Epp’s Baseball Cards were a Canadian company that produced baseball cards from the mid-1950s through the mid-1980s. The company was founded by Ernie Epp, an entrepreneur from Hamilton, Ontario who saw an opportunity to capitalize on the growing popularity of baseball card collecting among Canadian youth.
Epp started small in the mid-1950s, producing basic baseball cards featuring current Major League players. His early cards were printed using a simple process and featured only the player’s name, team, and position on a basic white stock card. However, Epp recognized the potential in the hobby and worked to steadily improve the quality and appeal of his cards over the years.
By the late 1950s, Epp’s cards had transitioned to multi-color printing presses that allowed for team logo designs and color photos on the fronts of cards. The backs contained more statistical information on each player as well as fun facts. Epp also began issuing cards in wax packaging similar to Topps at the time. This helped establish Epp’s as a legitimate competitor to the American brands for Canadian collectors.
Throughout the 1960s, Epp’s Baseball Cards grew into a serious player in the Canadian sports card market. The company issued full annual sets each year that were on par with Topps in terms of design, production quality, and completeness. Epp’s sets from this era featured Hall of Famers like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Sandy Koufax in action shots and team uniforms. The backs contained career stats and biographies.
A key part of Epp’s success was securing the licensing rights to use team logos and uniforms on their cards. At a time when many foreign producers were using generic designs or head shots to avoid licensing fees, Epp’s cards looked authentic and official. They captured the visual appeal of America’s national pastime in a way that resonated with young Canadians. Sales grew steadily as baseball’s popularity increased north of the border.
In the late 1960s, Epp’s introduced innovative promotional ideas to drive interest. In 1968, the company issued a special limited “Million Card Set” where each pack was serially numbered on the back with a chance to win prizes. They also started issuing oddball parallel sets like action photos or team sets exclusively in gum or cello packs. Such novelties engaged collectors and kept the hobby exciting during the sport’s expansion era.
The 1970s marked the peak years of Epp’s Baseball Cards. By this time, the company was cranking out annual master sets as well as team/league subsets, oddball variations, and high-quality special issues. Epp’s hired top photographers and utilized state-of-the-art color printing to produce their finest cards to date. Icons like Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett had some of their best baseball card representations in Epp’s issues of the 1970s.
Part of Epp’s success in the 1970s was due to limited competition. While Topps and others battled for the lucrative U.S. market, Epp’s faced little rivalry in Canada. They established official licenses with both MLB and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to help promote the game north of the border. Epp’s cards were readily available at hobby shops, corner stores, and newsstands across Ontario, Quebec, and other provinces.
Things began changing for Epp’s in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The vintage baseball card boom had peaked, and a new generation was emerging with different interests. The sports card market also became increasingly competitive as manufacturers like Donruss entered the fray. Epp’s struggled to keep up with mass production demands. Quality control also suffered and consistency became an issue in their later sets.
By the mid-1980s, Ernie Epp decided it was time to sell the family business. Epp’s Baseball Cards was acquired by The Hockey Company, an Ontario-based producer that specialized in hockey cards and wanted to branch out into other sports. For a few years, Epp’s continued on as a subsidiary label issuing baseball, football, and basketball sets. The magic was gone and the company folded by the late 1980s as the sports card market crashed.
While no longer in production, vintage Epp’s cards remain popular with collectors today. Their issues from the 1960s and 1970s are highly regarded for capturing a unique period in the sport’s history. Finding a complete Epp’s master set in top condition can be a real challenge. Individual high-grade rookie cards also command premium prices. Epp’s left an indelible mark on the baseball card industry in Canada and helped fuel the growth of the hobby for many generations of collectors. The company’s legacy lives on through the iconic cards they produced for over three decades.