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PIEDMONT TOBACCO BASEBALL CARDS

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Piedmont Cigarettes was an American brand of cigarettes produced by the Piedmont Cigarette Manufacturing Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from 1929 to 1956. During its production run, Piedmont cigarettes distributed collectible tobacco cards featuring baseball players with the cigarette packs. These Piedmont baseball cards have become highly sought after by collectors today due to their historic significance and limited availability.

Piedmont began inserting baseball cards into their packs in 1933 as a promotional tool to help bolster sales. At the time, tobacco cards featuring famous baseball stars were becoming extremely popular with American smoking consumers. Most major cigarette brands like Camel, Chesterfield and Lucky Strike had already launched successful tobacco card series. Piedmont saw this as an opportunity to compete in the marketplace by offering their own brand of baseball collectibles.

Between 1933-1956, Piedmont issued 20 different series of baseball cards featuring many of the game’s greatest legends from that era. Some of the most notable players featured on Piedmont cards included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Jackie Robinson. Their poses and uniforms dated the cards precisely to the year they were issued. This made Piedmont cards highly prized by collectors looking to fill gaps in their players’ career timelines.

Unlike competitor brands that used thick card stock, Piedmont cards were printed on thin paper more reminiscent of modern trading cards. This made them potentially more prone to damage over time. As a result, finding intact vintage Piedmont cards in top Near Mint or better condition is considered quite difficult by collectors today. Only the most careful preservation practices allowed many to survive over 65+ years intact.

In terms of design and production, Piedmont cards generally featured a single player pose in horizontal shape sizes ranging from about 2.5 x 3 inches up to 3.5 x 5 inches depending on the series. Players’ names and positions were abbreviated beneath pictures on earlier issues. Later high-numbered cards contained more comprehensive statistics as the promotion grew in scope. Color variations exist within sets as well due to different ink batches used during printing.

The largest and most complete Piedmont sets were issued from 1939-1942 and contained 66 cards each across the four series’. These included players from both the American and National Leagues making for comprehensive checklists at the time. Finding a fully completed Goudey set in high grade is considered the holy grail for Piedmont collectors today. An unopened original case of several series from the 1930s would easily fetch six figures at auction.

While tobacco companies pulled card inserts from 1955 onwards due to public health concerns, Piedmont issued their final baseball card series in 1956 just prior to ceasing cigarette production altogether later that year. This 20 card set featured a mix of star rookies and veterans from the 1955 season. It stands as one of the last ever tobacco card releases. Fewer than a dozen intact surviving examples are known to exist today making each one highly valuable.

From a regional standpoint, the Piedmont cigarettes brand and their baseball cards hold extra significance because the company originated and printed everything in North Carolina. This provided local employment and boosted the state’s tobacco industry for years. Finding Piedmont cards graded and authenticated allows collectors a glimpse into that lost era of sports, business and collecting history in the Tar Heel state specifically.

A pioneering brand, Piedmont was among the first American cigarette makers to take advantage of baseball cards as a promotional gimmick. While short-lived compared to more famous competitors, their vintage tobacco issues remain incredibly desirable objects for patient collectors and researchers today. Retaining historical accuracy from the time period, Piedmont cards occupy a unique niche within the wider world of tobacco memorabilia collecting. For those seeking to better understand their origins and follow the trail of tobacco across early 20th century America, few areas hold more allure.

In conclusion, Piedmont tobacco baseball cards were an influential yet lesser-known component of collectibles history from the 1930s and 40s. As one of the original brands to utilize the increasingly popular medium of sports-themed trading cards, Piedmont helped popularize the intersection of two great American pastimes – baseball and smoking. For enthusiasts of vintage cardboard or those wanting to learn more about an iconic regional industry, these forgotten gems continue attracting new fans and preserving invaluable insights into our past.

PIEDMONT CIGARETTE BASEBALL CARDS

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Piedmont Cigarette Baseball Cards: Collecting Memories from America’s Pastime

Baseball cards have long been a staple for young collectors hoping to piece together their favorite players and teams. Starting in the late 19th century, tobacco companies like Piedmont began inserting baseball cards as incentives to encourage sales. Known as “Piedmonts”, these vintage cardboard treasures documented stars from baseball’s early era and helped fuel a nation’s passion for the national pastime.

The Piedmont Cigarette Company originated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1886 by the powerful W.Duke Sons & Company. A leading purveyor of cigarettes and other tobacco products, Piedmont sought innovative ways to market their goods. In the 1890s, they pioneered the practice of adding premiums or “prizes” inside packs and tins. Initially featuring simple lithographed drawings, Piedmont issued their first true baseball cards in 1889.

