Glenn Hubbard was a professional baseball player who played in the major leagues from 1908-1915. While his playing career was relatively short, lasting only 8 seasons, Glenn Hubbard made enough of an impact during his time in the majors to be featured on several vintage baseball cards over the years. These vintage Glenn Hubbard baseball cards provide a unique window into his playing career and are highly sought after by serious baseball card collectors today.
Hubbard was born in 1885 in West Union, Iowa. He broke into the big leagues in 1908 with the Boston Doves at the age of 23. Hubbard primarily played catcher and first base during his MLB career. In 1909, his rookie season with the Doves, Hubbard hit a solid .273 with 4 home runs and 48 RBI in 109 games played. That season he appeared on his first baseball card as part of the famous 1909-1911 T206 tobacco card series issued by the American Tobacco Company. The T206 set is one of the most renowned in baseball card history due to the vast number of future Hall of Famers and star players it featured from the era. Hubbard’s rookie T206 card in particular is a key piece for any vintage collection.
After two seasons with Boston, Hubbard was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 1910 season. He enjoyed his best statistical season with the Reds in 1911, hitting .287 with 6 home runs and 52 RBI in 125 games played. That breakout year led to Hubbard earning card #78 in the rare and exotic 1911 Cracker Jack card collection. Only about 50 of the hundred cards issued in that set are known to still exist today, making any Cracker Jack card a prime target for advanced collectors. Hubbard spent three seasons with Cincinnati before being dealt to the St. Louis Terriers midway through the 1913 season.
Hubbard finished out the 1913 season and began the 1914 season with the Terriers, who would go defunct later that year. In his partial year with St. Louis, Hubbard hit only .231 but did manage to crush a career-high 8 home runs. At the age of 29, Hubbard signed with the Chicago Whales of the newly formed Federal League for 1915, his last hurrah in the bigs. While the Federal League is largely considered a minor league, Hubbard and the Whales featured many former major leaguers. Hubbard performed well in a utility role for Chicago, hitting .262 in 58 games.
After retiring from baseball following the 1915 season, Hubbard returned to his native Iowa where he worked as a farmer and also operated a successful hardware store. He passed away in West Union in 1959 at the age of 73. Though his playing career was brief, Hubbard left an impact as evidenced by his appearance across some of the most significant early 20th century baseball card sets – the hallowed T206s, scarce Cracker Jacks, and several regional tobacco issues too. Hubbard rookie and star T206 cards in particular have grown steeply in value in recent years as demand outpaces supply among advanced traders.
Graded examples of Hubbard’s T206 card have sold for over $10,000 when in top condition. Even his common Cracker Jack and regional issue cards can fetch hundreds to even a few thousand in high grades due to rarity and Hubbard’s importance as a pioneer player of the Deadball Era. Beyond just their vast collectibility and financial worth, Glenn Hubbard’s baseball cards serve as a remarkable connection to his achievements on the diamond during the game’s early modern history. For a player who spent under a decade in the majors and faded into farming obscurity, Hubbard made an impression lasting over a century thanks to these visual snapshot relics prized by devotees of vintage cardboard. His is an MLB story told through some truly one-of-a-kind collectibles cherished by both casual fans and serious investors today.
