History's in the Cards

Since this spring, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has on display a stunning collection of 25 baseball cards. Loaned by Ken Kendrick, long-time collector and managing general partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the collection – which debuted on the Museum’s second floor in mid-April – spans many years and represents many players. Every baseball card is a window into the game at a particular time, and this collection demonstrates how half a century of history altered the business of baseball cards and the game itself.

Some of the cards were distributed in small numbers, some are sought-after rookie cards, and some are difficult to find in such high quality. Cards such as these are often kept in safe-deposit boxes. The exhibit will offer a rare chance to see some of the finest cards of the game’s greatest players displayed together.

A few examples include:

1909 - American Tobacco Co. - Honus Wagner. After being pulled from distribution for reasons that are still debated today, the card was recognized by 1930s collectors as the most valuable in the hobby. Decades later, this example appeared. Among its adventures: owned by Wayne Gretzky; the first card graded for quality and slabbed; torn apart (and rejoined) by a magician on TV; and displayed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

1916 - Sporting News - BabeRuth. The Red Sox young lefty had a great rookie season in 1915 (18-8, 2.44 ERA), but there was no excitement about his “rookie card.” When that trend hit collectors in the 1980s, it launched a rush for the first major league cards of many stars, including the Bambino.

1952 - Topps Chewing Gum Co. - Mickey Mantle. Printed late in Mantle’s second season, this card became an icon 30 years later as a generation of nostalgic, maturing Baby Boom collectors fueled a burgeoning card industry.

1954 - Bowman Gum Co. - Ted Williams. Bowman lost a huge battle in the bubble gum and baseball card war when rival Topps signed an exclusive contract with Ted Williams in 1954 and forced Bowman to remove their Williams card from distribution. Now only a few of these cards remain. After producing one last set of baseball cards in 1955, Bowman sold out to Topps.