While informal collections of baseball photos and memorabilia existed prior, the first true baseball cards produced specifically for commerce and collection purposes date back to the late 1860s and early 1870s during the early formative years of organized professional baseball in America. Among the earliest known baseball cards were lithographed trade cards issued by tobacco companies as promotional items, inserted randomly into packs and tins of chewing tobacco and cigarettes.
The first widely recognized baseball card set was produced in 1868 by the American Tobacco Company. Called the “Red Backs” set due to the printing on their backs, this set featured individual cards highlighting 22 big league players of the time period from teams such as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, Brooklyn Atlantics, and Philadelphia Athletics. Each card depicted a portrait photo of the player and included basic career stats and information on the reverse side. The “Red Backs” set helped popularize the new concept of collecting baseball cards among lovers of the sport.
In 1869, Goodwin & Company issued their own baseball card set as a promotional item. Called the “Goodwin & Company Champions” set, it highlighted another 22 stars of the National Association, a predecessor league to today’s Major Leagues. With the success of these initial baseball card offerings, other tobacco companies soon followed suit in the early 1870s with their own printed trade cards that prominently featured baseball players as a marketing strategy to sell more cigarettes and chewing tobacco to male consumers.
Classic tobacco cards from companies like Allen & Ginter in the late 1880s, and Plug Tobacco cards produced by manufacturers like Buckeys, Mayo Cut Plug and Sweet Caporal in the 1880s-90s helped elevate the popularity of baseball cards to new heights. By the 1880s, baseball cards had become a true collecting phenomenon among American youth, fueling interest and excitement in the growing sport. These pioneering tobacco era cards from the 1860s-1890s represented the earliest prototypes of modern baseball cards. They were colorful and innovative for their time in how they promoted athletes through images on card stock that could be bought, traded or collected.
It was not until the 1890s that true baseball card sets with cards packaged all together specifically for collecting purposes first emerged. In 1889, Goodwin & Company issued a 48-card baseball set featuring major leaguers organized by team affiliation. Then in 1896, the premier issue of what is considered the first modern baseball card set was released – the 50-card Sporting Life Deke Floyd set. For the first time, cards were collated into a packaged series intended specifically for completion by collectors. This influential Sporting Life set helped solidify the concept of baseball cards as collectibles.
Continuing into the early 20th century, new innovations forever changed the baseball card world. In 1909, American Tobacco released the hugely popular T206 series, often considered the most iconic issue ever due to its rarity and magnificent lithographed images. In 1911, the Cracker Jack company issued cards packed in bags of its popular snack, helping unite baseball and children in a nationwide phenomenon. Post changed the game in 1950 with its innovative design featuring color photos on both sides.
Major card manufacturers of the mid-20th century like Bowman, Topps, Fleer and Donruss produced annual baseball card sets through the 1950s-1980s that are still collected and prized by millions worldwide today. Mega stars from icons like Babe Ruth, DiMaggio, Mays and Mantle appeared alongside rising talents on these issues that captured the excitement of each new season. The beginnings of organized baseball card collecting can be traced back to those initial tobacco era trade cards of the late 1860s, setting in motion one of America’s most enduring pastimes – collecting cards that commemorate our national pastime on the diamond.
While informal collections existed prior, the first true baseball cards produced for mass distribution and collections purposes were lithographed tobacco trade cards inserted in tobacco products starting in the late 1860s by early manufacturers like American Tobacco Company and Goodwin & Company. These pioneering cards helped popularize baseball and brand new players through images on cardboard at a time when interest in the sport was rapidly growing across America. The concept continued to evolve through the late 1800s with packaged card sets, iconic tobacco issues of the early 1900s, and ubiquitous appearances in products like Cracker Jack, cementing baseball cards as an ingrained part of American popular culture.