The Chicago White Sox are one of the founding franchises of the American League, established in 1901. As one of the oldest teams in baseball, White Sox players have been featured on countless baseball cards over the decades. Some of the earliest White Sox cards included those from the legendary T206 series produced between 1909-1911.
The history of White Sox cards really starts to take shape in the 1930s with the rise of modern baseball card sets produced by companies like Goudey and Play Ball. Stars of the era like Ted Lyons, Goose Goslin, Luke Appling and Vern Stephens all received card treatments during this time. In 1933, Goudey released their highly popular diamond stars subset which included White Sox first baseman Norm McMillan.
The post-World War 2 era saw the golden age of baseball cards led by Topps who had gained exclusive rights to produce modern cards. White Sox stars like minnie minoso, Luis Aparicio and early Hank Aaron cards dotted 1950s Topps issues. Minoso’s flashy style made him one of the more popular players to collectors of the time.
The 1960 season was a memorable one for the White Sox franchise. Led by player-manager al lopez, the “Go-Go Sox” won the American League pennant behind the hitting of nose hitter catcher Sherm lollar and second baseman neilhberry. Topps immortalized the ’60 pennant winners with an entire team set featuring all the key contributors like Early Wynn, Billy Pierce and Bob Shaw.
The late 1960s saw the rise of the fun-loving “Bleacher Bums” cheering on players like slugger dick allen and pitcher wilbur wood whose card are still popular today. In 1969 Topps captured the freewheeling white sox vibe with an iconic action packed card featuring infielders Tom McCraw and Buddy Bradford sliding into one another. Allen received plenty of star treatment in cards of the era after back-to-back 30 home run seasons in 1968-1969.
In the 1970s some of the most iconic White Sox stars received their first cards like slugger carlton fisk who debuted in a 1972 Topps issue. Teammate and outfielder Jorge Orta also arrived on the card scene that same year. The flashy uniforms of the 1970s white sox lent themselves well to photography on contemporary cards. In 1977 Topps awarded pitcher bill northey with an all-star card selection after his breakout season.
The early 80s saw the emergence of young stars like Harold Baines, Ron Kittle and late-career mainstays like britton,floyd bannister and lavern hunter make frequent appearances. Kittle’s record setting rookie season was highlighted with several oddball and specialty cards in addition to his standard 1983topps issue. Baines established himself as one of the game’s most consistent hitters and received ample card coverage in the early-mid 80s.
The late 1980s white sox teams featured the likes of outfielders Dan Pasqua and Daryl Boston along with pitchers bobby thigpen and jeff reardon. But perhaps no player was more dominant during this era then first baseman frank thomas. Nicknamed “The Big Hurt”, Thomas electrified in his rookie season of 1990 leading to plenty of prominent card placements in the early part of his hall of fame career.
The 1990s saw the white sox return to the postseason behind manager gene lamont’s “Bleacher Creatures”. Stars like jack mcdowell, julio franco alomar brothers and catcher jason kendall received their first waves of cards. But the undisputed leader of the team was thomas who continued starring on cards produced during his back-to-back AL MVP seasons of 1993-1994 with iconic upper deck and score issues. Over his 20 year career “The Big Hurt” racked up cards from every major set cementing himself as one of the most prominently featured White Sox of all-time.
Into the new millennium White Sox stars like Mark Buehrle, Joe Crede, Paul Konerko and Chris Sale have seen their careers chronicled across sets from Bowman, Topps, Upper Deck and more. The 2005 world championship team was prominently featured in flagship releases after ending an 88 year title drought. And modern stars like Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez are just getting their card collections underway as new generations of collectors follow today’s White Sox. From decades past greats, to present day standouts, White Sox baseball cards have helped tell the story of the franchise throughout the history of the hobby. Whether collecting historic pioneers or today’s up and comers, there’s no denying the rich cardboard history of the South Side Hitmen.
