That baseball cards were first produced in the United
States and as the popularity of baseball spread to other countries, so too did the
production of baseball cards. Complete sets appeared in Japan as early as 1898, in Cuba
as early as 1909 and in Canada as early as 1912. May 29, 2011
Trade cards appeared first. They first became popular after the Civil
War by many businesses, they offer a colorful and diverse look at
popular culture and society in the late 1800's. Trade cards had
actually been around since about the 1700's, but the advent of
lithography in the 1870's made it possible to mass - produce them in
color,
which lead to the golden age of the antique trade card from 1876 to the early 1900's.
June 5, 2011
People begin to collect trading cards for as many
different reasons as there are types of cards. Some collect sports cards of
their favorite baseball, basketball, football, and hockey heroes. Others combine their
passion for sports with history by collecting tobacco cards, which is how
baseball cards were distributed at the end of the 19th and beginning of the
20th centuries. Trade Cards are popular with fans of the Victorian Era, lobby
cards with movie buffs, and everyone from bridge players to magicians
appreciates a handsome deck of playing cards.
June 18th, 2011
The front of a trading card typically displays an
image of the player with identifying information, including, but not limited
to, the player's name and team affiliation. The reverse of most modern cards
displays statistics and/or biographical information. Many early trading cards is
payed advertisements for a particular brand or company on the back. Although
the function of trade cards had much in common with business cards, the format
of baseball trade cards also often resembled that of playing cards. While there
are no firm standards that limit the size or shape of a baseball card, most
cards of today are rectangular, measuring 2½ inches by 3½ inches
