Baseball cards have a long history in Minnesota dating back to the late 19th century. Some of the earliest baseball cards produced featured players from Minnesota teams in the minor and regional leagues that preceded Major League Baseball.

When the American Tobacco Company began mass producing baseball cards as promotional inserts in cigarette packs starting in 1886, several Minnesota players appeared on early tobacco cards. Names like Ed Cartwright, who played for the Minneapolis Millers in the late 1880s, and Bill Dinneen, a Minnesota native who pitched for several minor league clubs, could be found on tobacco cards from that era.

In the early 20th century, as Minnesota began to develop its own regional minor leagues, homegrown players started achieving success that led to card appearances. The American Association, known as a “third major league” in the early 1900s, had teams in St. Paul, Minneapolis and other Midwest cities. Players like Bobby Byrne of the St. Paul Saints and Clarence Beers of the Minneapolis Millers gained regional fame reflected by their tobacco card printings.

The rise of dedicated baseball card companies in the 1930s furthered Minnesota’s card presence. Goudey issued sets in the 1930s that included stars from the American Association like Dick Siebert and Jack Knott, who played for the Minneapolis Millers. In the post-World War II era as the modern hobby boomed, Bowman and Topps cards spotlighted heroes of the Minnesota Twins’ predecessor franchises like the St. Paul Saints and Minneapolis Millers.

When the Washington Senators relocated to become the Minnesota Twins in 1961, it kicked off a new chapter for baseball card collecting in the state. Homegrown stars like Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew and Jim Kaat achieved national fame and had their iconic cardboard representations produced by Topps, Fleer and other manufacturers in the 1960s and beyond. Twins teams of that era populated the checklists of the first modern baseball card sets.

The Twins’ success in winning division titles in 1965 and 1969 as well as several AL pennants in that timeframe kept the team and its stars in the national spotlight. Players achieved career-defining seasons reflected by their highly sought after card appearances, like Killebrew’s 1969 NL MVP campaign. The Twins’ contention through the 1960s and into the 1970s maintained Minnesota’s presence in the growing card collecting hobby.

In the 1980s, stars like Kent Hrbek, Frank Viola and Gary Gaetti led the Twins to division titles in 1987 and 1991. Their card productions by Topps, Donruss and Fleer captured those exciting teams and players. Paralleling baseball card manufacturing trends, the late 1980s saw the rise of oddball and regional Minnesota-centric card issues like the Schaeffer Beer and K-Tel sets that spotlighted Twins stars.

Into the modern era, Minnesota natives like Torii Hunter and Joe Mauer achieved stardom reflected in their ubiquitous card images produced by leaders like Topps, Upper Deck and Score. Hometown heroes Hunter and Mauer propelled Twins interest that kept the state’s card-collecting tradition thriving into the 2000s and beyond. Today, stars like Byron Buxton and future Hall of Famers like Miguel Sano and Nelson Cruz continue Minnesota’s baseball card legacy with their modern cardboard representations.

From the earliest tobacco issues to today’s digital offerings, Minnesota has been well-represented in the baseball card industry thanks to its rich baseball history and homegrown stars. The Twins’ six decades in the state have ensured its players achieved national notoriety that kept the state’s collecting tradition going strong for generations of Minnesota card fans.