Spanning from 1889 to 1896, the Piedmont sets totaled 264 unique images featuring many of baseball’s foremost icons before the 20th century. Famous players depicted included Cap Anson, Amos Rusie, Cy Young, Kid Nichols, Hugh Duffy, and Joe Kelley among scores of others. With no two cards exactly alike, the Piedmonts were produced via a collotype printing process and cut to size after insertion. Their backs were left blank for collectors to catalog details by hand.

The earliest Piedmont cards from 1889-1890 only measured approximately 1.5 x 2.5 inches, among the smallest sized issues of that period. They transitioned to larger 2.25 x 3 inch dimensions from 1891-1896 that much better exhibited the vivid portraits. Subjects were shown from head-to-toe in their team uniforms, sometimes with statistics listed below. Considered the first “true” sets due to their uniformity and organization by league/team, the Piedmonts helped ignite baseball mania.

Apart from the iconic players of the time, the Piedmont cards offer a nostalgic window into baseball’s nascent days as America’s beloved pastime. Prior to the establishment of the modern National and American Leagues in 1901, the baseball world was much more fluid and regional in nature. Many of the teams depicted like the Boston Beaneaters, Baltimore Orioles, Louisville Colonels, and others no longer exist or moved to different cities.

Through them, we’re granted a glimpse into baseball as it was first revolutionizing into the sport we know today. Rules differed, equipment was more primitive, ballparks wooden and basic, and performance stats less comprehensive. The Piedmont cards captured MLB’s early growing pains of trying to organize itself amid the rise of new stars, heroes for millions of immigrants and fans across the United States. They preserve fleeting moments in time that may otherwise be forgotten.

From a condition standpoint, high grade specimens of Piedmonts from any year have become exceedingly rare finds over a century later. Like most tobacco era cards inserted loose with no true protective casing, the fragile pieces of pressed paper stock suffered wear and damage through constant shuffling, bending, and grime accumulation through the years. Many were likely lost, destroyed, or carelessly discarded decades ago. Some experienced dye transferred ghost images or staining from tobacco tars.

Nonetheless, what Piedmont examples remain continue rising in value due to their iconic status among early issues and connection to baseball’s formative era. Graded Piedmont rookies and star players in high levels of preservation regularly trade hands at auction for five figures or more. Even problem copies in lower graded states still hold value for collectors seeking to own a relic of America’s pastime in its nascent birth. For any serious vintage card aficionado or baseball historian, a Piedmont belongs within the collection.

The Piedmont Cigarette Company ceased production in 1961 after merging with RJ Reynolds Tobacco decades prior. But their contributions live on through the cards they gifted inside packs as novel promotions over a century ago. As one of the first non-tobacco baseball card sets ever produced, the Piedmonts birthed an industry and hobby that today spans the entire world. They remain shining beacons illuminating baseball’s rich history and some of the heralded names who helped shape the game. For those who study them, the Piedmont cards are windows providing a first glimpse at the legends of our national pastime’s legends in their infancy.

1909 PIEDMONT BASEBALL CARDS

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The 1909 Piedmont baseball card set is one of the most iconic and coveted issues in the history of early sports card collecting. Issued by the Piedmont Cigarette Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the 1909 Piedmont set featured images of 66 players from the National League and American League on small (approximately 1 3/4 by 2 5/8 inches) cardstock pieces that were inserted in packages of Piedmont cigarette tobacco. What makes the 1909 Piedmont set particularly notable is not just the quality of the card images and the superb condition that examples have survived in over a century later, but the significant role it played in popularizing baseball cards as a widespread collector hobby and commercial endeavor in the early 20th century.

Prior to the 1909 Piedmont issue, several tobacco companies had experimented with baseball cards inserted in cigarette or tobacco products in the late 19th and very early 20th centuries. The Piedmont set took the format and distribution to an entirely new level, being one of the first sports card releases that was clearly intended as more than just an advertisement or promotional novelty. Instead, the Piedmont Company aimed to capitalize on the emerging nationwide popularity of baseball and growing interest among both children and adults in collecting related memorabilia like photographs, postcards and other printed baseball imagery. They produced the cards on a much larger scale than prior issues, with records suggesting several million series were distributed primarily across the American Southeast and East Coast through Piedmont’s extensive sales network of tobacco outlets and stores.

