Have you ever passed off your business card or received one? Most of us have either given or received one in our life, and we have probably never thought the exchange related to baseball cards.
Trade Cards
Before Major League Baseball (MLB), there was the National League (NL) which was founded in 1876. The catch to baseball cards is that they were around before the league ever existed. Now stay with me here; I am about to swing one out of the park.
Before baseball cards and business cards, there were trade cards. Trade cards existed as advertisements that were printed in bulk and distributed freely to promote businesses, services, or products.
Some believe Peck and Snyder, a NY sporting goods store, produced the first of these types of cards with a baseball theme. Merging sports and war, the company sought to capitalize on the growing interest in sports that had essentially been squelched from the Civil War.
So in 1868, Peck and Snyder created cards that featured its company ad on one side and a photograph of the Brooklyn Antics on the other. Homerun, right? No, because these cards historically are not considered the first baseball cards. The reason being is that none of the players pictured belonged to an actual professional team.
Baseball Cards and Tobacco
Although Peck and Snyder would release a trade card with the Cincinnati Red Stockings on them a year later, it would take another 20 years before the first official mass-produced baseball cards would swing and not miss the market this time.
Tobacco companies were the first to print baseball cards to protect cigarettes packaged. The cards were initially introduced with war heroes, actors, birds, attractive women, and athletes as a marketing gimmick.
In 1886 the Goodwin and Company (Old Judge and Gypsy Queen cigarettes) launched the historical home run of baseball cards. They are known as the N167 set and feature twelve players from the New York Giants. The cards display the player’s name, position, and the team at the bottom.
Goodwin continued with N172, the largest Old Judge pre-war set. This set is so extensive that cards are still being found. So far, catalogs have noted that there may be more than 3,500 cards. Aimed for adults, these early cards were often discarded and eagerly scooped up by children.
A quarter of a century and the first World War would have to pass before businesses caught on to this hobby’s marketing potential. Eventually, card ideas were pitched and then packaged into products for children, particularly gum.
Gum and War
Goudey Gum Company was founded in 1919, with its owner being called America’s penny gum king. Fourteen years after opening its doors, the company would release a 239 card set. It became the first sports card product to be sold with gum in every package.
From portraits to action photos, these baseball cards were printed on thicker cardboard stock, which went on to be the standard for modern-day cards. Goudey went a step further and offered coupons in them for children to join fan clubs or to purchase baseball equipment.
As America entered the Second World War, baseball card production came to a halt. Since paper and gum were being rationed and parents just couldn’t afford to buy the cards for their children, it would be seven years before baseball cards touched base again.
Post War and Batting a Thousand
Let’s take a moment in the dugout, shall we? Baseball cards made their way through three wars and managed to come out the other side stronger and more successful. Thanks to companies like Peck and Snyder, Goudey, and now Gum Inc. (Bowman), baseball cards improved and became a favorite hobby for many, young and old.
As mentioned above Bowman, produced cards from 1939 to 1941 and then again after the war. As the 50s approached, the company knew the bases were loaded with competition, so they used breathtaking portraits in their 1951 and 1952 sets and then Kodachrome film in their 1953 set.
Unfortunately, the company’s success would have to sit on the bench while the New York Topps Corporation took the field in 1952. Their 407 card set was unmatched, especially because Topps was capable of signing exclusive contracts with players. This shut-out produced an acquisition of Bowman by Topps, which propelled them into the 1980s.
Eventually, Topps would be on the bottom as new companies emerged. Another thing that had emerged was the fundamental rules of baseball card trading. The 70s saw baseball collecting evolve into adults creating formal organizations and events surrounding the hobby.
Modern Baseball Companies and Collecting
With Topps still in the game, they were joined on the field of baseball card production by Panini and Upper Deck. As time stole the bases, other leagues and associations became a part of the sports card industry. Some leagues had up to five trading card licenses from the NBA to the NHL and every sport in between.
With technology taking over in the early 2000s, the sports card community began transitioning, and sport’s card companies declined. Collectors have continued to use technology to sell, buy, and trade cards. Many have turned their hobby into a business and have succeeded greatly. So the question must be asked; is sportscard collecting dead in the 21rst century?
No, collecting isn’t dead. Sports cards are being bought in record numbers from case breaks to social media and blockchains. It brings people together, even when sports have to stop due to a pandemic. The industry and collecting continue to grow, and as it does, more people will find joy in this hobby and join the collecting community.
