In the early 20th century, it was very common for cigarette companies to include collectible trading cards featuring professional baseball players inside their tobacco products. Perhaps no brand was more famous for this marketing tactic than Piedmont Cigarettes. For decades, Piedmont issued annual series of baseball cards that captured the biggest stars of the day and helped fuel a nation’s growing interest in the national pastime.
While other brands like Carstarphen and Fatima also issued cards, Piedmont became synonymous with quality baseball memorabilia inserts thanks to detailed artwork and crisp photographs of the game’s elite talents. Originally founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1886, the Piedmont Cigarette Manufacturing Company achieved national distribution by the turn of the century. Looking for new ways to appeal to male consumers, Piedmont’s marketing department decided collectible cards would be a savvy promotional tool.
Their initial “T206” series released in 1909 was an immediate success. Featuring color portraits of 24 major leaguers like Honus Wagner and Nap Lajoie, the T206 set became one of the most iconic in sports card history. Later issues in the 1910s expanded the player selection while maintaining superb graphic designs. Piedmont distributed countless additional series through the 1920s before cigarette inserts were eventually phased out. By then, their cards had fostered a legion of dedicated collectors across America.
In the modern resale market, vintage Piedmont cards remain tremendously sought after by both casual fans and serious investors. Complete original sets in pristine condition can fetch five or six figure prices depending on the year and specific players featured. Even common single cards still command handsome premiums due to the brand’s seminal role in creating the baseball memorabilia hobby. Certain particularly rare Piedmont variants have even been known to break existing auction records.
For example, a 1914 issue depicting Philadelphia Athletics star Eddie Plank recently sold for an astounding $96,000. What made it so valuable was the positioning of Plank’s facial expression within the photograph. Only a small number of copies are believed to exist showing his face in that exact cropped pose. Condition is also critical, as the fragile paper stock and fragile gum residue on the back can deteriorate over a century. A pristine example in the 5/6 out of 10 rating range will dominate the market.
Perhaps the most famous Piedmont card remains the ultra-rare 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner. Less than 60 are accounted for today, making it one of the most challenging and expensive collectibles to obtain in the world. Just last year, one graded Mint 9 fetched a record $3.12 million at public auction. For obvious reasons, acquiring an authentic unrestored Wagner is a pipe dream for all but the wealthiest devotees. Nonetheless, even low-grade specimens still pull in six figures.
While the upper echelon specimens understandably demand astronomical costs, plenty of affordable Piedmont pieces exist too. Common 1910s and 1920s issues featuring role players and pitchers can often be found raw for $10-50. Even graded high-end commons like a PSA 2 1922 Eppa Rixey might run only $300-400. Patience and diligence are key, as savvy buyers can uncover overlooked bargains by scouring online auctions and local card shows. With improved scanning technology, restored fakes have become less frequent also.
For advanced collectors, another option is building sets thematically focusing on individual teams across several Piedmont years. This allows acquiring higher quality examples more affordably over time. Piedmont also issued various league-wide “Winners Series” reprints in the 1930s-50s featuring top stars, which satisfy demand at more reasonable cost levels compared to originals. Regardless of approach, Piedmont cigarette baseball cards remain a cornerstone of the pastime’s collectible culture—over a century after their debut continues to enthrall fans both old and new.
Vintage Piedmont cigarette cards will remain a lifelong fascination for dedicated baseball memorabilia aficionados. Their unmatched history of highlighting the heroes of a burgeoning national craze paved the way for the modern sports collecting phenomenon. While specimens of the highest rarity understandably sell for millions, savvy buyers can still build outstanding collections on a budget by knowing the market. These historic tobacco inserts represent an iconic link between baseball’s golden age and today’s enduring nostalgia for the national pastime’s earliest stars.
