The history of baseball cards in New Hampshire dates back to the late 19th century as the sport of baseball grew increasingly popular across the United States. Some of the earliest baseball cards produced featured star players from New Hampshire teams in the minor leagues.
In the late 1800s, several minor league teams popped up across New Hampshire, including franchises in cities like Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Keene. While these teams didn’t play at the same level as Major League Baseball clubs, they helped spread the game’s popularity at a local and regional level. Enterprising businessmen soon realized there was money to be made by producing collectible cards featuring the players and teams people were following.
Some of the earliest baseball card sets to feature New Hampshire players included issues from the American Caramel Company in 1891 and Mayo Cut Plug Tobacco in 1892. These early tobacco cards usually featured a black-and-white image of the player on one side and stats or biographical information on the reverse. New Hampshire players who appeared in these early sets included pitcher Harry Taylor of the Manchester Farmers and first baseman Ed Delahanty of the Portsmouth Lillies.
In the early 1900s, as cigarette companies like T206 and Sweet Caporal started producing baseball cards inserted in packs, more New Hampshire minor leaguers started gaining card recognition. Players like George “Rube” Foster of the Manchester Giants and Frank “Wildfire” Schulte of the Nashua Cotton Kings achieved local fame and had their likenesses preserved on tobacco era cards. Collecting these early cards quickly became a popular hobby among New Hampshire youth.
The Goudey Gum Company issued some of the first modern baseball card sets in 1933. Their 1933 and 1934 issues included cards of New Hampshire natives who had made it to the majors like Harry Agganis of Nashua and Ernie Lombardi of Manchester. In the post-World War 2 era, as Topps gained dominance over the baseball card market, cards of Granite State players like Mickey Vernon, Bobby Doerr, and Dick Radatz started appearing in their annual sets regularly.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, as minor league baseball remained popular across New Hampshire, local players had cards produced in regional sets like Danville Leaf. Stars of the Manchester Giants like Jim Gentile and Jim Pagliaroni and pitchers like Jack Hamilton of the Nashua Dodgers gained followings and had their cards collected avidly. The 1960s also saw New Hampshire natives like Dick Stuart, George Scott, and Sparky Lyle reach the majors and get cards in Topps’ flagship sets.
In the 1970s, as the minor leagues contracted significantly, baseball card production focused more on major leaguers. However, New Hampshire players like Bobby Sprowl, Ed Nottle, and Tom Bolton still made occasional appearances in Topps and other sets when they reached the highest levels of professional baseball. In the late 1970s, the arrival of companies like Donruss helped drive a baseball card collecting boom among children and adults alike across New Hampshire.
The 1980s saw the rise of stars like Cal Ripken Jr. and Wade Boggs, who both hailed from New Hampshire, reach the tops of the baseball world with Ripken’s Iron Man streak and Boggs’ batting titles. Their ubiquitous cards in sets from Topps, Donruss, and Fleer were coveted by collectors both in their home state and nationwide. This era also saw the arrival of premium and oddball card issues from companies like Score, Leaf, and Mother’s Cookies that featured even more obscure Granite State players.
In the 1990s and 2000s, as the baseball card industry fractured and consolidated, New Hampshire players appeared less regularly in mainstream sets from the remaining giants Topps and Upper Deck. Collectors could still find cards of pros like John McDonald, Dan Wheeler, and Mark Strittmatter in regional minor league and independent sets. New Hampshire also produced some star collegiate players like Ryan Flaherty who had cards in sets like Triple Play Sports after being drafted.
Today, while minor league and independent baseball has diminished in New Hampshire, the state still produces an occasional MLB player like Tanner Houck of the Boston Red Sox who can be found in modern card issues. Card collecting also remains a popular hobby, with shows drawing collectors of all eras together across the state. From forgotten tobacco cards to ultra-modern parallels and autographs, the rich history of baseball cards in New Hampshire continues to engage collectors today.
