Baseball Cards--a little bit of baseball history on a piece of cardboard

Baseball cards are almost as old as baseball itself. It is uncertain exactly when the very first baseball card was issued, but the institution of baseball cards dates from the late 19th century when producers of cigarettes and other products discovered the commercial possibilities of including a baseball player's likeness on a piece of thin cardboard with their product.

The following cards date from 1887 through 1958 and are some of my favorites. They carry with them a great deal of baseball history as they portray a selection of great baseball players of the past. Some of the cards were chosen because of their historical significance and some because of the player depicted and some for both.

Allen & Ginters, 1887

One of the very first card sets ever issued was the Allen and Ginters set of world champions in 1887. This was issued as a premium with tobacco products (as were just about all baseball cards until the 1920's). The set included 50 different cards and featured boxers, wrestlers, oarsmen, sharpshooters, and pool players along with baseball players. However, the baseball players were so popular that most cards after 1887 only included the heroes of the diamond.

This particular card features Captain Jack Glasscock, a very popular player of his time, best known for is skillful hitting abilities. The set also included some other fairly notable personalities such as boxers Jack Dempsey and John L. Sullivan, and sharpshooters Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill. The game of baseball at this time was somewhat different than the game we know today. For one thing, no baseball gloves were used. Players fielded with their bare hands including the catchers who also had no padding or masks to protect them. And a player on the base paths was called out if hit by a thrown ball.

This was one of the first baseball card issues to list player statistics on the reverse of the card, a practice still followed today. Each of these cards portrays two players, one when the card is unfolded (as in Evers shown) and another player when the card is folded down at the crease (as in Chance shown). Both players would share the same legs, stockings, and shoes on the card.

Johnny Evers played in the major leagues from 1902 through 1929. He was best known as the scrappy second baseman for the Chicago Cubs and the middle member of the famous "Tinker to Evers to Chance" double play combination. His nickname was "the crab", mostly because of his intense play on the field and his unwillingness to even talk to other players during a game. He was a fierce competitor and highly respected by other players of his time. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1946.

Frank Chance was the first baseman in the famous "Tinker to Evers to Chance" double play combo. He played in the major leagues from 1898 through 1914 and batted over .300 nearly every year he played. His lifetime average was .297. He also attained prominence as the "Peerless Leader" during his career, managing the Chicago Cubs to four pennants and two world championships from 1906 through 1910. As player/manager, Chance was a scrapper and delighted in driving umpires and opposing players to distraction. He played a key roll in making the Cubs the dread of the National League in the early part of the 20th century. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946 along with Tinker and Evers.

The T205 set, also known as the gold border set, was issued in 1911 with products of the American Tobacco Company. As a matter of fact, buying tobacco products was the only way to obtain baseball cards until the late 1920's. These cards are hard to find in Mint or even Excellent condition today because the gold paint on the borders of the cards tends to chip off.

The player pictured on this card is Herman (Germany) Schaefer, one of baseball's most colorful characters of all time. The story is told that once when Detroit was playing Cleveland, Schaefer was on first and Davy Jones was on third in a tied ball game in the ninth inning. Schaefer flashed the signal to Jones for the double steal, meaning he was going to steal second and when the catcher threw the ball down, Jones would take off for home. However, the catcher did not throw to second, not wanting the runner on third to score. So with men on second and third, Schaefer yelled "Let's try it again!" and actually stole first base from second. The catcher still held the ball. When Schaefer stole second again on the next pitch, the catcher threw, the runner on third scored, and the ball game was over. Stealing bases backwards was outlawed a few weeks later.

By any standards, the T206 baseball card set is huge, not only in the great number of different players it portrayed, but also in respect to its importance in the history baseball card collecting. Like all of the other baseball cards of the time, it was issued as a premium with cigarettes. It was one of the first really complete baseball card "sets" to ever be issued, featuring virtually every active starting player in the major leagues. Besides numerous Baseball Hall of Famers, this set also includes the famous Honus Wagner card, reputed to be one of the rarest and most valuable cards in the hobby.

This particular card shows one of the greatest baseball players ever to put on a pair of spikes, Ty Cobb. The career of the "Georgia Peach" spanned the years from 1905 to 1928. He compiled a lifetime batting average of .368, the highest of any player in the history of the game. He also leads or is among the all time leaders in many other offensive categories including most hits, doubles, triples, extra base hits, runs scored, runs batted in, and stolen bases. But Cobb played a steep price for his success as most other players disliked him for his "win at all cost" attitude. But his intimidating playing style, his spike-high slides, and numerous brawls are what many remember best. There was no mistaking Cobb's intentions when he filed his spikes on the dugout steps before every game. Ty Cobb was inducted into the Hall of Fame during its very first year in 1936, receiving more votes than any other player, including Babe Ruth.

