The Saint Louis Cardinals are one of the most historic franchises in Major League Baseball. Known also as the “Cardinals”, the team has won 11 World Series titles and been featured on hundreds of baseball cards over the decades. Cards featuring Cardinals players date back to the earliest years of the hobby in the late 1800s.
Some of the earliest existing Cardinal cards come from cigarette manufacturers, who began inserting baseball cards as promotions starting in 1888. Companies like Allen & Ginter and Happy Hooligan issued cards of many top players of the time, including a few who spent time with the franchise known then as the Browns in the National League. In 1891, the St. Louis Browns placed second in their league and began appearing on more baseball cards.
In the 1900s and 1910s, candy and gum companies took over production of baseball cards. Brands like Walter Trumbull Company, American Caramel, and Tip-Top Candies issued small, triangular shaped cards known as “text cards.” Stars Rogers Hornsby and Charles “Burleigh Grimes were among the first Cardinals players to appear prominently on these early cardboard promotions.
In 1909, the Browns became the Cardinals, adopting their enduring nickname. Now branded as the Cardinals, the franchise reached the World Series for the first time in 1926 and again in 1928, bringing more national recognition. Stars like Grover Cleveland Alexander, Jesse Haines, and Jim Bottomley started showing up regularly in gum card sets by brands like Goudey and Chevrolet.
The golden age of baseball cards launched in 1933 with the hugely popular Goudey gum cards featuring photographs for the first time. Stars Dizzy Dean, Pepper Martin, Joe Medwick, and Burleigh Grimes earned iconic cardboard representations. The 1934 Goudey set is considered one of the most valuable in the hobby due to stars like Dizzy Dean in their Cardinals uniforms.
After World War 2, production of cards ramped up tremendously. The 1947 to 1948 Leaf and Bowman sets were the first to feature color photos, starring Red Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter, and Walker Cooper. Topps took over the baseball card market in the 1950s with their famous design and photo quality immortalizing Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, and Ken Boyer. Musial’s 1952 Topps card is one of the rarest and most coveted of any Cardinals star.
The 1960s marked the peak of Topps’ dominance and success of the Cardinals franchise. Led by superstars like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Curt Flood, St. Louis won the World Series in 1964 and 1967. Iconic cards ranging from the 1961 to 1969 Topps issues established the franchise’s great players as cardboard legends. Brock’s 1968 and 1969 are especially coveted for his base-stealing prowess.
After 1967, the Cardinals endured a playoff drought for nearly two decades. This period saw the rise of many competing brands including Fleer, Kellogg’s, and Donruss. stars like Ted Simmons, Keith Hernandez, and Ozzie Smith captured the imagination of collectors in the 1970s and early 80s issues. Smith’s breakthrough in 1982 helped spark a renaissance for the club.
With Whitey Herzog at the helm, “Whiteyball” small-ball tactics led St. Louis back to the top, winning the 1982 World Series. Stars like Willie McGee and Terry Pendleton gained fame on Fleer, Donruss and Score issues through the mid 80s championships. The Rally Bird phenomenon of the 1985 World Series further entrenched the franchise as fan favorites on cardboard.
The late 1980s and 1990s saw the Dominance of Upper Deck, Topps, and Score capture stars like Ozzie Smith, Todd Zeile, and Bob Tewksbury into the ultra-modern card era. After a slump, the franchise rebuilt around younger talents like Albert Pujols. His iconic rookie card in 2001 Topps helped to usher in a new period of success.
Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Adam Wainwright led St. Louis to three more World Series titles between 2006-2011. Higher end products like Topps Chrome, Bowman, and Archives captured the new stars alongside franchise legends. Pujols is now undoubtedly one of the most significant Cardinals players ever depicted on cardboard.
Current stars like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Jack Flaherty continue to have their talents preserved in Topps flagship issues and various high-end products. As one of baseball’s most storied franchises, hundreds of talented players have cemented their legacies not just on the field, but through their iconic cardboard representations over more than a century in the hobby. Few teams can rival the Cardinals’ sustained baseball card history.
