The History Of Basbeall Cards :: essays research papers

The History of Baseball Cards Baseball cards have a very broad history. In the beginning, god made man. Then, man produced... the baseball card. From 1887 to the present, billions of baseball cards have been produced. Some cards are valued at ten cents, while others, are valued at over one hundred thousand dollars. Since 1887, Baseball cards have been a major part of many people's lives. The Beginning of the baseball card-collecting era would lead cards to a path of greatness and immortality. The first baseball cards were made of a cloth like material. Many of these cards were "home made†. No one but the creator of these cards knows for sure what exactly was used to produce these early cards. This time period started on 1887 and continued on until 1901. The 1887 baseball cards were part of a unique set. Not only did this set contain baseball cards, but it also contained boxing, golf, and horse racing cards. These cards are very high in value because of there rarity and because they are some of the earliest baseball cards. The common â€Å"old time† card is worth around $800. All of these cards athletes are average in talent, considering that there were no â€Å"all star† athletes then. There were not many card sizes during this time period. The only size I found was one and a half inches by two inches. There were many company’s that manufactured cards during this time period. They were Mayo Tobacco Works, Buchner, Kimball's, Old Judge, Allen & Ginter, and Goodwin. These cards are rare, but are not very difficult to obtain if you're willing to pay top dollar. What many collectors call "the golden years of baseball", took place from 1902 until1935. One reason that collectors call this time period that is because cards took many different changes during this era. Cards were starting to be packaged with chewing tobacco, Crackerjacks, and bubble gum. The value of cards during this time period depends on many different factors. A large percent of these cards have mistakes, misprints, or flaws. Because of these misprints, a card with a misprint might have higher value than the exact card with no flaws. The reason there were so many misprints was because the card industry was just starting to experiment with the printing process. The most expensive baseball card of all time was produced during this era. That card was the Honus Wagner T-206 produced in 1909.