia retail presence. Card shops, memorabilia stores, and sports card shows proliferated across the state. Major cities like Philadelphia and smaller towns alike all hosted vibrant baseball card collecting communities. Two of the largest and most prestigious national sports card and memorabilia conventions also found homes in Pennsylvania – the National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City and the Pittsburgh Sports Card and Memorabilia Show. These multi-day extravaganzas drew tens of thousands of attendees annually.
The rise of internet auction sites in the 1990s like eBay further connected collectors around the world and increased demand for vintage cards, autographs, and one-of-a-kind pieces of baseball history originating from Pennsylvania. Stores like Steiner Sports Memorabilia in Allentown and Lelands.com in Wynnewood helped authenticate and broker six and seven figure baseball card and autograph transactions. In the 2000s and 2010s, card shows and memorabilia signings continued across the state from Wilkes-Barre to Pittsburgh. New inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame would routinely make Pennsylvania appearances.
While the baseball card industry today is a fraction of its peak physical size due to the internet, mobile apps, and online collecting, its roots and rich history remain intertwined with Pennsylvania. The state played a pivotal role from the manufacturing and distribution heyday of Topps to the thriving memorabilia retail and collecting communities that still exist statewide. Original tobacco era cards to modern rookies, rare autographs to complete vintage sets, Pennsylvania continues connecting fans to their favorite ballplayers through the universal language of baseball cards. Few hobbies are as nostalgic or proudly displayed as one’s baseball card collection, keeping the tradition alive across generations of Pennsylvania collectors.