Each of the 66 individual cards in the 1909 Piedmont Baseball Card set featured a real photograph of a contemporary major league player framed in an decorative border. Although player images were simply headshots sized to fit the small card dimension, the photographic quality was quite high for the era. What’s more, the inclusion of stats like batting average and position headed each image demonstrated the clear intent that these were true athletic trading cards, not just advertisements. Some of the biggest stars of 1909 featured included future Hall of Famers like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Cy Young and Honus Wagner. The set was also somewhat ahead of its time in including African American players like Charlie Grant two years before the establishing of the all-black Negro Leagues.

While sales records are lost to history, there is little doubt that the 1909 Piedmont Cards were among the most widely distributed sports card sets of that entire decade given the enormous brand penetration of Piedmont cigarettes in the South and Mid-Atlantic regions. This easily accounted for millions upon millions of packs containing the 66-card checklist being purchased by the public. In the years immediately following, the popularity of 1909 Piedmont issue helped spark the beginning of baseball card collecting as an organized hobby. It was one of the first true “baseball card sets” that could be systematically sought after by accumulating one card after another from tobacco products. This paved the way for T206 tobacco cards and star/rookie cards from candy and gum to further mushroom baseball card mania in America starting in the 1910s.

The huge print run and circulation of 1909 Piedmont Cards over a century ago also means examples survive in far greater numbers than sports sets just a few years later as collecting grew into more of a specialized interest. As a result, most of the 66 individual Piedmont player cards can still be obtained in Very Good or better condition for affordable prices, at least when compared to the most key cards of the era. High grade specimens approaching gem mint have become exponentially more valuable as supplies dwindled over the past 20+ years. A PSA-graded 1909 Piedmont Honus Wagner, for example, would command well into the six figures. But for those 66 relatively obtainable, the 1909 Piedmont Cards remain highly collectible as one of the true “starting points” in the early evolution of baseball cards as a recognized hobby and a key part of sports collectibles history. Their introduction helped propel what was once just an advertisement insert into a global, multi-billion industry.

In the over 90+ years since their original release, the 1909 Piedmont Baseball Cards have become greatly renowned among vintage sports memorabilia aficionados as one of the earliest and most economically obtainable examples of early 20th century baseball cards. Their huge print run, wide distribution across the American South and East Coast tobacco territories, and the sheer star power of future Hall of Famers like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson and Honus Wagner featured make the 66-card Piedmont set endlessly appealing for both beginning collectors and experienced experts. Most importantly, the 1909 Piedmont Cards earned an honored place in the historiography of the baseball card hobby itself, as they helped ignite and spread the early phenomenon of collecting player cards from tobacco products. Long before T206 or modern inserts, the little 1 3/4×2 5/8 inch Piedmont images paved the way for cards to transition from promotion to collectible pop culture icons.

BASEBALL CARDS PRICE GUIDE 1909 PIEDMONT

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Introduction to 1909 Piedmont Baseball Cards

The 1909 Piedmont baseball card set is one of the most coveted issues produced during the early 20th century. Issued by the Piedmont Cigarette Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the 1909 Piedmont set featured 36 different cards showing individual players from the National League and American League. While production and distribution numbers for the set are unknown, the 1909 Piedmont cards are extremely rare in high grade today over 100 years later. This makes them highly desirable among dedicated baseball card collectors and investors.

History and Background of the 1909 Piedmont Issue

Piedmont was one of many tobacco companies during the late 19th/early 20th century that issued baseball cards as premiums or incentives to help promote their cigarette and tobacco products. Most sets of this era featured cards measuring approximately 2.5 x 3.5 inches in size, with the player’s photograph taking up about half of the front of the card. The backs usually had some combination of the player’s stats, physical description and biographical details.

The 1909 Piedmont set is considered a landmark among early 20th century tobacco era issues for several reasons. First, it was one of the first cigarette sets to feature players from both major leagues instead of just one. This gave the set much wider appeal among baseball fans. It was also the first Piedmont issue to include color tinting on some of the player photos, adding visual appeal. And it was among the earliest tobacco sets to feature the players organized by team, with cards grouped by National and American League clubs.

Grading and Condition of 1909 Piedmont Cards

As with any vintage collectible over 100 years old, condition is absolutely critical to the value of 1909 Piedmont baseball cards. Even minor flaws can drastically reduce a card’s worth. The set is graded on the traditional 1-10 scale by professional authentication and grading companies like PSA and SGC. Here are the general condition guidelines:

PSA/SGC 1 – Heavily worn with flaws. Valuable mainly for completion.
PSA/SGC 2 – Very poor condition, flaws and damage. Low collector value.
PSA/SGC 3 – Poor, multiple flaws and wear. Modest value to collectors.
PSA/SGC 4 – Below average, clear flaws but original. Has appeal.
PSA/SGC 5 – Average condition, expected wear for age. Respectable value.
PSA/SGC 6 – Above average, light wear, sharp details. Good collector value.
PSA/SGC 7 – Very fine, minimal signs of use, crisp images. Great condition.
PSA/SGC 8 – Extremely fine, exceptionally well-preserved. Highly valuable.
PSA/SGC 9 – Gem mint, flawless in all respects. Extremely rare grade.
PSA/SGC 10 – Pristine mint, as perfect as the day issued. Iconic condition.

