Who was on the very first baseball card?

Among the cards in Burdick's research, the earliest he listed were the N167 Old Judge New York Giants, a set of 12 showcasing individual players, with advertising for (surprise!) Old Judge cigarettes on card back.

What was the first set of baseball cards?

In 1886, Goodwin Tobacco (owner of Old Judge and Gypsy Queen cigarettes) created what has become known as the first official baseball card set (aka the N167 set). The set features only twelve players from the New York Giants, not surprising given Goodwin's New York location.

Who started baseball cards?

The first baseball card was made in the 1860s by Peck & Snyder, a New York based company. From there, baseball cards gained popularity and survived many different eras. Because of this, the way that they were marketed varied. For example, in the 1880's, they were sold in packs of cigarettes.

What was the first ever trading card?

The earliest baseball cards were in the form of trade cards produced in 1868. They evolved into tobacco cards by 1886.

What is the rarest baseball card?

With approximately 22 or less known to exist, all in low grades, the Ty Cobb back is the rarest of them all. In 2016, seven copies of this card were miraculously found in an old paper bag. The find has since been dubbed “The Lucky 7” find. In PSA 4.5 grade, it is estimated this card would reel in over $1 million.

The History of Baseball Cards, Chapter 1: The Pre-War Era (1860-1941)

What is the oldest baseball card?

The team's carte de visite (a visiting card), produced in 1865, is considered the earliest extant dated “baseball card,” a souvenir handed out to fans and even to opposing teams.

What is the most wanted baseball card?

The most valuable baseball card of all, the 1911 American Tobacco Company card of Honus Wagner. Star power: Known as "The Flying Dutchman," Wagner had 3,420 hits and 723 stolen bases in his career with the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1897-1917.

How much is the first baseball card worth?

A 1914 Babe Ruth baseball card, worth about $6 million and the first to feature the Major League Baseball icon as a player, was recently sold at a record-breaking price for a sports collectible. Now, the public will have a chance to own part of it through Collectable.

Who invented trading cards?

In the 1850s, Louis Prang, an enterprising German immigrant to the United States, began publishing prints, maps, sets of small pictorial “album cards” intended for collectors, and advertising trade cards, still mostly in black and white.

What is the oldest collectible card game?

The first collectible card game created was Magic: The Gathering, invented by Richard Garfield, and patented by Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game has remained popular, with Wizards of the Coast claiming it to be the most widely played CCG as of 2009.

Who is the oldest baseball player?

Albert Pujols, DH, Cardinals (age 42)

He'll do it, of course, in St. Louis, the city where he played the first 11 years of his Hall of Fame career, alongside two players who are also on this list … and with whom he has won two World Series.

How many Babe Ruth cards are there?

Babe Ruth's 1914 Baltimore News card has long been a coveted item among collectors not only for the point in Ruth's career it represents, but also the sheer rarity of it: Fewer than 10 cards are known to be in existence, with the last one known to be sold having sold for $450,300 at an auction in 2013.

Why is the Honus Wagner card expensive?

While the vast majority of ATC cards were produced in huge numbers — for example, over 4,200 ATC Cobb cards still exist — only a minuscule fraction of Wagner cards were produced. They are extremely hard to find, especially in good condition, which is why they're so expensive.

What was the first Topps baseball card?

1949 – The First Topps Cards

Featured among sports stars of the day are 19 baseball greats, including Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby and Cy Young.

What is Honus Wagner card worth?

Even a damaged 1909 T206 Honus Wagner baseball card is worth a fortune. A tattered Wagner card was purchased at auction on Monday for $1,528,066 by an unknown bidder.

What is the biggest card game in the world?

Since making its debut in 1993, the Magic: The Gathering trading card game (TCG) has spread across the world. According to the publishers Wizards of the Coast, Inc (USA) – a subsidiary of Hasbro – the game is now played globally by an estimated 20 million-plus players.

Why are cards called wax?

Named for the wax paper packaging (and catchy rhyme), the term “wax packs” refers to sports and non-sports packs of trading cards produced until the early '90s. Card companies last produced true wax packs around 1991, although the term sometimes extends to later packages that were actually plastic or foil.

What's a Babe Ruth rookie card worth?

Babe Ruth rookie card sells for record $2.46 million.

How much is a Tom Brady rookie card worth?

There are many Brady rookie cards, and the one in question is not even the most coveted — a Beckett-graded Mint 9 “2000 Playoff Contenders Championship” Brady rookie card sold for a then-football card record $3.1 million in June 2021 — but it's among the cards for which collectors will still pay a handsome sum.

How much is a 1914 Babe Ruth?

According to Jabari Young of CNBC, a Ruth card from 1914 that was the first to depict the legendary player is worth approximately $6 million and recently sold to a private buyer. While the final price was not disclosed, it sold for more than the previous record of $5.2 million.

What's the most expensive baseball card ever sold?

The current record price is the US$6.606 million paid for a 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card in August 2021, breaking all previous records.

What baseball cards are hot now?

Who owns the Honus Wagner card?

Since then, the card has changed hands a few times but remains known as the "Gretzky Wagner" to this day. The current owner is Ken Kendrick, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who purchased the card privately in 2007 for $2.8 million.

What does the number on the back of a baseball card mean?

In total, the main numbers on the back of a card include the card number in relation to the entire set, the year of the card set, and the player's stats. Additional numbers might include the serial number, number of total cards in the set, and more.