We mostly refer to the boom of the American tobacco cards as coming in the early 1900s. Numerous sets were produced in the 1909-12 time period. However, the start of the cards actually came much earlier than that. The 1880s is where most cigarette cards got their beginnings. But despite being very popular with collectors, tobacco companies were very interested in cutting … [Read more...]
A Young Jackie Robinson Appears on Two 1940s Cigarette Cards
In the pre-war era, cigarette cards were all the rage. They not only featured baseball players but plenty of other subjects as well. These cards were highly collected around the world and were mostly included inside packages of cigarettes. Cigarette cards continued to be produced at high levels in Europe and around the world well into the 1930s. However, American baseball … [Read more...]
The Wayback Collector: Rare Fans Cigarettes Package Rediscovered
The 1922 Fans Cigarettes set (T231) is one of the rarest tobacco card issues around. The set is so rare that only a few cards are known. That's particularly noteworthy as at least 85 are believed to be included in the set. To date, a grand total of three Fans Cigarettes cards have been discovered. Categorized as T231 in the American Card Catalog, it is somewhat surprising … [Read more...]
Cigarette Cards’ Marquee Set: T206
Perhaps no other sports collectibles are as revered as the cigarette baseball cards produced in the late 18th and early 19th century. Still striking in appearance, even today, these vintage cards were landmark at the time of issue and considered the gold standard among today's sports card collectors. While sets like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge were popular in the … [Read more...]
1909 Kids Were Caught Up in Baseball Card Mania
Maybe we've found the true answer as to why Honus Wagner didn't want his picture used in the T206 tobacco card series. A recently discovered column that appeared in the August 9, 1909 edition of the Charlotte (NC) Observer, and a follow-up on September 1 of that year, would indicate the cards were quite a sensation on Tobacco Road. The Observer's current day … [Read more...]