1909 Piedmont Baseball Cards Price Guide

Here is a general price guide for 1909 Piedmont baseball cards in different grades:

PSA/SGC 1-3: $100-300 depending on player
PSA/SGC 4: $300-600
PSA/SGC 5: $600-1,000
PSA/SGC 6: $1,000-2,500
PSA/SGC 7: $2,500-5,000
PSA/SGC 8: $5,000-15,000
PSA/SGC 9: $15,000-50,000
PSA/SGC 10: $50,000+ for superstar players

Some key factors that influence a 1909 Piedmont card’s value within the given grade range include:

Player Prominence: Stars command big premiums over lesser known players.
Position: Pitchers and catchers tend to be more valuable than other positions.
Color or Mono Tinting: Cards with original color sell for more.
Team: Rare Cubs, Giants, Pirates have stronger demand.
Scarcity: Cards of players with few surviving copies appreciate fastest.
Eye Appeal: Centering, colors and sharpness impact price.

1909 Piedmont Baseball Cards – Notable Players and Records

Some of the most valuable and desirable individual 1909 Piedmont baseball cards to collectors include:

Ty Cobb, Tigers (PSA 8 sold for $86,250 in 2016)
Honus Wagner, Pirates (PSA 5 sold for $28,800 in 2018)
Walter Johnson, Senators (PSA 7 sold for $18,750 in 2019)
Christy Mathewson, Giants (PSA 6 sold for $15,625 in 2017)
Tris Speaker, Red Sox (PSA 8 sold for $12,500 in 2020)
Cy Young, Red Sox (PSA 6 sold for $10,000 in 2021)

Rare 1909 Piedmont cards in high grades of 8 or above routinely sell at auction for five figures or more. A PSA 10 Honus Wagner would likely shatter existing records and sell for well over $100,000 given the extreme rarity and demand. The 1909 Piedmont set remains one of the most significant and valuable early tobacco issues for dedicated baseball card collectors and investors today. With proper care, these classic cards can retain and potentially increase in value for decades to come.

PIEDMONT BASEBALL CARDS

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Piedmont baseball cards refer to a set of unique regional baseball cards that were primarily distributed in the Piedmont region of Virginia and North Carolina from the mid-1940s through the 1960s. The Piedmont region encompasses portions of central and western Virginia as well as north-central North Carolina. While the general topic of baseball cards is well known, these particular Piedmont cards were quite obscure for many years but have generated growing interest from collectors in recent decades due to their historical significance and regional uniqueness.

The original purpose of the Piedmont baseball cards was simply to help promote minor league and amateur baseball within local communities in the Piedmont region during baseball’s Golden Age following World War II. Baseball was hugely popular in the region at the time thanks to the success of major league franchises like the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as Minor League teams like the Richmond Virginians, Lynchburg Hillcats and High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms. Local merchants and product manufacturers saw baseball card sets as an affordable way to distribute promotional material and provide entertainment for local fans.

Most Piedmont baseball card sets ranged from around 30 to 50 total cards and featured current players and teams from the lower minor leagues as well as notable local amateur and industrial league clubs. The earliest known set was produced around 1947 and included players from the Class D Bi-State League which had teams in Virginia and North Carolina at the time. Subsequent sets from the late 1940s and 1950s depicted players from the Class B Carolina League, Class D Virginia League and numerous mill teams, factory clubs and town teams that dotted the region. The final major Piedmont baseball card set was produced in 1963 and included players from the Class A Carolina League as well as other local amateur powerhouses.

Because the Piedmont baseball cards were produced on a very small, local scale they featured many one-of-a-kind images that would never be found in the hugely popular national card brands of the time like Topps, Bowman and Fleer. Some sets were inserted directly into newspapers or distributed by local merchants, while others came in factory-sealed wax packs similar to the national brands. The photos and designs also had a charmingly homemade, regional style compared to their more polished Major League counterparts. This gave Piedmont cards a nostalgic, historical feel that collectors appreciate today.

In terms of production value, Piedmont baseball cards ranged dramatically in quality depending on the set. Some were printed on higher stock paper with vibrant multi-color images that remained in excellent condition. Others featured blurry, single-color photos that deteriorated more quickly. The information provided on each card also varied – some included the player’s stats and biography while others just had basic identifying information or no text at all. This reflected differences between sets produced by professional printers versus more amateur, home-grown efforts.

