Buffalo has a long history with baseball cards dating back to the late 19th century. Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced in Buffalo during this time period as the city was an epicenter of the growing sport. One of the first baseball card sets ever produced was called Old Judge tobacco cards which began appearing in packs of cigarettes in 1887. While they did not feature player photos, they helped popularize the concept of trading cards inserted in tobacco products.
In the early 1890s, several Buffalo-based tobacco companies began experimenting with inserting actual baseball player photos on cards found in their cigarette and chewing tobacco products. Companies like Allen & Ginter and American Tobacco Co. produced some of the first true baseball photo cards during this time with images of star players from the National League and American Association. Buffalo’s location in western New York and proximity to baseball teams in neighboring cities like Rochester, Syracuse and Toronto made it a natural place for these early card manufacturers to set up shop.
As the baseball card collecting hobby began gaining more popularity in the late 1890s through the early 20th century, Buffalo continued being a leader in card production. In 1909, the American Caramel Company began inserting baseball cards into caramel products and bubble gum which helped expand the reach of cards beyond just tobacco users. Their 1909-11 T206 set became one of the most coveted in the hobby. Buffalo-based Goodwin & Company also issued highly sought after sets from 1913-1916 before the company was acquired by American Caramel.
During the 1920s and 30s, Buffalo saw the rise and fall of several smaller baseball card manufacturers as the larger companies like Goudey Gum and Topps gained more dominance. Companies like Exhibit Supply put out sets in the mid-1920s while Wm. Donahue & Co. had a short run producing cards in Buffalo from 1929-1931. However, Buffalo’s importance to the early development of baseball cards could not be overstated. The city played a pivotal role in spreading the hobby’s popularity through its early leaders in the tobacco and confection card industries.
After World War 2, Buffalo’s direct involvement in baseball card production waned. The larger national companies had cemented their places as the main issuers of sets. However, Buffalo’s rich baseball card history was not forgotten. In the 1950s, the city was home to one of the first hobby shops dedicated to sports memorabilia called The Sport Gallery. Run by long time collector Marty Kane, the shop helped fuel the growing memorabilia craze, especially around the hugely popular new Topps baseball cards of the era.
In the 1960s, Buffalo native and card collector Herman Krock founded the Sport Americana collectibles company which published price guides and books documenting the early tobacco era cards from Buffalo companies. This helped educate new collectors on Buffalo’s pioneering role. The city also became known for hosting some of the earliest baseball card shows and conventions as the hobby continued expanding nationally through the 1970s and 80s. Shows like the Buffalo Baseball Card and Sports Collectibles Show helped connect local collectors and drive interest in the city’s card history.
Buffalo’s baseball legacy was further cemented in the late 1980s with the induction of native son Jim Rice into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As one of the game’s true five tool stars during his career with the Boston Red Sox, Rice’s enshrinement was a source of local pride. In the early 1990s, the baseball card market boomed with the rise of ultra-premium sets from Upper Deck which rekindled nostalgia for tobacco era cards. This led to renewed interest among collectors in Buffalo’s formative role in the early development of the hobby.
Today, while Buffalo no longer actively produces baseball cards on its own, the city proudly displays its roots as a birthplace of the modern trading card phenomenon. Museums like the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum house exhibits dedicated to cards from Allen & Ginter, American Caramel Company and other Buffalo manufacturers. Hobby shops continue catering to collectors with a focus on the tobacco era. Conventions drawing collectors from across the country still take place to trade and buy cards, especially those first photo issues from Buffalo over 125 years ago. The city’s deep baseball card history remains an integral part of the story of America’s pastime on and off the field.
