The city of Milwaukee has a rich history with baseball cards that spans over 100 years. Some of the earliest baseball cards featuring Milwaukee players were issued in the late 1800s as part of sets from tobacco companies like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge. It was in the early 20th century that Milwaukee truly began making its mark on the baseball card industry.
In 1903, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers joined the American Association, one of the top minor leagues at the time. That same year, tobacco manufacturer American Caramel Company issued an early set featuring current players. Among the Brewers featured were pitcher Doc Powers and first baseman Harry Steinfeldt. While the set is quite rare today, it helped introduce Milwaukee players to a national baseball card collecting audience.
The Brewers had several stars in the early 1900s that gained popularity on baseball cards, such as outfielder Casey Stengel who went on to a Hall of Fame managing career. In 1909, the Brewers joined the newly formed American Association, cementing their status as one of the top minor league teams. Stars like Stengel, third baseman Heinie Groh, and pitcher Johnny Ritter continued appearing in tobacco sets from makers like T206 and Hassan.
Milwaukee’s baseball card prominence grew in the 1950s when the city was granted an MLB franchise, the Milwaukee Braves. The Braves featured future Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Warren Spahn. They immediately became some of the most popular players to collect. The early 1950s saw the dawn of the modern baseball card era with the start of Topps and Bowman sets. Braves stars were highly featured in the new color photo cards that collectors loved.
Hank Aaron in particular became a huge star on baseball cards as he began smashing home run records. His iconic 1954 Topps rookie card is one of the most valuable baseball cards ever printed due to his all-time home run title. Aaron and the Braves appeared in many Topps and Bowman sets throughout the 1950s, greatly increasing Milwaukee’s presence in the card collecting world.
The late 1950s saw two huge developments for Milwaukee baseball cards. In 1958, the Braves won the World Series behind the heroics of Aaron and company. This made their cards extremely popular and desirable for collectors. That same year, Topps issued the hugely influential and artistic 1958 Milwaukee Braves team poster. Featuring a painted scene from County Stadium, it captured the excitement of Braves baseball in a single card.
While the Braves left for Atlanta after the 1965 season in a move that saddened Milwaukee, the baseball card legacy of its stars lived on. Aaron continued smashing records and gaining new collectors with his impressive Topps cards of the 1960s and beyond. Other 50s/60s Braves like Mathews, Spahn and Del Crandall also remained widely collected due to their impressive careers. Their cards brought back memories of Milwaukee Braves glory days for many collectors.
In 1970, the Seattle Pilots relocated to become the second MLB team in Milwaukee, renamed the Brewers. Immediately, young stars like Robin Yount and Sal Bando began appearing on Topps and other cards. The Brewers struggled early but built a fanbase with exciting players that collectors loved to find in packs. In 1982, the team broke through with its first American League pennant behind star pitchers Rollie Fingers, Pete Vuckovich and catcher Ted Simmons. This made their vintage 1970s/80s cards very desirable for Brewers collectors.
The Brewers golden era arrived in the late 1980s as future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor led the team to its first World Series appearance in 1982. Molitor’s hitting prowess made him one of the most popular players for collectors during his era. His American Tobacco Company baseball cards from the late 1970s and 1980s Topps cards are still widely collected today. The Brewers continued contending through the rest of the decade with stars like Molitor, Robin Yount, Ted Higuera, and Dave Parker on the rosters. This kept interest in their baseball cards very high.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the Brewers featured other stars that gained strong fanbases, both among Milwaukee fans and national collectors. Pitchers Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia threw dazzling games that made their modern cards popular. Prince Fielder smashed prodigious home runs in the late 2000s and early 2010s that had collectors seeking his powerful Upper Deck and Topps cards.
Today, Milwaukee remains well represented in the baseball card world. Brewers stars of the 2010s like Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich and others continue gaining new collectors for their modern issues. Vintage cards of historic Brewers and Braves are as popular as ever with collectors seeking pieces of the cities’ baseball history. While teams have come and gone, Milwaukee has left an indelible mark on the baseball card collecting hobby due to the many iconic players who performed for the city. Its rich card history spanning over 100 years continues gaining new fans.