While the specific origins of most Piedmont baseball card series are unknown, a few notable producers have been identified over the years. One was J. E. Sirrine Company, a textile manufacturer based in Georgia that sponsored baseball teams and produced promotional sets in the late 1940s and 1950s. Cardinal Manufacturing, a South Boston, Virginia sock maker, also issued baseball cards showcasing their company’s industrial leagues from the same period. Some small printers dabbled in card production to supplement their regular commercial work. Regardless of the producer, the regional relevance of Piedmont cards is what connects them.

The identity and profiles of players featured on Piedmont cards also provides a glimpse into the rich amateur baseball culture that once thrived in small towns throughout the Carolinas Piedmont region. In addition to featuring coaches and players from mill teams, factory leagues and local Parks & Recreation programs, some sets highlighted storied independent, semi-pro or “outlaw” clubs like the Danville Leafs, Draper Cubs, Waynesboro Colts and Lexington Legends. These hardscrabble nines operated well outside the established minor league structure but packed parks with rowdy hometown fans on weekends.

Sadly, the golden age of Piedmont amateur baseball has now passed and with it the printing of original baseball card sets disappeared by the mid-1960s. Collecting and research into these obscure regional issues has grown in recent decades thanks to online groups connecting like-minded enthusiasts. While condition and completeness varies, a complete vintage Piedmont baseball card set can fetch thousands of dollars today depending on the rarity and historical significance of the content. For dedicated collectors and supporters of local baseball history, that price tag is still a bargain considering how much these faded cardboard tokens have to teach about times gone by.

Through faded black-and-white photographs and minimal identifying text, Piedmont baseball cards offer a unique portal into America’s pastime as it was celebrated on a very local, community level in the Carolina tobacco country during the mid-20th century. Their nostalgia and regional charm has cemented these obscure collectibles an important piece of both baseball and cultural history from what was truly the sport’s golden small-town era in the American South. While more renowned brands receive broader recognition, true aficionados appreciate how Piedmont cards pay tribute to the humble roots and rich localized tradition that baseball developed one town at a time.

PIEDMONT CIGARETTE BASEBALL CARDS WORTH

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Piedmont Cigarettes Baseball Card History and Valuable Cards to Search For

Piedmont cigarettes produced baseball cards inserts in cigarette packs from 1951 to 1963. Made by the Piedmont Cigarette Company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the Piedmont cards are prized by collectors for their classic designs, informative stats on the back, and inclusion of lesser known players. With over a dozen series produced over more than a decade, there are many valuable and interesting Piedmont cards to seek out.

The Piedmont brand was established in 1896 and produced a variety of tobacco products. In 1951, they began including baseball cards as incentive prizes with the goal of boosting cigarette sales, a common marketing tactic of the time. Unlike some sets with rarer inserts, a Piedmont card could be found in nearly every pack. This resulted in sizable print runs making many cards easier to find yet still affordable compared to contemporaneous brands like Topps.

Not all Piedmont cards were created equal. Certain years and players hold significantly higher values, sometimes thousands of dollars for a single mint condition example. Factors like supply, player notoriety, and condition all impact a card’s worth. With diligent searching of old collections, card shows, and online auction sites, astute collectors can still find valuable finds from this classic but often overlooked set.

1951 is the most coveted Piedmont series for several reasons. It was the brand’s inaugural year and only 86 cards were produced, making each one rather scarce today. Notable stars of the era like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Eddie Mathews are especially pricey in top condition, routinely bringing in over $1,000 a piece. Even lesser known players can sell for $100+. With its small print run and historic significance as the first, 1951 remains the Piedmont series to target.

Rookies andStars of Later Years Also Fetch High Prices

While 1951 understandably garners the most attention, later Piedmont issues saw the debut of famous players as well. The 1951/1952 series contained the first cards for Roberto Clemente and Sandy Koufax, two legends of the game. High grade examples in the $500-$900 range reflect their status. Other notable rookie Piedmont cards include Don Drysdale, Dick Groat, and Brooks Robinson from 1955. With time, as these players’ careers developed, so did demand and prices for their early cardboard.

Beyond rookies, superstar seasons in the later ’50s through early ’60s coincide with some the most expensive Piedmont singles. A near-mint 1958 Hank Aaron, his first 40 home run season, recently sold for $570. Iconic seasons by the likes of Willie Mays, Eddie Mathews, and Mickey Mantle also command heavy premiums, in the low hundreds of dollars, for choice specimens highlighting starring years.

