The Princeton Reds were a minor league baseball team based in Princeton, Illinois that operated from 1906-1914 as part of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League Triple-I League. Though only being around for less than a decade, the team made a significant impact on the collectible card world by being one of the earliest minor league teams to have their players featured on baseball cards.
The earliest known Princeton Reds cards come from 1909-1911 issues produced by the American Caramel Company as part of their “Caramel Card” series. These cardboard-backed cards featured individual Princeton Reds players on the front with no statistics or biographical information provided on the back. Slightly larger in size than typical baseball cards of the time at 2.5″ x 3.5″, the cards featured bold illustrations of the players that emphasized the action and excitement of baseball. Some of the more notable Princeton Reds players included on these early Caramel cards were Gordy “Pants” Rowland, George Magoon, Art Brandau, and Tommy Morton.
In 1911, the Princeton Reds gained broader national exposure when they were included in the very first complete minor league baseball card set ever produced. Issued by the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company as promotions in packages of their Sunshine biscuits, the 1911 Sunshine Biscuits set featured 160 total cards covering every team in the Triple-I League. This was a milestone set as it was the first time that an entire minor league was represented together on trading cards rather than just select teams or players. The Princeton Reds section included 10 individual cards of their 1911 roster, including future MLB veterans like Fred Anderson and Dots Miller.
The popularity of baseball cards exploded in the early 1910s as many tobacco and candy companies joined Loose-Wiles in using them as premiums and advertisements. In 1912, the Princeton Reds players appeared in their first tobacco card issues. Produced by the American Tobacco Company as part of their famous T206 White Border set, two Princeton Reds received individual cards – Dutch Zwilling and Abie Griffith. The rarity and history behind these specific T206 cards has made them incredibly valuable today, routinely selling at auction for over $10,000 each in mint condition.
Perhaps the most iconic baseball cards featuring the Princeton Reds come from 1913 issues by the Maker’s Mark Tobacco brand and 1914 issues by Butterfinger candies. The Maker’s Mark set included striking full-color, die-cut cards of 12 different Princeton players like Hugh Bedient, Larry Cheney and manager George Stallings. Even more than a century later, the vivid illustrations and unique shape of these cards still capture the imagination of collectors. Meanwhile, the 1914 Butterfinger cards showed simplified black-and-white portraits of Reds like Bill Phillips and Casey Hageman, representing some of the final card issues for the franchise before it ceased operations after that season.
While the Princeton Reds themselves were only around for a few short years, their legacy lives on today through the numerous baseball cards produced of their teams and players during the early growth of the collectibles hobby. Sets from 1909 to 1914 documented the careers of future MLB talent that spent time in Princeton, as well as introduced many minor league stars to a nationwide audience. The rarity and historic significance of cards like their T206s have made Princeton Reds issues highly valued by vintage collectors. Even for a small team, the lasting impact of their early trading cards helps ensure the memory of the Princeton Reds maintains a vibrant place in both baseball and collectibles history from over a century ago.
