While card collecting ultimately became quite an accepted hobby, it wasn't necessarily viewed in the greatest light in its early days. The very earliest cards, typically understood to be trade and advertising issues, weren't terribly complex. Used as a simple advertising medium for businesses, those cards were often collected and placed into scrapbooks. There was less concern … [Read more...] about 19th Century Trade Cards Highlight Early Card Collecting
trade cards
1878 Forbes Set Among Earliest Baseball Trade Cards
While the heyday for 19th century trade cards came in the 1880s, some sets date a little earlier. One of those is the 1878 Forbes Trade Card set, which is one of the earliest baseball sets in general. Let's take a closer look at this unique issue. About the 1878 Forbes Trade Cards While tobacco cards were quite popular in the 19th century, in terms of sheer volume, there … [Read more...] about 1878 Forbes Set Among Earliest Baseball Trade Cards
The Wayback Collector: Early Old Judge Trade Card Advertised N173 Baseball Cabinets
In the 1880s, Goodwin created a massive set of baseball cards for distribution in its Old Judge cigarette packages. The cards are among the more popular pre-war issues and comprised one of the very first baseball card sets in collecting history. The company also issued a larger, lesser known but more attractive set of baseball cabinet photographs. These photographs featured … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: Early Old Judge Trade Card Advertised N173 Baseball Cabinets
1893 Arbuckle Coffee Card Set Mixes Early Sports and Legendary Artwork
Trade cards, a form of early advertising, were prevalent in the 1880s and 1890s. These cards advertised businesses and products while generally including some sort of artwork. The majority of these types of 19th century cards featured non-sports subjects. But there are plenty of sports issues to be found and one of the most beautiful sets is arguably the 1893 Arbuckle Coffee … [Read more...] about 1893 Arbuckle Coffee Card Set Mixes Early Sports and Legendary Artwork
Evolution of 19th Century Baseball Cards
As the sport of baseball was introduced in the 1800s, baseball cards didn't take too long to follow. When exactly the first cards were printed depends on your interpretation of the word 'cards'. But the earliest cards are generally recognized by most collectors as beginning in the 1860s. By the end of the century, those cards had been through quite a few changes. Here's a brief … [Read more...] about Evolution of 19th Century Baseball Cards
19th Century Trade Cards Had Charm And A Message
Advertising was much simpler in the late 19th century. Think of it: no Internet, social media, television or radio. Certainly, there were newspapers and magazines, but enterprising businessmen used a more personal way to tout their companies during the Victorian era. Trade cards. These were small, illustrated advertising cards. A drawing on the front was usually … [Read more...] about 19th Century Trade Cards Had Charm And A Message
A Look At Victorian Sports Trade Cards, Scraps and Die Cuts
This column is a quick look at the fanciful, colorful and esoteric collecting genre of Victorian era sports trade cards, die cuts and scraps. Trade Cards Trade cards were freebie cards used as advertisement. Unlike with premiums, supplements and inserts, they weren't directly tied to the sale of a product-- meaning you didn't have to buy something to get them or … [Read more...] about A Look At Victorian Sports Trade Cards, Scraps and Die Cuts