The Drury Jones baseball card company is considered one of the pioneering forces that helped popularize the collecting and trading of baseball cards in the late 19th century. Founded in 1875 by Drury Jones in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Drury Jones company produced some of the earliest baseball cards that are still in existence today.
In the post-Civil War era of the 1870s, baseball was growing rapidly in popularity across the United States. The sport was still in its infancy and organized leagues had yet to be established. Drury Jones recognized that young fans were eager to collect memorabilia related to their favorite players and teams. Seeing a business opportunity, Jones decided to produce small card stock images of professional baseball players that could be purchased and collected.
Jones’s first baseball cards were produced in 1875 and featured individual images of players from teams based in Cincinnati and other Midwest cities. Each card measured approximately 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches and pictured a baseball player in their uniform along with their name. On the back of early Drury Jones cards, stats and brief biographies of players were sometimes included as well. The cards sold for approximately a penny a piece and became a popular item among baseball-loving children.
Within a few years, Drury Jones had expanded distribution of its baseball cards across the United States. Production also increased, with cards now featuring players from both the National League and American Association. In the late 1870s, Drury Jones began issuing cards as sets that could be purchased in series of 50 or 100 cards. This helped further popularize the concept of collecting entire rosters and trading duplicate cards with friends.
By the 1880s, Drury Jones baseball cards had evolved their design and included more detailed images. Cards from this era pictured players in posed studio portraits with a gray background. Statistics and career highlights were now regularly included on the reverse. The increased quality and information on each card attracted both young fans as well as serious adult collectors. At the peak of its popularity in the 1880s, the Drury Jones company was producing over 500,000 baseball cards annually.
The Drury Jones company met its demise in the early 1890s during an economic recession. With consumers tightening budgets, sales of baseball cards dropped significantly. Unable to stay profitable, the Drury Jones company went out of business in 1892 after nearly 20 years as a leading baseball card manufacturer. Despite its relatively short history, Drury Jones left an indelible mark. The concept of collecting and trading baseball cards that Drury Jones popularized took hold and grew exponentially over subsequent decades.
After Drury Jones ceased production, several new companies jumped into the void to produce baseball cards in the late 19th century. Firms like Old Judge, Goodwin Champions, and Mayo Cut Plug emerged as dominant early 20th century manufacturers. They continued advancing the design and production quality of baseball cards. Memorabilia companies also began reprinting and reissuing vintage Drury Jones cards from the 1870s and 80s. This helped ensure that the pioneering cardboard creations of Drury Jones survived for future generations of baseball fans and collectors to enjoy.
Today, pristine examples of Drury Jones-era cards from the 1870s and 80s are among the most prized possessions in the collections of serious vintage baseball memorabilia aficionados. Original Drury Jones cards in near-mint condition can sell for well over $100,000 at auction. Even heavily played examples still command prices in the thousands due to their immense historical significance. Through the cards it produced in the late 19th century, the Drury Jones company truly laid the foundation for what became a multi-billion dollar modern industry in sports card collecting. While short-lived as a business, Drury Jones left an indelible impact on both the game of baseball and the hobby enjoyed by millions worldwide.