Baseball cards have been an iconic part of American culture and childhood memories for generations. As the capital of Virginia, Richmond has deep ties to baseball’s history and the collecting of these memorable trading cards. From the early tobacco card era of the late 1800s to the modern hobby, Richmond has played an interesting role in the world of baseball cards.
One of the first organized baseball teams in Richmond was the Richmond Virginians, which began play in 1886 as part of the Atlantic League. That same year, the American Tobacco Company began producing cigarette cards featuring images of baseball players. These early tobacco era cards helped popularize baseball across the country as smokers collected cards from their favorite brands. In the coming decades, Richmond would be home to several minor and Negro league baseball teams whose players occasionally received the honor of being featured on tobacco cards.
In the 1930s, the Goudey Gum Company issued some of the most collectible baseball cards of all-time as incentives to purchase their gum. Featuring colorful photographic images, these early modern cards helped reinvigorate the baseball card hobby. At the time, Richmond was a bustling tobacco manufacturing center and many Richmond residents collected and traded these iconic Goudey cards. The city’s long history with chewing tobacco also meant that locals had an appreciation for trading and collecting items found in cigarette and gum packs.
During World War II, wartime paper shortages led to a lull in baseball card production. But in the postwar period following the end of rationing, the Bowman Gum Company and Topps Chewing Gum relaunched the baseball card hobby with colorful new designs. As the local minor league team, the Richmond Virginians continued entertaining local fans. The players from this era occasionally received the honor of having their likeness reproduced on Bowman and Topps cards that Richmond-area youth collected with enthusiasm.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Topps monopolized the baseball card market and produced some of the most coveted sets in the modern era including their iconic design which featured color photos on a white background. During this “Golden Age” of collecting, shops in Richmond like Woolworth’s, Kress, and Ben Franklin 5&10 stores sold wax packs of cards to a new generation of collectors. Youngsters in Richmond traded, swapped and added to their collections throughout the summer, keeping stats of their favorite Richmond-based National and American League players.
As the decades went on, the Richmond Braves arrived in 1960 and became a hugely popular minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. For three decades, future major league stars developed their skills at Richmond Stadium while fans eagerly awaited the release of new card designs each year featuring Braves prospects. The 1970s produced some of the most visually appealing designs like Topps’ high-gloss issues and the licensed Fleer and Donruss sets that began to challenge Topps’ dominance. Throughout it all, card shops in Richmond like Bonus Baseball Cards ensured collectors had access to the newest releases.
In the modern era, the explosive growth of the internet has made virtually any baseball card available to collectors. But Richmond still has thriving card shops that help fuel the local hobby. Places like Fanfare Sports Cards and Great Wraps provide a sense of community for collectors to trade, sell and appraise their vintage and modern collections. When it comes to the high-end market, Richmond auction houses like Leslie Hindman occasionally sell rare, valuable cards that were originally collected decades ago by locals. The city’s long history with the tobacco and gum industries ensured it had a vibrant baseball card culture that remains alive today.
From the early tobacco era to modern internet commerce, Richmond played an important regional role in the development of America’s favorite collecting pastime. The city’s minor league teams, card shops, auction houses and legions of youthful collectors helped spread the hobby and preserve the memories encapsulated on these small pieces of cardboard. Even after losing its minor league affiliation, Richmond remains committed to its baseball roots and the colorful cards that helped spark generations of fans.