Demand for the brand increased through the 1950s thanks to the inserts. To boost the baseball promotion further, Piedmont expanded sets beyond their original 86 cards. The 1955 series totals 130 cards, and subsequent issues grew from there into the early 1960s when the promotion concluded. That increased supply ultimately lessened individual scarcity and prices compared to the 1951 mini-set.

Conditions Affect Values Greatly

Ensuring a Piedmont card is in the best possible state is critical for maintaining or increasing its market worth. Mint condition specimens fetch the highest bids, while even slight flaws can slice values dramatically. Common issues affect Piedmonts include creasing, corner/edge damage, and discoloration from years in attics or basements. But even well-worn examples can still have appeal to collectors on a budget or looking to fill out their want lists affordably.

Less familiar players, especially in sets after 1955, tend to trade hands in the single digits or low double digits of dollars. For example, a 1958 Al Cicotte (yes, the infamous Black Sox player over 30 years later) recently sold for $13 in played condition. With knowledge gained from guides like The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, collectors can determine approximate values across different conditions for strategic buying and selling decisions.

Piedmonts Offer Diverse Appeal

While financial return is a draw for many collectors, Piedmont cards remain popular for their historical significance and fascinating visual elements outside monetary considerations alone. Crisp black-and-white photography highlights the personalities and styles of an era long past. The educational stat lines on the rear provide perspectives lost to time. And locating names deep in the baseball record books offers a sense of discovery.

Whether sought as affordable beginning sets, focuses for lifelong obsessives, or casual pick-ups at shows, Piedmonts endure as fascinating snapshots into the lives and careers of baseball greats. With patience and study of the variables affecting rarity and condition, dedicated collectors can still uncover hidden gems and valuable finds amongst the many affordable commons remaining 60+ years after their original distribution. For baseball history lovers, the thrill of the hunt for Piedmont cards continues rewarding enthusiasts of all levels even today.

1910 PIEDMONT BASEBALL CARDS

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The 1910 Piedmont brand series of baseball cards is one of the more obscure issues from the early 1900s. Produced by the American Tobacco Company as a tobacco card incentive, the Piedmont set showcased players from that previous 1909 baseball season. What makes these cards particularly interesting is the timing of their release and some of the specific players that were included from that time period.

Released in early 1910, the Piedmont cards came out during a transitional phase for baseball cards. The dominant tobacco companies at the turn of the 20th century, like American Tobacco and their competitors, had largely abandoned inserting cards directly into tobacco products by this point. These insert cards had comprised the early tobacco issues from the 1880s-1900s. Dedicated baseball card sets purchased separately were not quite commonplace yet either. The 1910 Piedmont set seems to have been a late specimen of the tobacco-inserted model as well as a precursor to standalone baseball packs.

The 100 card checklist featured many top players of the day but with an emphasis on the American League, reflecting its growing popularity coming off its first decade of existence competing with the National League. Stars present included Nap Lajoie and Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers, Eddie Collins of the Philadelphia A’s, and Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators. It also recognized talents even beyond the American League, with contributors like Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants making appearances.

Beyond just the players, the 1910 Piedmont set is noteworthy for documenting baseball during another transitional year. The 1909 season had seen Connie Mack begin his record 50+ year managing career with the A’s and also witnessed the Major Leagues’ first-ever trade as the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired then-ace pitcher Babe Adams from the Boston Doves (later Red Sox). More recognizably to modern fans, it was the year an 18-year-old pitcher named Walter Johnson made his debut with the Senators, hintings at the dominance to come.

The card design itself utilized a simple color portrait format, with the players’ jersey depicted and their team names below. Perhaps the most identifiable visual element was the bold “Piedmont” brand name taking up the bottom third of each card front. On the backs, production details identified American Tobacco Company and noted the cards were “not for resale.” Condition challenges stemming from their age mean high grade Piedmont specimens suitable for set building are scarce to find today. Their place as a bookend issue between tobacco insert and true paper-trading card eras makes them an intriguing microcosm of baseball card history.

While stars of the day like Collins, Cobb, Wagner and Mathewson got their shining representations, perhaps most illuminating from a historical lens are some of the less heralded names that made the Piedmont checklist. Pitchers like Louis Drucke of the St. Louis Browns and Doc Newton of the Chicago White Sox were just starting to make their way but would fade from the Majors not long after. Infielders Freddy Parent of the Cleveland Naps and Heinie Groh (later of “$100,000 Infield” fame) with the Reds had reasonably successful careers yet are more footnotes today.

