Kokomo Baseball Cards: A Brief History of an American Pastime
Baseball cards have long captured the imaginations of collectors across the United States. From the rise of tobacco cards in the late 1800s to the modern era of inserts, parallels and relic cards, the hobby of assembling complete sets and chasing rare finds has brought joy to many. Nestled in north central Indiana, the city of Kokomo played an unexpected but notable role in the story of American baseball cards during the middle of the 20th century. Let’s take a deeper look at the history and legacy of Kokomo baseball cards.
The origins of Kokomo’s connection to the baseball card industry can be traced back to the post-World War II era. In 1947, two brothers named Moe and Max Ulin started the Ulin Brothers Candy Company in their hometown of Kokomo. Like many sweets manufacturers of the time, the Ulin brothers saw baseball cards as a natural premium to include in their products. Beginning in 1948, Ulin Brothers began inserting single cardboard baseball cards into packs of their Butterfinger and Oh Henry! bars.
These early Ulin cards featured professional players from that season and were largely reprints of existing sets from Bowman and Topps. They proved popular enough that the Ulin brothers decided to produce original sets of their own starting in 1949. This marked the true beginning of Kokomo’s multi-year run as a major baseball card publisher. Over the next several seasons, Ulin Brothers would print cards featuring the latest major and minor league stars under the brand names of “Ulin’s” and later “Butterfinger”.
Quality control could be an issue for smaller regional card makers like Ulin Brothers. Some sets from the early 1950s are known for variable paper stock and cutting inconsistencies. The Ulin brothers made up for these shortcomings with appealing visual designs and inclusion of many obscure minor leaguers otherwise overlooked by the national companies. They also gained respect for accurately depicting African American players at a time when racial integration was just beginning in professional baseball.
The peak years for Kokomo baseball cards arrived in the mid-1950s. In 1954 and 1955, Ulin Brothers produced sets totaling over 600 cards each that featured the most comprehensive rosters yet. Top stars like Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams received beautifully illustrated portraits. Regional ballparks also received depictions on the reverse of many cards. The Ulin brothers’ reign in Kokomo was not to last. Following Ulin Candy’s sale to the Rowntree Mackintosh company in 1956, the new owners chose not to continue producing original card sets.
After Ulin Brothers’ departure, a vacuum was left in the Kokomo card market. Luckily, two entrepreneurial brothers named Ed and Walter Lutz were ready to fill it. In 1957, the Lutz brothers founded the Park Avenue Candy Company and acquired the exclusive license to produce cards for the Topps Chewing Gum brand. Over the next decade, Park Avenue became a major subcontractor for Topps, cranking out tens of millions of cards each year at their factory located along Kokomo’s Park Avenue.
During baseball’s Golden Era of the late 1950s, Park Avenue played an instrumental role in fulfilling Topps’ booming demand. Their efficient production lines pumped out classics like the 1957, 1958 and 1959 Topps sets that captured icons like Mantle, Mays, Aaron and more in their prime. Park Avenue also handled variants like the yellow-backed high numbers from 1959 that are among the most coveted in the hobby today. While still Topps-branded, these Park Avenue-manufactured cards hold a special significance for collectors due to their Kokomo origins.
The 1960s brought both change and continued success for Kokomo’s baseball card industry. Topps introduced modern innovations like team-color borders, action photos and player statistics that are now standard. Meanwhile, Park Avenue diversified by also producing cards for other companies like Fleer. They even launched some experimental sets of their own under the “Nellie Fox” label in 1964 that featured the popular White Sox star. Overall output remained enormous throughout the decade as baseball’s popularity peaked.
In 1973, Topps made the difficult decision to end its subcontracting agreement with Park Avenue and move production fully in-house. The Lutz brothers subsequently closed Park Avenue Candy. Their tenure overseeing the printing of some of the most beloved vintage cardboard in history cemented Kokomo’s fame among baseball memorabilia enthusiasts. The city would remain informally known as the “Cardboard Capital” for generations to come.
While baseball cards are no longer produced commercially in Kokomo today, its role in the early development of the hobby remains an important part of collecting lore. Modern condition-sensitive classic sets bearing the paperstock fingerprints of Ulin Brothers and Park Avenue constantly set new price records in the marketplace. Likewise, enthusiastic fans continue discovering examples of rarely seen minor sets from the 1950s sporting the proud “Made in Kokomo” imprint. Through it all, the scrappy industrial town in the American heartland made an indelible mark on the pastime of baseball card collecting. Kokomo’s vibrant mid-century scene lives on in the memories of many and in the treasured cards produced within its borders.
