The history of baseball cards in Spokane dates back to the late 19th century when the earliest forms of baseball cards began circulating throughout the United States. Some of the first baseball cards ever produced featured players from early Spokane teams in the Northwest League.
One of the earliest documented baseball card productions came from tobacco companies in the 1880s. Companies like Goodwin & Company and Allen & Ginter began inserting baseball cards into their tobacco products as a marketing gimmick. While it’s unknown if any early Spokane players appeared on these tobacco cards, it’s quite possible their likenesses could have been used.
Spokane had a minor league franchise as early as 1889 called the Spokane Bunchgrassers who played in the Montana State League. Players from this era may have been some of the first Spokane athletes featured on baseball cards, even if they were just generic team or league cards at the time rather than individual player cards.
The Northwest League, a Class C minor league, was founded in Spokane in 1894 and the Spokane Indians became the city’s flagship team. Early baseball cards definitely featured Spokane Indians players starting in the late 1890s through the early 1900s. These were mostly issued by tobacco companies or regional businesses using the players’ likenesses to advertise.
In 1909, the Allen & Ginter Company issued a set known as T206 that is considered one of the most important early baseball card sets. It included the first documented Spokane Indians player card, featuring pitcher Jack O’Connor. Finding an original T206 Jack O’Connor card in good condition today would be worth a small fortune to collectors.
As baseball grew in popularity through the early 20th century, so did the mass production of baseball cards. More regional sets came out in the 1910s and 1920s highlighting Northwest League teams like the Spokane Indians. Players like Charley Robertson, Bill Steen and Cliff Bissell had their own baseball cards during this era that are still prized by collectors.
The 1930s saw the rise of national baseball card sets produced by top companies like Goudey and Play Ball. These sets ensured Spokane Indians players received wider distribution exposure. Stars like Lefty O’Doul, Earl Averill and Bobo Newsom had their careers immortalized on 1930s baseball cards while playing in Spokane.
World War II slowed baseball card production but it surged again in the postwar 1940s and 1950s. Spokane was still getting minor league representation in sets issued by Bowman, Topps and others. Young stars like Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison had early baseball cards from their Spokane Indian days that are quite valuable today.
Into the 1960s, ’70s and beyond, Spokane remained in the short season Northwest League and players kept appearing in regional minor league sets as well as annual issues from Topps, Fleer and Donruss. Future big leaguers like Jay Johnstone, Bill Madlock, and Mark Langston all had baseball cards sporting their Spokane Indians uniforms.
For collectors in Spokane, the local hobby shop scene really started booming in the 1970s. Card shows, shops and auctions became common places to hunt for Spokane Indians cards, complete sets and memorabilia. The rise of the internet in the 1990s took the hobby nationwide and global, greatly increasing demand and prices for any vintage Spokane cards that surfaced.
In the modern era, collectors seek out Spokane Indians cards not just for the players but also for the historic team and city representation they provide. Complete sets from the early 1900s right up to the present day are endlessly fascinating to assemble and research. With over a century of baseball card history intertwined with the Spokane Indians franchise, the hobby remains deeply ingrained in the city’s sports culture.
Whether collecting vintage tobacco cards, 1950s Topps issues, or 2021 Bowman’s Best prospect cards, Spokane has always had great involvement in the baseball card industry. Its contributions to the rich history of the hobby are felt nationwide. And for local collectors especially, seeking Spokane pieces is a meaningful way to learn about the city’s baseball past and preserve it for future generations.
