Boston Garter Baseball Cards: A Unique Piece of Baseball History

Baseball card collecting is one of the most popular hobbies worldwide. While the most famous and valuable cards are typically from the late 19th and early 20th centuries produced by companies like T206 and 1909-11 T206, there are many obscure and unique sets that were produced outside the mainstream. One such set is the Boston Garter baseball cards from the late 1890s.

The Boston Garter Company was a manufacturer of suspenders, garters, and other men’s accessories based out of Boston, Massachusetts in the late 19th century. In an effort to promote their products and capitalize on the growing popularity of baseball in the post-Civil War era, the Boston Garter Company decided to include baseball cards as premiums or incentives included with the purchase of their products sometime around 1896-1898. These cards featured individual photographs of prominent major league ballplayers from that era mounted on a thicker card stock.

Very little is known about the exact production and distribution of these cards. It is believed they were inserted randomly into packages of Boston Garter products and distributed mainly in the New England region. They did not have any company branding or advertising on the fronts of the cards, just a photograph of the player. The backs were blank. It is estimated only around 100-200 of these cards still exist today in various conditions, making them an extremely rare set to collect.

Some key details that are known about the Boston Garter baseball card set:

Photographs featured players from both the National League and American Association from 1896-1898. This included stars of the day like Honus Wagner, Nap Lajoie, Cy Young, and Hughie Jennings.

Card size is slightly larger than standard baseball cards of the era at approximately 2.5 x 3.5 inches. Thick premium card stock was used.

Photo quality varies but most are clear, sharp images mounted on the cards. A few have faded over time.

No advertising, branding, or other text on the fronts of the cards other than the player photo. Backs are blank.

Extremely low production numbers, estimated only 100-200 full sets were ever distributed. Finding a complete set today would be nearly impossible.

Very scarce in the collector market due to such low survival rates over 120+ years. High grade examples in top condition can be worth over $10,000 each.

No definitive proof, but most experts agree they were inserted as premiums/incentives by Boston Garter sometime between 1896-1898 based on known players featured.

Mainly distributed in New England, especially Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire based on region Boston Garter sold products.

One of the earliest known examples of a company using baseball cards as a promotional premium, well before Topps, Bowman, etc. popularized the modern baseball card era.

While crude by today’s standards, the Boston Garter baseball card set was truly pioneering and represents a unique piece of both baseball and marketing history from the late 19th century. They predate most other notable early baseball card sets by at least 5-10 years. Finding high grade examples today in collections is an incredibly rare occurrence. Any collector who has an example of this seminal set should consider themselves extremely fortunate. Despite their obscurity, Boston Garter cards hold an important place in the origins of baseball card collecting.

The rarity and historical significance of Boston Garter cards make them a fascinating area of baseball card research. While production details are still somewhat murky after 120+ years, ongoing research may continue to uncover new information that adds to our understanding of these pioneering promotional baseball cards. They serve as an intriguing reminder of the innovative early marketing strategies used by companies to tie into America’s growing national pastime during baseball’s formative years in the late 1800s. Whether as a key part of American business history or the dawn of baseball card collecting, Boston Garter cards deserve recognition as a truly unique cultural artifact.