The popular streaming service Netflix released a compelling documentary in 2021 titled “The Carter Effect” that explored the rise of baseball cards as collectibles and memorabilia focusing on the career of Baseball Hall of Famer Michael Carter. At just over 86 minutes, the film provided an in-depth look at how simple trading cards grew into a multibillion-dollar industry while telling the story of one of the game’s all-time great sluggers.
Directed by Jonathan Hock, “The Carter Effect” began by giving viewers context on the earliest years of baseball cards in the late 1800s when companies like Goodwin & Company and American Tobacco Company began including cards in cigarettes and other products as promotional incentives. These early cards were not particularly valued by most and were seen as disposable advertisements. The documentary then fast forwarded to the post-World War 2 era when the industry began to take shape with the founding of Topps Chewing Gum in 1938.
Topps quickly embraced the growing youth market and enthusiasm for America’s pastime by including full color, photo centered baseball cards in their gum packs. Players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron became collectible stars thanks to their eye-catching cardboard representations issued by Topps each season. The film expertly showed how Topps cultivated desire for the newest cards among children and the beginning of the hobby of collecting full sets. Experts estimated there were over 100 million active collectors by the 1950s as baseball card mania swept the nation.
It was against this backdrop that a young Michael Carter broke into the Major Leagues with the Houston Colt .45s in 1965. The documentary used clips from Carter’s rookie season to great effect, showing his sweet left-handed swing and impressive power that would foreshadow his Hall of Fame career. At the same time, his popular 1965 Topps rookie card began circulating in great numbers. Interviews with former teammates and clubhouse attendants shed light on Carter’s imposing physique and how intimidating he was at the plate for opposing pitchers from the get go.
One of the most fascinating parts of “The Carter Effect” was detailing the skyrocketing value of vintage Carter rookie cards in the collector market decades after their original release. Auction sales of near mint graded examples from the mid-1960s routinely fetched six figure sums thanks to Carter’s all-time home run prowess and place among the sport’s immortals. The film properly framed this increase in value within the collecting boom of the 1980s and 90s that saw vast numbers of baby boomers rediscover their youth by hunting down childhood stars like Carter in mint condition.
While tracing Carter’s prolific home run records with the Astros and Dodgers, “The Carter Effect” also took viewers through the transformation of the baseball card industry that attempted to keep pace with demand. In the late 1970s, a resurgence of competition sprung up as Fleer and Donruss snapped Topps’ multi-decade monopoly on MLB licensed cards. Overproduction and a lack of quality control drove the nascent competitors out of business within a few short years.
It was at this point that one more pivotal development was covered – the rise of independent grading services like PSA and BGS. By professionally and consistently assigning quality designations to vintage cards like “mint”, “near mint” and “excellent”, these third party authorities helped create standardization and bring transparency to the booming collectibles marketplace that would last through today. Now collectors could have confidence knowing exactly what condition they were buying regardless of seller opinions.
Nearing its climax, “The Carter Effect” took a moment to celebrate Carter’s transcendent career highlights including passing 600 home runs and being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1987. The documentary recognized Carter as perhaps the greatest power hitter of his generation and an icon of the sport’s power era during the 1960s and 70s. Yet ‘Cobra’ was also shown to be a remarkably humble superstar through behind-the-scenes family interviews not seen elsewhere.
In its closing moments, the film drew parallels between Carter’s home run records being eclipsed by future sluggers Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron, much like each new wave of collectors sought rarer and more valuable pieces to add to their collections. Ultimately, the documentary presented a cohesive narrative of how a child’s amusement with simple baseball cards evolved into a billion dollar industry change by obsessive grown adults. And throughout it all, Michael Carter and his vibrant rookie card captured the imagination of one generation after another.
With strong production values, expert analysis and lively visuals, “The Carter Effect” succeeded in weaving the compelling storylines of both a legendary player and the business of baseball together into one delightful package for sports and collectible fans. The nearly two hour runtime flew by as viewers were treated to never-before-seen interviews and archival finds filling in contextual gaps. For those interested in the cultural and commercial roots of modern baseball memorabilia, this Netflix documentary was a true home run.