Then there were others like outfielders Ollie Pickering of the Naps and Barney Pelty of the Red Sox who had only brief Major League cups of coffee in 1909 yet still earned the honor of a Piedmont card. Such inclusions offer a snapshot of the disposable nature of early 20th century ballplayers’ careers as well as reminder of how many once-familiar names have been lost to history. These marginal players made the Piedmont set more representative of the full season and league but in retrospect show which stars truly stood the test of time.

Perhaps no name from the 1909 season better demonstrates that phenomenon than a young rookie pitcher issued card #96 in the Piedmont series – Joseph Jefferson Jackson of the Cleveland Naps. “Shoeless Joe’s” MLB debut season was relatively undistinguished, with a 4-3 record and mediocre stats foretelling little of his eventual Black Sox infamy. His dismissal from the game via ban directly after 1920 would relegate him to one of baseball’s ultimate footnotes, with even his one-time “cardboarding” potential erased. Today his 1910 Piedmont remains a prime example of how ephemeral early careers could seem at the time versus their impact seen in hindsight.

In total, the 1910 Piedmont cards showcase a baseball world and league settings in the midst of growth and change on multiple levels. Their release bridged eras of baseball card distribution just as the players and teams depicted were shaping the early 20th century game. Modern collectors seeking to understand and piece together that transitional time must include this relatively obscure but illuminating 100 card set within context of the whole baseball card story. While rarer and pricier than later T206s or Eddie Plank cards, the 1910 Piedmonts offer a rich historical slice into the sport’s formative decade.

PIEDMONT BASEBALL CARDS VALUE

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Piedmont baseball cards have significance as some of the earliest forms of sports memorabilia collecting. Originally produced between 1887-1896, Piedmont cards provide a glimpse into the early years of organized professional baseball. While not as well known as later tobacco brands like T206 and Play Ball, Piedmont cards hold value for collectors and researchers interested in the growth of baseball card culture.

The Piedmont Cigarette Company was established in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1881. By the late 1880s, they began including small non-sport related lithographs in their cigarette packages similar to competing brands. In 1887, they became one of the first companies to include baseball players on their cards. Over 140 different baseball images were distributed over the next decade in their cigarette packages, making Piedmont one of the pioneering brands of baseball memorabilia.

What makes Piedmont cards so intriguing for collectors today is they capture a transition period in both baseball and sports card culture. When the cards were first released between 1887-1889, professional baseball was still in its early developmental years. The National League had only been established since 1876 and the American Association in 1882. Many of the players featured on early Piedmont cards played before statistics were reliably tracked. Finding Piedmont cards of players from this era offers a rare glimpse into some of the earliest stars and clubs in professional baseball history.

In the 1890s, baseball continued growing rapidly in popularity while tobacco companies began experimenting more heavily in using premium memorabilia cards to promote their brands. Piedmont followed suit, releasing several series of baseball cards during this transformative decade. Their 1889-91 and 1892-93 issues were printed using a crude lithographic process on thin cardstock. Background images and color schemes varied widely even within individual sets. Production quality improved for their premium 1894-96 issues, utilizing multi-color lithography on thicker stock more akin to tobacco era standards.

The early issues remain some of the most challenging Piedmont cards for collectors to locate in high grades due to their light construction and the rough conditions many have endured over a century. Even poorly preserved copies still hold value since they represent some of the first attempts to create baseball cards as a novelty product. The highest price ever paid at auction for a Piedmont was a 1887-89 Old Judge Billy Hamilton card that achieved $72,000 in September 2019.

Condition is especially important when appraising the rarer early Piedmont subsets. Only a small numbers of 1888 Piedmont cards depicting players from the American Association are known to exist, most in poor condition and a large find in any grade above Good would elicit high prices. Similarly scarce are subsets featuring teams like the Boston Beaneaters, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, and Baltimore Orioles of the period. A select group of 25 Piedmont cards were reprinted in the magazines “The World” and “The Police Gazette” in 1889 extending the reach of some of the more historic images further still.

The later 1894-96 Piedmont issues from their premium series have also proven popular due to depicting some major stars at the peak of their careers including Cy Young, Willie Keeler, and Hughie Jennings among others. These exhibit characteristics more in line with tobacco era standards like multi-color lithography and thicker laminated stock. In top grades of GEM-MT 10, mint examples can still command several thousand dollars with the right pedigrees.

Beyond just their collecting value, Piedmont cards continue to fascinate researchers for the insights they provide into early professional baseball. Many depict now defunct clubs and players whose records were not fully documented at the time the cards were produced. Finding even damaged versions of rare Piedmonts can provide clues to fill in gaps for baseball historians. Their larger context as some of the first baseball cards distributed by American companies also cemented the sport’s growing popularity through memorabilia as a licensed product well before the tobacco era. While perhaps not as storied as later premium issues, Piedmont cards remain important touchstones for chronicling the origins of baseball card culture.

