Baseball cards have a long history in Quincy, Illinois dating back to the late 19th century. As baseball grew in popularity across America following the Civil War, the production and collecting of baseball cards also took off. Some of the earliest baseball cards featuring Major League players were issued in the 1880s by tobacco companies as promotional items included in their cigarette and chewing tobacco products.
In the small town of Quincy, located along the Mississippi River in western Illinois, baseball had become immensely popular by the late 1800s. The city was home to several independent minor league and semi-pro baseball teams during this era, including the Quincy Ravens who played from 1886-1891. While these early Quincy teams did not have official baseball cards produced of their players, the popularity of baseball card collecting was growing nationwide. Many young boys in Quincy began amassing collections of tobacco era cards showcasing stars from the National League and American Association.
The first decade of the 1900s marked the golden age of tobacco era baseball cards, with nearly every major chewing tobacco and cigarette brand issuing sets that captured the likenesses of top players. In Quincy, businesses like local drug stores and tobacco shops began stocking these baseball cards. They quickly became a hot commodity for the city’s youth. Some of the most coveted sets for Quincy collectors included ones issued by companies like T206 White Border, T205 Gold Border, and Sweet Caporal. Landing rare and valuable cards of superstars like Honus Wagner or Nap Lajoie was the dream of many a young Quincy card collector.
The rise of the modern baseball card industry began in the late 1930s with the introduction of bubble gum in packs by the Goudey Gum Company. Their 1933 Goudey baseball card set featured photos of major leaguers on the front and stats on the back. This innovative design caught on and Goudey followed up with several additional sets through 1941. In Quincy, the Goudey cards were a sensation among both kids and adults. Local drugstores and candy shops stocked the gum and card packs, fueling the collector boom. The Goudey sets helped transform baseball cards from a niche tobacco product into a mainstream collectible hobby.
After World War II, several new companies like Bowman, Topps, and Leaf jumped into the baseball card business. They signed exclusive contracts with players, ushering in the golden age of modern sets that spanned the 1950s-1980s. In Quincy during these post-war decades, baseball card collecting truly took off. Local hobby shops and drugstores stocked complete sets and boxes to feed the growing demand. The 1954 Topps set was especially popular, as it marked the first time color photography was used on a mass produced baseball card set. Kids in Quincy traded, collected and organized their cards with vigor.
One of the most prominent baseball card collectors to emerge from Quincy was Larry Fritsch. Beginning in the late 1950s as a young boy, Fritsch amassed a collection of over 500,000 individual cards, including many rare and valuable vintage tobacco and modern era specimens. He became a leading authority on the history of baseball cards. Fritsch authored numerous magazine articles and books on the hobby. He also traveled around Illinois giving lectures and seminars on collecting. Fritsch helped inspire many other young collectors in Quincy to pursue the hobby with passion and dedication through his influential work.
In the 1970s, the baseball card boom truly exploded in Quincy. Stores couldn as hardly keep popular sets from Topps, Kellogg’s, Donruss and Fleer on shelves. Local card shows also started popping up, where collectors could buy, sell and trade with others. The 1973 Topps set stood out as one of the most impactful, as it marked the debut of a young phenomenon named George Brett. Brett would go on to have a Hall of Fame career, making his 1973 rookie card extremely coveted. In Quincy, Brett’s rookie was a must have for any self-respecting collector.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the baseball card craze continued unabated in Quincy. The rise of superstar players like Cal Ripken Jr. and Ken Griffey Jr. during this era only served to further fuel the collector boom. Exclusive and premium sets from Upper Deck also gained widespread popularity. In 1991, the company revolutionized the industry by being the first to use glossy stock and incorporate foil stamping, holograms and embossing into their cards. The “Upper Deck Effect” was huge, with their cards flying off shelves in Quincy.
While the baseball card market has declined some since its 1990s peak, the hobby remains an ingrained part of sports culture in Quincy. Local card shops like Quincy Card Collectibles have helped preserve the pastime for new generations. The store, which opened in 1986, hosts frequent trading card shows, autograph signings and special releases that draw collectors from around the region. Online groups have also formed to facilitate connecting collectors in Quincy and beyond for trading, discussing the latest industry news, and reminiscing about the golden years of the hobby. For over a century, baseball cards have brought joy and provided a special connection to the national pastime for many in Quincy. Their history in the city is deeply rooted and sure to continue engaging collectors for years to come.
