The history of baseball cards in Yakima, Washington stretches back over a century. Like many American towns and cities in the late 19th century, Yakima saw the rise in popularity of collecting trade cards featuring images of professional baseball players. These early cardboard collectibles helped grow the fanbases of Major League clubs and also captured the imagination of many youngsters in Yakima.
Some of the earliest baseball cards to circulate in Yakima included issues from companies such as Goodwin & Company and Old Judge tobacco brands in the late 1880s. These early cards featured individual images of stars from the National League and American Association on small pieces of cardboard that were included in tobacco products. Allen & Ginter was also a popular brand whose baseball cards made their way to the card collecting youth of Yakima in the early 1890s.
In the early 20th century, the baseball card boom was in full swing across the United States. Major American tobacco brands like Leaf, T206, and Sweet Caporal began mass producing colorful baseball cards that were inserted in cigarettes and chewing tobacco products. These premium cards, featuring top major leaguers, stimulated business for the tobacco companies while also growing the fanbases of the players and clubs.
In Yakima, local shops like Larson’s Corner Drug and The Candy Kitchen became important hubs for kids to trade and buy baseball cards in the early 1900s. The cards were eagerly collected and swapped by many young fans. Some of the most desirable early cards for Yakima collectors included stars like Honus Wagner, Nap Lajoie, and Cy Young.
The rise of gum and candy as baseball card inserts in the 1920s further expanded the hobby. Brands like Goudey Gum and Bazooka Gum pumped out colorful sets that were perfect for kids. In Yakima, stores like Johnson’s Five and Dime became the main retailers of these products, with baseball cards being an irresistible incentive for young customers. Stars of the day like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Rogers Hornsby became widely collected in their card forms by many Yakima area youths.
In the post-World War II era of the late 1940s and 1950s, the baseball card boom experienced renewed vigor with the arrival of modern plastic packaging that kept the cards safer and in better condition compared to the paper of previous decades. Brands like Topps, Bowman, and Fleer released expansive annual sets that featured the latest stars, stats, and team logos.
In Yakima, these postwar cardboard collectibles were a huge hit. Baseball card shops opened on Front Street and as far south as 1st Avenue. Stores like Gary’s Sport Cards and Bob’s Baseball Emporium became institutions, hosting card shows, launches for the new annual sets, and serving as the main places for collectors to trade, buy, and sell cards. Local youth baseball leagues also increasingly used cards as fundraising tools, with players and teams signing and auctioning off cards to help support their programs.
Some of the most iconic cards issued in the 1950s that were greatly collected in Yakima included rookie cards for legends like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Sandy Koufax. The 1959 Topps card of Harmon Killebrew featuring his powerful left-handed swing also became a particularly coveted card in the area. Regional stars playing for Seattle, Spokane, and Portland minor league teams also found a strong collector base among Pacific Northwest fans, including those in Yakima.
In the 1960s, the card collecting boom continued strong. Topps, Fleer, and new entrant Donruss pumped out larger multi-player cards sets on thicker stock. Color photography also started to become more prevalent on the cards. In Yakima, card shows at the local armories and convention centers drew hundreds of collectors. Some notable regional stars whose cards were especially popular included Sal Bando, Don Mincher, and Jim “Mudcat” Grant.
The 1970s saw licensing deals help expand the world of sports cards beyond just baseball. Football, basketball and hockey cards entered the market. In Yakima, shops like Sports Fanatic on Nob Hill sold multi-sport cards alongside their baseball offerings. The rise of independent contractors like TCMA in the 1970s also produced novel regional sets featuring players from the Pacific Coast League and Northwest League. These cards found many appreciative collectors in Yakima and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
In the 1980s, the arrival of stars cards featuring embedded memorabilia pieces as well as the advent of ultra-premium vintage cards rekindled collector interest. The overproduction of cards also led to a crash. In Yakima, some shops closed but dedicated stores like Northwest Sportscards stayed open. The rise of card shows and conventions helped buoy the market. Rookies cards of Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr. from the Mariners’ early 1990s teams were especially prized by collectors in the area.
From the 1990s onward, the baseball card industry has experienced ups and downs but the hobby remains ingrained in the Pacific Northwest. In Yakima, dedicated shops serve both casual and serious collectors. Online groups help fans stay connected and trade regionally focused cards. Vintage cardboard from the city’s earliest days of collecting remain treasures for those seeking a connection to Yakima’s baseball card past. Over a century since the first cards arrived, the legacy of baseball on cardboard stays deeply rooted in the region’s sports culture and history.