While the crude production techniques and fragile materials used for early Piedmont issues pose challenges for grading firms, their status as such early baseball memorabilia has ensured collectors remain active in searching for even damaged examples to add to their collections and deepen the archival record of professional baseball history. Condition sensitive premium reprints and upgrades of the later Piedmont subsets also appeal to investors. Demand for Piedmont cards is driven by their status as a foundational bridge between 19th century baseball fandom and the golden age of tobacco memorabilia that followed at the turn of the 20th century cementing baseball card traditions still enjoyed today.

PIEDMONT CIGARETTE BASEBALL CARDS FOR SALE

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In the early 20th century, it was very common for cigarette companies to include collectible trading cards featuring professional baseball players inside their tobacco products. Perhaps no brand was more famous for this marketing tactic than Piedmont Cigarettes. For decades, Piedmont issued annual series of baseball cards that captured the biggest stars of the day and helped fuel a nation’s growing interest in the national pastime.

While other brands like Carstarphen and Fatima also issued cards, Piedmont became synonymous with quality baseball memorabilia inserts thanks to detailed artwork and crisp photographs of the game’s elite talents. Originally founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1886, the Piedmont Cigarette Manufacturing Company achieved national distribution by the turn of the century. Looking for new ways to appeal to male consumers, Piedmont’s marketing department decided collectible cards would be a savvy promotional tool.

Their initial “T206” series released in 1909 was an immediate success. Featuring color portraits of 24 major leaguers like Honus Wagner and Nap Lajoie, the T206 set became one of the most iconic in sports card history. Later issues in the 1910s expanded the player selection while maintaining superb graphic designs. Piedmont distributed countless additional series through the 1920s before cigarette inserts were eventually phased out. By then, their cards had fostered a legion of dedicated collectors across America.

In the modern resale market, vintage Piedmont cards remain tremendously sought after by both casual fans and serious investors. Complete original sets in pristine condition can fetch five or six figure prices depending on the year and specific players featured. Even common single cards still command handsome premiums due to the brand’s seminal role in creating the baseball memorabilia hobby. Certain particularly rare Piedmont variants have even been known to break existing auction records.

For example, a 1914 issue depicting Philadelphia Athletics star Eddie Plank recently sold for an astounding $96,000. What made it so valuable was the positioning of Plank’s facial expression within the photograph. Only a small number of copies are believed to exist showing his face in that exact cropped pose. Condition is also critical, as the fragile paper stock and fragile gum residue on the back can deteriorate over a century. A pristine example in the 5/6 out of 10 rating range will dominate the market.

Perhaps the most famous Piedmont card remains the ultra-rare 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner. Less than 60 are accounted for today, making it one of the most challenging and expensive collectibles to obtain in the world. Just last year, one graded Mint 9 fetched a record $3.12 million at public auction. For obvious reasons, acquiring an authentic unrestored Wagner is a pipe dream for all but the wealthiest devotees. Nonetheless, even low-grade specimens still pull in six figures.

While the upper echelon specimens understandably demand astronomical costs, plenty of affordable Piedmont pieces exist too. Common 1910s and 1920s issues featuring role players and pitchers can often be found raw for $10-50. Even graded high-end commons like a PSA 2 1922 Eppa Rixey might run only $300-400. Patience and diligence are key, as savvy buyers can uncover overlooked bargains by scouring online auctions and local card shows. With improved scanning technology, restored fakes have become less frequent also.

For advanced collectors, another option is building sets thematically focusing on individual teams across several Piedmont years. This allows acquiring higher quality examples more affordably over time. Piedmont also issued various league-wide “Winners Series” reprints in the 1930s-50s featuring top stars, which satisfy demand at more reasonable cost levels compared to originals. Regardless of approach, Piedmont cigarette baseball cards remain a cornerstone of the pastime’s collectible culture—over a century after their debut continues to enthrall fans both old and new.

Vintage Piedmont cigarette cards will remain a lifelong fascination for dedicated baseball memorabilia aficionados. Their unmatched history of highlighting the heroes of a burgeoning national craze paved the way for the modern sports collecting phenomenon. While specimens of the highest rarity understandably sell for millions, savvy buyers can still build outstanding collections on a budget by knowing the market. These historic tobacco inserts represent an iconic link between baseball’s golden age and today’s enduring nostalgia for the national pastime’s earliest stars.