The earliest baseball cards date back to the late 1860s when lithographed images of baseball players started appearing on tobacco products, premiums, and memorabilia. The first true baseball card set was produced in 1869–70 by the American Card Company of Cincinnati and included 17 lithographic cards inserted as premiums in packages of cigarettes and tobacco. This would set the precedent for how baseball cards would be primarily distributed for the next several decades.

In the 1880s, baseball cards gained in popularity as premiums or bonus items inserted into cigarette and tobacco packs. Companies at the time saw them as an effective way to promote their brands and drive tobacco sales. Some key distributors included Goodwin & Company, Allen & Ginter, and American Tobacco Company, which produced the iconic T205 Honus Wagner card around 1909-1911 as part of its Series 1–5 tobacco portfolio. These baseball cards did not cost anything extra for consumers but were randomly inserted into packs of cigarettes or chewing tobacco as an added enticement. Tobacco companies would frequently run multi-series card sets over several years with each new series highlighting that season’s top players.

Besides tobacco packs, other providers used novel distribution methods in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. Candy makers like Brenner, American Caramel Company, and Pez started attaching baseball cards to candy packages, stickers, or banderoles. Chewing gum brands such as Topps, Leaf, and Goudey also pioneered distributing cards as redeemable premiums or attachments with gum packs. Instead of randomly inserting them, customers could collect bonus points on the wrappers and redeem a full or partial card set.

By the 1920s-1930s, tobacco remained the primary conduit for baseball cards, now commonly found in Cracker Jack popcorn boxes as well. The Great Depression of the 1930s significantly impacted the tobacco industry. With less discretionary income, consumers cut down on cigarettes and chewing tobacco, reducing demand. This corporate downturn rippled to baseball cards, whose distribution became more sporadic.

Into the 1940s-50s, card production slowed dramatically. The few remaining providers like Bowman and Topps disseminated sets through drug stores, supermarkets, and corner shops rather than tobacco outlets. Customers could purchase wax paper wrapped packs of 5 cards for a nickel. Topps’ iconic 1952 set resurrected the baseball card boom and reestablished gum and candy as a leading conduit alongside retail outlets.

While methods evolved, the dominant way of initially distributing baseball cards from the 1860s into the early 20th century involved their use as premium bonus items randomly inserted into tobacco products. This proved an ingenious promotional strategy for growing cigarette and chewing tobacco sales, indirectly fueling an explosion in baseball card collecting and culture along the way. Only economic hardship and industry contraction disrupted this model, leading to diversification through other retail channels. But tobacco’s legacy left an indelible mark on how these iconic cardboard collectibles first proliferated.