Baseball cards have been an integral part of American culture and childhood for over a century. While the baseball card industry was dominated by the big companies like Topps and Bowman for many decades, smaller regional companies also played an important role in the early history of this collectible medium. One such company was located right in York, Pennsylvania – the center of the baseball card universe in the area for over 30 years.
York was a true baseball town throughout the 1900s and 1900s. Minor league teams like the York White Roses and York White Caps called the city home for many seasons and generated a lot of enthusiasm among local fans. It was only natural that a baseball card company would arise to cater to these devoted followers of the national pastime in York.
In 1947, a man named Al Kahn decided to get into the baseball card business on a small scale by producing sets focused solely on the York White Roses. His company was called York Baseball Card Company and they issued sets each year from 1947 through 1955 featuring colorful player portraits and stats from the previous season for the White Roses roster. These early York cards became highly collectible locally as they captured the history of York’s minor league team during an era before integration.
The York Baseball Card Company found success in their niche market and expanded beyond just the White Roses in subsequent years. In 1956, they produced their first true regional baseball card set covering teams throughout the Pennsylvania State Association, one of the top minor leagues in those days. This 86-card set included future major leaguers like Dick Stuart and included bios on the back of each card. It was considered a landmark early regional set that helped grow the hobby outside of just the larger national companies.
In the late 1950s, Al Kahn turned the operations of the York Baseball Card Company over to his son-in-law, Carl R. Witman. Under Witman’s leadership, the company entered its golden era and produced some of the most iconic and desirable vintage regional baseball card sets ever made. In 1959, they issued the “York All Stars” set which was expanded to 120 cards and featured not just minor leaguers but also major leaguers who got their start in the area. This included legends like Jim Bunning who grew up in York County.
Throughout the 1960s, the York Baseball Card Company rolled out new regional sets almost annually that became highly anticipated among collectors. Sets like “Pennsylvania Pros” from 1960, “Eastern League Stars” from 1961 featuring the nearby Reading Indians, and “Susquehanna Valley Stars” from 1964 are all regarded as extremely collectible and desirable today among vintage baseball card aficionados. What made the York cards so special was the vivid color photos, statistical information on the reverse of each card not found in larger sets, and the regional connection for collectors in Pennsylvania and beyond.
The late 1960s saw the York Baseball Card Company issue their most ambitious sets to date. In 1967, they produced the “Eastern League All-Stars” set which was a mammoth 225 cards celebrating stars from the EL circuit like the Maine Guides and Williamsport Mets. This set included future MLB all-stars like Larry Hisle who got their start in the minors. An even larger 300 card magnum opus followed in 1969 titled “Eastern League Stars” which featured a card for every player on each EL roster that season along with comprehensive stats on the back of each card. These massive regional sets showed that the York company could compete with the largest national producers in scale.
The rise of the MLB players association and tighter licensing rules in the 1970s made it much more difficult for smaller independent baseball card companies to survive. While the York Baseball Card Company soldiered on with a few smaller sets in the early 70s like “Eastern League Stars 1971,” rising costs and production challenges led Carl Witman to close up shop in 1974, bringing the illustrious 27-year run of York’s native baseball card company to an end. Their legacy lives on as the colorful, regional sets they produced from 1947-1974 have become some of the most prized possessions of vintage baseball card collectors today.
The influence of the York Baseball Card Company also extended beyond their actual card production. Al Kahn and Carl Witman helped popularize the hobby in York and central Pennsylvania during the post-war boom in baseball card collecting. Stores in York like Charlie the Card Man and Spike’s Sportscards became destinations for collectors to trade, buy and sell. Today, York still has an active baseball card collecting community that meets regularly and auction houses feature York cards when selling vintage lots. While the company may be gone, their contributions to documenting Pennsylvania minor league baseball history and helping grow the hobby will always be remembered by those who enjoy collecting these nostalgic windows into the pastime’s rich regional roots.
