Fairfield Baseball Cards: A Brief History of America’s Favorite Pastime on Cardboard
Baseball cards have long captured the nostalgia of America’s favorite pastime like no other collectible. Starting in the late 1800s, companies produced cards as promotional materials or included in products like tobacco to help advertise. While many early card producers came and went, one name stands out that helped grow the hobby into what it is today – Fairfield Company.
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Fairfield was founded in 1910 by brothers Joel, Alfred, and Charles Shorin as a lithography company producing various printed materials. In the early 1920s they began experimenting with producing baseball cards to include in their cigarette packages as a promotional item. Their early sets in the 1920s like 1922 Strip Cards and 1925 Strips and Squares helped popularize the modern baseball card format still used today.
Fairfield’s cards started gaining more widespread popularity in the late 1920s and 1930s as they produced sets featuring major leaguers from both the National and American Leagues. Sets like 1933 Goudey and 1935 Diamond Stars had elegant art deco designs that captured the players of the era. Stars like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx had their likenesses immortalized in these early Fairfield releases.
As World War 2 impacted the nation, Fairfield had to shift production away from non-essential items. But they came roaring back in the post-war years of the late 1940s and 1950s. Fairfield released some of the most iconic and valuable sets in hobby history during this time period. Their 1948 Leaf set had the first cards of Jackie Robinson as a Brooklyn Dodger. Their 1950 Leaf set had early cards of legends like Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle in their rookie seasons.
Fairfield truly captured the national baseball card boom of the 1950s with their mass-produced but high quality sets. Their 1953 Bowman and 1954 Topps sets helped kick off a “card war” as the two companies battled for collectors. Topps would ultimately win out, but Fairfield still produced memorable sets like 1955 Post and 1956 Topps. They also had a popular Red Man chewing tobacco insert set distributed from 1949-1958.
As the 1960s arrived, Fairfield’s card production began to decline. Topps had solidified its monopoly on the baseball card market. Fairfield attempted some revival sets like 1961 Parade of Champions but they never reached the same heights of popularity from the prior decade. The Shorin family sold Fairfield in 1964 to the International Playtime company, ending over 50 years of family ownership.
Fairfield still produced some cards into the late 1960s under new ownership including their final baseball release, the 1968 Fairfield Football cards. But the company was a shell of its former self. It ceased operations entirely by the early 1970s. While gone, Fairfield left an indelible mark on the hobby. They helped popularize baseball cards from the 1920s-1950s and created some of the most desirable vintage sets prized by collectors today.
The legacy and influence of Fairfield lives on decades later. Cards from their pioneering 1920s and 1930s issues through the postwar boom of the 1940s-50s consistently fetch high prices at auction. Their classic designs have also inspired modern retro releases paying homage. In the 2010s, companies like Topps released “Turn Back the Clock” sets recreating the look and feel of old Fairfield Goudey and Leaf issues.
For collectors and historians, Fairfield Baseball Cards serve as a reminder of the early growth of the hobby. They were innovative leaders who took baseball cards from a mere promotional insert to a beloved collectible in its own right. While competitors came and went, Fairfield endured for over 50 years. Even after disappearing in the 1970s, their impressive catalog of early 20th century cards remains a touchstone for collectors today. The history of baseball cards is partly the history of Fairfield, cementing their place as one of the most important early producers in the industry.
