Baseball cards have been collected by fans for over 130 years and Portsmouth, New Hampshire has deep roots in the rich history of these collectible cards. While the city may be small, Portsmouth played an interesting role in the early development and popularity of baseball cards across America.
Some of the earliest baseball cards were produced in the late 19th century by tobacco companies as promotional incentives to drive sales. In 1881, the American Tobacco Company began inserting lithographed cards into packs of cigarettes featuring major league players of the day. These Tobacco Era cards from the 1880s and 1890s are among the most valuable and sought after collectibles in the hobby today.
Interestingly, one of the first known references to baseball card collecting comes from a letter published in 1892 in the Portsmouth Herald newspaper. A young boy wrote to the editor asking if any other local kids collected and traded the cards found in cigarettes. This letter provides a glimpse into what was perhaps one of the earliest documented cases of baseball card collecting occurring in Portsmouth during the infancy of the hobby.
In the early 20th century, the tobacco industry continued dominating baseball card production with companies like Allen & Ginter, Sweet Caporal, and Pedestal issuing sets featuring top players. These Tobacco Era cards helped spread interest in baseball nationally and get more fans involved in following the professional game. Portsmouth was no exception, with local youth becoming avid collectors and traders just like kids across the country.
A pivotal moment came in 1909 when the American Tobacco Company lost its monopoly after an antitrust lawsuit. This opened the door for new competitors like the American Caramel Company to enter the baseball card business. In 1911, they issued what is considered the first modern non-tobacco baseball card set – an achievement that helped transform baseball cards from mere promotional incentives into a true collectible hobby.
As sets from brands like Caramel and Fatima became available in local shops and drugstores, baseball card collecting really took off in Portsmouth. Young collectors would ride their bicycles around the town, visiting any store that sold packs of cards in hopes of finding rare players for their albums. Some of the most popular hangouts included Thompson’s Drug Store on Congress Street and Morrill’s Corner Store downtown.
A local collector named Arthur Chase, who grew up in Portsmouth in the 1910s and 1920s, remembered how integral baseball cards were to summers spent with friends. “We’d trade, argue and dream about one day seeing the players we collected in person at a Red Sox game,” he later recalled. “Those cards brought the game of baseball to life for kids in our town before radio or TV.”
The 1930s saw Goudey Gum Company introduce the first modern gum-and-card packs. Their 1933 set is now one of the most coveted issues in the hobby. As sets from Goudey and other brands like Diamond Stars and Play Ball circulated widely, baseball card collecting reached a golden age of popularity in Portsmouth. Local shops stocked the newest releases and kids swapped duplicates in neighborhood ball games and at the public library.
During World War II, card production was limited due to rationing of resources. But in the postwar 1940s-1950s, the hobby boomed once more with the arrival of iconic sets like Topps and Bowman. These issues cemented baseball cards as an all-American pastime. Portsmouth native and legendary Red Sox pitcher Mel Parnell even had his own card in the 1951 Topps set, inspiring local collectors to seek out his rookie.
The 1960s brought about revolutionary changes as colorful, gumless cards from Topps and Fleer captured the attention of Baby Boomers. In Portsmouth, the Keno Fun Shop on Congress Street became a mecca where kids would flock after school and on weekends to purchase packs, check price guides and organize their collections. By the late 1960s, the first card shows and conventions also began popping up, further fueling the booming hobby.
In the following decades, baseball cards continued to hold significance for collectors in Portsmouth even as the internet age dawned. Local card shops like Franklin Card & Coin on Islington Street ensured the tradition carried on for new generations. Memorabilia stores also emerged where fans could find vintage Portsmouth-related items, shining a light on the city’s history with the hobby.
Today, passionate collectors across Portsmouth still seek out the cards of hometown heroes like Parnell and Red Sox greats from years past. While the means of collecting may evolve, the nostalgia and memories sparked by these cardboard treasures remain an integral part of the fabric of baseball fandom in the Seacoast region. As long as there is baseball, its cards will always have a special place in Portsmouth’s story.