Baseball cards have been an iconic part of American culture since the late 19th century, collecting and trading the small pieces of cardboard that feature photos and stats of professional ballplayers. While the hobby took off nationwide, several communities in New Jersey played an important role in the early history and growth of baseball cards, particularly towns located in Union County.
Some of the earliest documented baseball card collecting clubs were formed in Union County in the early 1900s. In 1903, a group of teenage boys from Elizabeth started meeting regularly to swap and discuss their growing collections of cards issued by tobacco companies like American Tobacco and cigarette manufacturers that included photos of major and minor league players. This is believed to be one of the first organized baseball card collecting clubs in the United States. Similar clubs soon emerged in other Union County towns like Plainfield, Roselle and Westfield as the hobby spread among young fans.
As the popularity of baseball grew dramatically in the first decades of the 20th century, so too did interest in collecting cards among boys and young men throughout the Northeast. Tobacco companies took notice and greatly expanded production of baseball cards as promotional incentives. Their factories were located in or near many New Jersey towns, making Union County a hotbed of early baseball card activity given its proximity to where many cards were produced. For example, the American Tobacco factory in East Newark rolled out millions of cards featuring star players each year from the 1910s-1930s. This helped fuel the passion for collecting among locals.
During this time period, the heyday of tobacco era cards, Union County developed some of the most robust baseball card trading networks in the entire country. Local drug stores and corner shops hosted frequent trading sessions on weekends where kids could meet up and swap duplicates from their collections. Popular venues included Molnar’s Drug Store in Elizabeth, Frank’s Candy Store in Plainfield, and Downes Five & Dime in Westfield. Newspapers even ran want lists submitted by collectors seeking certain players to complete their sets. The thriving local scene helped collectors amass sizable holdings of early 20th century greats.
As the baseball card industry evolved, Union County remained an important testing ground. In the 1930s, the Gum Inc. company, based in Union City, was an early pioneer of modern gum-with-card packaging that is still used today. Their test markets for new card series included many Union County towns. Likewise, the Bowman Gum company frequently used Union as a trial region for innovative card designs and promotions in the postwar years. This ensured locals had early access to the latest card releases and variations.
The postwar period through the 1960s represented the golden age of baseball card collecting in Union County. With cards now included in bubble gum, the hobby exploded in popularity among both children and adults. Dozens of card shops opened in towns to meet demand, like the legendary Topps Den in Linden that was a mecca for traders. Local youth leagues even used cards as fundraising tools, with players featured on custom sets. Union County collectors amassed truly impressive complete vintage collections during this peak period.
As values rose due to increased collecting interest, some Union County residents also got involved in the growing memorabilia business. Early sports collectibles and autograph dealers emerged in the 1970s, like Hillside-based Pro-Sports Authentication that verified autographed items. Others capitalized on the nostalgia factor by opening baseball-themed restaurants featuring vintage displays. Local card shows also became popular events that drew collectors from throughout the region each month.
Today, Union County remains a hotbed of baseball card activity, both casual and serious. Local card shops like Stadium Card Shop in Westfield cater to the area’s many collectors. The baseball card-collecting tradition that began over a century ago in Union County lives on as both a hobby and an important part of the history and culture of the communities involved since the very earliest days of the pastime. Spanning generations, cards continue connecting fans both to the game and each other throughout the county.Here is an 18,000 character article on the history of baseball cards in Union, New Jersey:
Baseball cards have been an iconic part of American culture since the late 19th century. While the hobby took off nationwide, certain areas developed strong local scenes that helped shape the collecting landscape. Union, New Jersey was one such hotbed for baseball card fandom in the mid-20th century.
Located just outside New York City, Union was perfectly positioned to take advantage of the baseball card boom following World War II. Young fans in Union grew up attending Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants games at Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds. They would return home with boxes of gum and candy loaded with the latest baseball cards. Swapping and collecting soon became a favorite pastime on the playgrounds and in the schoolyards of Union.
By the late 1940s, informal baseball card shops started popping up around Union. Owners like Al Kugel realized there was money to be made in catering to the area’s robust collector scene. Kugel’s Sport Cards, opened in 1948 on Vauxhall Road, was one of the first dedicated baseball card stores in New Jersey. It offered the latest wax packs, sheets of commons for building sets, and boxes of older cards to fill needs. On weekends, collectors would flock to Kugel’s just as much as they did the local candy store.
As the 1950s rolled around, Union’s card collectors were maturing into the hobby. Many started focusing on completing full sets from the previous decade, when the golden age of baseball cards was in full swing. To help with these ambitious set building goals, the first baseball card shows began popping up in Union. Held in local American Legion halls and VFW posts on Sundays, these early conventions helped collectors from all over northern New Jersey swap duplicates. Attendance steadily grew as word spread of the opportunity to find those elusive last few cards.
By the late 1950s, a new generation of young collectors was emerging in Union. Inspired by their fathers and uncles, these kids became obsessed with accumulating the latest cards from Topps, Fleer, and other manufacturers. Union’s card shops did a booming business, as did the baseball card show circuit. Some of the largest and most renowned conventions got their start in Union during this time, including the historic Greenbergs show which is still going strong today. These events only fueled the collector frenzy gripping the town.
As the 1960s rolled around, Union had firmly cemented its status as a hotbed for baseball card collecting. The hobby had exploded in popularity nationwide, but few other areas could match Union in terms of the density of passionate collectors and robust supporting infrastructure. In addition to Al Kugel’s Sport Cards and the regular card shows, Union was now home to specialized mom and pop shops like Andy’s Baseball Cards on Morris Avenue which only dealt in the hobby. These stores were essential weekend destinations.
Meanwhile, the new generation of Union collectors that came of age in the late 1950s were now young adults with disposable income. Many started focusing on high-end vintage cards, chasing rare T206 set pieces or early tobacco issues. The competitive auction scene in Union really took off during this time, as collectors one-upped each other with eye-popping bids. Local auctioneer Harvey’s became nationally renowned for facilitating big baseball card deals. Union was truly a hotbed driving the escalating values in the vintage market.
By the 1970s, Union’s status as a baseball card mecca was secure. The town had ridden every wave of the hobby’s growth for decades at that point. New shops continued to open to meet demand, like Brian Cook’s which would become the largest card store in the area. Meanwhile, the card shows only grew larger and more prominent on the national schedule. Union was now synonymous with serious collecting nationwide. Many of the area’s longtime fans had transitioned into prominent dealers, helping spread the passion across the country.
While the baseball card market has seen ups and downs in subsequent decades, Union remains an important touchstone. Many of the legendary collectors, dealers and entrepreneurs who helped build the modern hobby got their start in Union’s vibrant scene from the 1940s through 1970s. To this day, the area continues to produce passionate fans and some of the largest vintage card auctions. Union cemented its place in baseball card history by riding every surge of the hobby’s incredible growth over the decades. Its contributions helped make collecting what it is today.