Cracker Jack issued baseball cards inside boxes of Cracker Jack caramel popcorn in both 1914 and 1915. Thereafter, small toys and games were used as premiums instead until "mini" baseball cards were packaged inside boxes of the popular snack in 1994. All of the cards in 1914 and 1915 featured portraits of some of the more popular players of the time, each surrounded by a red background. Many are found with caramel stains. The set contains not only players of the National and American Leagues, but also players of the short lived Federal League. The 1914 set contained 144 cards, including Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, and "Shoeless Joe" Jackson.

This particular card portrays Fred Merkle. Although he was a fine consistent player throughout his career, Merkle was involved in one of the most infamous and controversial plays in baseball history, commonly referred to as the "Merkle Boner". In 1908, the Chicago Cubs and the New York Giants were involved in a tight race for the National League pennant. In a late season game between the two clubs, the game was tied in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded. Fred Merkle was on first. The Giant batter got a base hit and the game was seemingly over as the runner from third scored. But Merkle failed to touch second base, opting instead to head straight to the entrance of the players locker room in center field and thus avoiding the crowd of fans that was storming on to the field. The Cub's Johnny Evers got the ball , got the umpires attention, and tagged second base. Merkle was ruled out on the force at second, thereby nullifying the run. The inning was over with the game still tied. They had to finish the delayed game at a later date. It was eventually won by the Cubs who wound up winning the pennant over the second place Giants by one game.

The letter "W" is the baseball card designation for strip cards. Strip cards were one of the first baseball cards actually sold as such and not given away as a premium when purchasing another product. These cards were usually sold in sheets or strips of 8, 10 or 25 cards for a penny and were designed to be cut apart along the dotted lines by the purchaser. Since most of the purchasers were kids, it is hard to find these cards with straight cuts. The cards were also generally of low quality with poor artwork and printed on inferior paper stock which tends to discolor easily.

Even though Babe Ruth had been already been playing in the major leagues for 14 years when this card was made, few baseball cards of any kind were produced during that time, so this is actually one of his first cards. Babe Ruth was a giant figure in baseball and did everything with gargantuan effects. For 22 years he held the interest of millions by swinging a 42 ounce bat which propelled 714 home runs. Whatever he did, slam a home run or strike out, he did with dramatic flair. He was one of the original five inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

For many collectors, the 1933 Goudey set marks the beginning of the modern baseball card era. It was the first major bubblegum card set and therefore is a direct ancestor of the cards being produced today. The 240 cards from the '33 Goudey set feature a color painting of the player, either in a full length action pose or in a portrait pose, set against a solid color background. The cards were also printed on a very heavy card stock which helps many survive in excellent condition today. The set is abundant with over 50 Hall of Fame players including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Dizzy Dean, and Rogers Hornsby.

Although overshadowed much of his career by the immortal Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig was one of the most respected and talented baseball players of all time. He was nicknamed "The Iron Horse" symbolizing his durability and reliability. He only quit playing every day when the disease which now bears his name finally took its toll. He was a perennial power hitter throughout his career slugging 493 home runs and amassed a lifetime .340 batting average. Gehrig also rates among the all time leaders in doubles, total bases, runs scored, and runs batted in. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

The highly sought after cards of the 1938 Goudey set were produced in a limited number and are very difficult to obtain, especially in near mint condition. The 24 players portrayed in the set are depicted by using a hand tinted photographic head shot mounted on a cartoon body.

Jimmy Foxx generated tremendous explosive power with his massive muscles and heavy bat. Long home run wallops were this sluggers trademark as he hit 534 balls out of the park during his career. One such blow, against Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez, landed in the last section of the third tier at Yankee Stadium and had enough force to break the back of a seat. On another occasion in 1932, Jimmie clouted two homers in the first game of a double header, then came back in the second game to hit two more plus a double and a triple. The two lesser extra base hits, it was said, missed the top of the wall by a total of one foot. He is among the all-time leaders in most of baseball's batting and slugging categories and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1951.

Leaf, 1948

What collection of baseball cards could possibly be considered comprehensive without at least one Jackie Robinson card? This one happens to be his rookie card and is found in the 1948 Leaf set. It was the first post-war baseball card set issued in color. It is not only hard to find these cards in near mint condition, it is hard to find them period. And once you find them, many have been printed out of register or off color. On the plus side, the set is full of baseball super stars and Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and Honus Wagner. It also features the highly sought after rookie cards of Satchel Paige, Stan Musial, and Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson is probably most famous for breaking baseball's color barrier in 1947. But he was much more than that. He was a constant threat on the base paths and loved to drive opposing pitchers to distraction. In Robinson's 10 years with the Dodgers, they won six pennants and a world championship. He was elected Rookie of the Year in 1947 and the National League's Most Valuable Player two years later when he won the batting championship. He batted .311 lifetime and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962.