Black Diamond baseball cards were issued by the American Tobacco Company from 1887 to 1890 as promotional inserts in packs of cigarettes. These early tobacco cards are considered some of the most valuable and historically significant collectibles in the sports card industry.
The Black Diamond brand was one of the earliest and most popular brands of cigarettes produced by American Tobacco. In an effort to promote their product, the company began including small lithographed cards featuring baseball players and other sports figures inside packs of Black Diamond cigarettes in 1887. This marked one of the first instances of trading cards being included as a marketing incentive with another product.
The original 1887 Black Diamond set contained 26 cards featuring individual players from the National League and American Association. Some of the biggest stars of the late 19th century included in that pioneering set were Cap Anson, Dan Brouthers, Buck Ewing, and Jim O’Rourke. The cards measured approximately 1 5/8 inches by 2 5/8 inches and featured a black border around the image with white text identifying the player and their team.
In 1888, American Tobacco issued an expanded 52-card Black Diamond set that included both individual player cards and team cards showing rosters and uniforms. Notable inclusions that year were cards for future Hall of Famers Pud Galvin and Old Hoss Radbourn. The 1889 set saw another increase, with 63 total cards issued. This set is notable for including the only card ever produced of Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty during his playing career.
The final Black Diamond baseball card set was issued in 1890 and contained 69 cards. By this time, the tobacco industry had really taken off with sports cards as a promotional tool. Several competing brands like Goodwin & Company and Allen & Ginter had begun including their own card sets. The 1890 Black Diamond set remains highly significant as the last to be distributed by the pioneering American Tobacco brand.
While production of Black Diamond cards ended after four short years, their impact on the baseball card collecting hobby cannot be overstated. They established cigarettes and cards as a mutually beneficial promotional pairing that would be widely imitated. Their rarity also makes them extremely valuable, as the fragile paper stock and early production date means very few have survived in collectible condition over 130 years later.
Graded gem mint condition examples of complete 1887 or 1888 Black Diamond sets in their original wrappers have sold at auction for over $1 million. Even single high-grade cards from these pioneering sets can fetch five or six figures. Condition is absolutely critical, as the cards were not meant to last and heavy playwear or creases can drastically reduce a card’s value. Topps, the modern kingpin of the sports card industry, purchased the entire surviving archive of original Black Diamond artwork from American Tobacco’s successor in the 1990s.
While rarer than subsequent tobacco era issues, finding intact Black Diamond cards still out in the hobby is not unheard of. Estate sales, old collections coming out of attics, and overseas finds have all yielded pristine examples that excite the collecting community. Documented population reports show fewer than 50 graded examples exist of some key Black Diamond cards like the 1888 Buck Ewing. This extreme rarity combined with their status as the first ever baseball cards makes them highly coveted.
In the modern era, Black Diamond cards have taken on almost mythical significance among vintage collectors. They represent tangible links to the earliest days of organized professional baseball and the dawn of the sports card craze. For dedicated tobacco card historians, finding that elusive 1887 Cap Anson or 1888 Dan Brouthers is the collecting equivalent of a holy grail. Even in poor condition, they remain a focal point of any serious vintage baseball card collection. Over 130 years after their distribution in packs of cigarettes, the allure and importance of the original Black Diamond issues endures.
