Contest Baseball Cards: A Unique Collecting Niche
While most baseball card collectors focus on the standard issues produced each year by companies like Topps, Upper Deck, and Bowman, there is a unique niche area of collecting that involves contest baseball cards. These special cards were not part of the main baseball card releases but were instead given out by companies running various contests and promotions over the years. Contest cards can be quite rare and hold appeal for collectors looking to build specialized sets outside the scope of the typical annual card releases.
Some of the earliest contest cards date back to the 1930s and 1940s when tobacco companies like Fleer and Goudey ran promotions giving cards as prizes. Often these early contest issues would feature the same player designs as the standard tobacco card sets of the time but with unique back designs indicating they were contest prizes. Perhaps the most famous early contest issue is the 1936 Goudey Baseball Replicas contest cards. Only 150 complete sets are believed to still exist today, making individual cards extremely valuable to collectors.
In the post-war 1950s and 1960s, contest cards became more common as companies sought new ways to promote their brands and products. Gas stations and grocery stores frequently ran baseball card contests, giving cards away with fill ups or food purchases. Cards from these promotions are some of the most coveted by today’s collectors. Notable issues include cards given out by Phillips 66 and Richfield gas in the 1950s, as well as Safeway Super Market cards from 1961. Designs on these non-sport-issued cards can vary greatly from the standard card looks of the time.
As the sport card collecting hobby boomed in the late 1980s, more elaborate national contests emerged. In 1987, Topps ran its “Superstar Search” promotion, awarding special contest cards featuring today’s top players to winners. Upper Deck also distributed unique “Winning Combinations” cards to winners of its contests in the early 90s. These issues are some of the most iconic and valuable contest releases due to the brand prestige of Topps and Upper Deck.
Regional promotions have also produced desirable contest cards over the years. In the 1970s, Cardinal Liquors distributed cards with liquor purchases in Washington state that featured players signed to the local Seattle Mariners. In the 1980s, California-based Safeway supermarkets issued cards signed by the Oakland A’s. These hyper-local issues hold significance for collectors in those regions.
As the internet age emerged in the late 1990s, online contests produced a new generation of digital contest cards as prizes. Notable early examples include virtual “ePack” cards from Donruss distributed to winners of online trivia games in 1997. The online focus allowed for innovative digital-only designs that break from traditional cardboard cards. While less coveted by purists, these early digital issues have a unique place in contest card history.
In more recent years, as the sports card market has declined overall, fewer national contest card sets have been released. Regional promotions persist, such as University of Nebraska contest cards distributed at Cornhuskers football games. Collector conventions have also distributed exclusive “con-only” cards available only to attendees. And individual teams like the San Diego Padres continue awarding signed cards to contest winners.
As one of the most specialized areas of card collecting, tracking down complete sets of contest issues presents a major challenge. Without standard checklists and production numbers to guide collectors, contest cards require intensive research. For those willing to dig deep and build relationships within the hobby, constructing a contest card collection can be immensely rewarding. The scarcity and unique stories behind many of these non-traditional issues add to their appeal, ensuring contest cards remain a captivating niche within the broader world of baseball memorabilia collecting.