Cards have been around for centuries in various forms, but the concept of trading cards designed for children first emerged in the late 19th century as new printing technologies made mass-produced cards economically feasible. In America, the tradition of baseball cards can be traced back to the late 1880s when cigarette and tobacco companies began including cards featuring baseball players in their products.
The American Tobacco Company is credited with producing the first modern baseball cards in 1886 as promotional items included in packs of cigarettes. These early cards featured images of star players but did not have any statistics or biographical information. Allen & Ginter and Goodwin & Company soon followed suit with their own series of baseball cards inserted in tobacco products in the late 1880s and early 1890s. These early sets helped popularize baseball and make individual players household names during a time when the sport was still gaining mainstream popularity.
It was the tobacco card series produced by the tobacco monopoly called the American Tobacco Company from 1886 to 1915 that truly established the baseball card tradition. Over the decades, the American Tobacco Company released hundreds of baseball cards featuring star players from the National League and American League. They helped turn baseball into America’s pastime by making the sport accessible and fun for children and adults alike. The American Tobacco Company lost its monopoly in 1911 which opened the door for other companies to produce cards.
In 1909, the Cincinnati based company called the American Caramel Company began inserting sports cards in their caramel products. This marked the first non-tobacco sports card set. It was the tobacco cards produced between 1886-1915 that truly cemented the tradition of baseball cards as a mainstream collectible. Some of the most valuable early tobacco cards include the rare Honus Wagner T206 card from 1909-11 which has sold for over $2 million at auction.
In the 1920s, candy companies like Goodies and Goudey Gum began producing colorful baseball cards as incentives to purchase their products. These sets featured more statistics and biographical information compared to earlier tobacco issues. The Goudey Gum Company released several sets in the 1930s, including the famous 1933 Goudey Baseball Card set which is considered one of the most iconic in the history of the hobby.
The Golden Age of baseball cards is considered to be the 1950s when Topps gained dominance over its competitors and released highly collectible and iconic sets each year from 1952-1957. This was a time of post-World War II economic prosperity and baseball’s increasing popularity on television. Topps cards from this era like the iconic 1952 Topps, 1954 Bowman, and 1956 Topps are highly coveted by collectors today.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, other competitors like Fleer and Post Cereals entered the market. However, Topps maintained its dominance through strategic lawsuits and exclusive player contracts that kept rivals from using the same images and player names on cards. The 1960s saw the rise of color photography on cards and the introduction of rookie cards featuring young stars. The 1969 Topps set is considered one of the most coveted as it includes the first cards of Hall of Famers like Reggie Jackson.
The 1970s saw new innovations like multi-player cards, oddball issues from small regional companies, and the rise of star cards featuring popular players that were not necessarily rookies. The industry contracted in the early 1980s due to overproduction which caused a crash in the baseball card market. Many companies went out of business and the glut of available cards made most common issues from this era worth only a fraction of their original retail price today.
Topps regained its footing and signed an exclusive license with Major League Baseball in 1987 that gave it monopoly control over the baseball card market once again. This exclusivity deal lasted until Upper Deck signed its own license with MLB in 1989 and revived the baseball card industry with innovative new designs, quality assurance, and a focus on young star rookies. The 1990s saw renewed interest and investment in the hobby fueled by the rookie card boom and the rise of superstar players like Ken Griffey Jr.
In the modern era, technological changes have impacted the baseball card industry. While printed cards remain popular with collectors, digital platforms have emerged as competitors. Websites like eBay allow anyone to buy and sell cards online. Smartphone apps have also brought the hobby to a new generation with the rise of digital trading cards. Despite these changes, the tradition of collecting, trading, and enjoying baseball cards remains an integral part of American baseball culture and fandom over 130 years since the first tobacco issues were released in the 1880s.
