Baseball Cards in Watertown, New York: A Rich History
The city of Watertown, located in northern New York along the Black River, has a long history with baseball cards dating back to the late 19th century. Some of the earliest cards produced featured players from local amateur and semi-pro teams that flourished in the region in the late 1800s. While baseball cards initially started as a promotional technique used by tobacco companies to sell their products, they grew to become a valued collectible item treasured by many in the Watertown area.
One of the first notable baseball cards to feature a player from Watertown was produced in 1891 by the American Tobacco Company. This cardboard included the image of pitcher Al Spalding, who had been a star player for the Rockfords amateur team based in nearby Brownville, NY in the 1870s and later went on to fame as a major league pitcher and sporting goods entrepreneur. As Spalding grew to national renown, his inclusion on this early tobacco era card helped raise the profile of baseball in northern New York.
In the 1890s, several prominent semi-pro teams developed a following in Watertown, such as the Watertown Red & Black baseball club. Many local players from this era went on to have their likenesses included on regional baseball cards from companies marketing their brands in the North Country. One such card featured the image of pitcher George “Rattlesnake” Barr, who played for both the Red & Blacks as well as other semi-pro clubs in the area in the late 19th century. Barr’s distinctive nickname and scouting reports of his blazing fastball made his card a popular collectible in Watertown during this time period.
As the 20th century dawned, baseball cards continued to memorialize players with ties to Watertown. In 1911, the American Caramel Company produced a card featuring infielder John “Dinty” Moore, who had been a star for several top amateur ball clubs in the Watertown vicinity in the early 1900s. Moore went on to brief stints in the minor leagues but was best known for his exploits in the semipro ranks. During his playing days, Moore owned a corner grocery store in Watertown and was thus a hometown hero whose card local fans eagerly sought.
The growth of the minor league system after World War I further cemented Watertown’s connection to the baseball card collecting craze. From 1920-1951, the city was home to the Watertown Cubs/Muskrats franchise, which was a part of theCanadian-American League and later the PONY League. Dozens of future major leaguers got their start with Watertown including Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell, NL MVP Dolph Camilli, and All-Star pitchers Hank Borowy and Bobo Holloman. Their rise through the minors was chronicled on cards produced by makers such as Goudey and Topps.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, local drug stores and hobby shops in Watertown stocked the newest baseball cards, keeping area residents updated on how former Muskrats were faring as they continued their ascents up the professional ladder. WWII rationing briefly slowed production but card companies resumed in full force after 1945 leading to a new golden age of sets like Topps and Bowman highlighting Watertown connections like Johnny Groth, who rose as high as the Giants/Dodgers organizations in the late 1940s.
With the Muskrats franchise folding after 1951, attention locally shifted to the minor league affiliates that trained their stars in nearby Fabius and Pulaski, NY. Still, Watertown maintained an avid baseball card collecting community. The ’50s saw the rise of the modern sets like Topps and Fleer that captivated a new generation of local kids. Icons like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron all had their formative years captured on cardboard that could be found in Watertown shops and at card shows emerging around this time.
The baseball card boom of the 1980s and 90s saw Watertown emerge as a true hotbed for the hobby. Regional card shows drew hundreds annually and local card stores like Jack’s Sports Cards and Chuck’s Sportscards were destinations for collectors far and wide. Store owners capitalized on Watertown’s rich baseball heritage by specializing in vintage inventory highlighting the city’s ties to early tobacco issues, minor league stars and players with local connections that had become highly coveted by collectors nationwide.
Today, Watertown continues to have an enthusiastic collecting community. Social media groups like North Country Baseball Card Collectors preserve the area’s card history. Regional shops like RiverRat Cards serve nostalgic adults while fostering new young fans. Online auctions showcase one-of-a-kind vintage Watertown cards capable of drawing bids from collectors around the globe. And the city remains proud of its status as a historic hub that has been connected to the card collecting phenomenon since the late 19th century. From the earliest promotions to modern digital platforms, baseball cards have been a source of pride and fandom for generations of residents in Watertown, New York.