baseball cards are a type of trading card associated with baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, stadiums, or celebrities. Baseball cards are most commonly found in the US but are also common in countries such as Canada, Cuba, Japan and Puerto Rico where top-level leagues come with a huge fan base to support them. Some of the well known companies for making these cards include Topps, Upper Deck Company, and Panini Group. Previous manufacturers include Fleer (now a brand name owned by Upper Deck), Bowman (now a brand name owned by Topps), and Donruss (now a brand name owned by Panini Group). Baseball cards have declined in value since the 1980s after the production of bulk cards and fake cards started, however, baseball cards are still one of the most influential collections of all time.
Video Baseball card
Produksi
While baseball cards were first produced in the United States, as the popularity of baseball spread to other countries, so did the production of baseball cards. Set appeared in Japan as early as 1898, in Cuba as early as 1909 and in Canada as early as 1912.
Attribute
The front (front) of the card usually displays the player's image by identifying information, including, but not limited to, the player's name and team affiliation. The opposite of most modern cards features statistics and/or biographical information. Many initial trading cards display ads for a specific brand or company on the back. Tobacco companies are the most influential in the proliferation of baseball cards, which they use as value-added bonuses and advertisements for their products. Although the trade card functions have a lot in common with business cards, the baseball card format is most similar to a playing card - at least initially. For example, one need not look beyond the 1951 Topps Baseball design.
Although there is no firm standard that limits the size or shape of a baseball card, most of the current cards are rectangular, measuring 2 ½ inches by 3 ½ inches (6.4 cm x 8.9 cm).
Classification of baseball cards: type cards
Since the beginning of baseball cards were produced primarily as a marketing vehicle, collectors began to classify the cards with the 'type' of companies that produce sets. The system implemented by Jefferson Burdick in the American Card Catalog has become the de facto standard in identifying and managing trade cards produced in America before 1951. The catalog itself extends to many areas other gathering outside of baseball sport. Sets such as the 1909-1911 White Borders, 1910 Philadelphia Caramels, and 1909 Box Tops are most commonly referred to by their ACC catalog numbers (T206, E95, and W555, respectively).
Rare card
The rarest baseball cards are hard to find cards and also the most expensive cards. Rare card types are the oldest baseball cards and cards from the limited edition set. Rare cards should generally be kept in good condition in order to be valuable, although the rarest cards can be worth tens of thousands of dollars even in adverse conditions. The price also increases if there is a signature on it. Rare baseball cards or vintage baseball cards do not have a certain price. Their value is judged on the quality, condition, scarcity and number of collectors looking for it.
Maps Baseball card
Card collector
Antique baseball cards have been the main focus of collectors and countless historians of one of America's favorite pastimes. Some baseball card collectors pay huge sums of money to get these cards and they can also spend a lot of time for it. Because rare baseball cards are hard to find, collectors are looking for ways to realize the rare cards that go into the trade or sales market. Baseball card collectors usually get it from other card collectors or from special dealers. Some collectors can sell rare baseball cards over the internet and very often on eBay.
Rare baseball cards can also be purchased at major baseball card shows. These events are held periodically in different cities, allowing baseball card collectors and dealers to meet. Rare baseball cards do not have special rates and they are worth buying by other collectors, and to set prices, collectors consider the card conditions. Rare card prices depend on market demand as well. If there are many collectors who want to get a certain rare card, the person who gets it is the person who pays more for it regardless of the predetermined value.
Card History
Pre-1900
During the mid-19th century in the United States, baseball and photography were both gaining popularity. As a result, baseball clubs began posing for group and individual photos, such as club members and other associations. Some of these photos are printed onto a small card similar to modern wallet photos. When baseball increased in popularity and became a professional sport during the late 1860s, a trade card featuring baseball players appeared. These are used by various companies to promote their business, even if the advertised product has nothing to do with baseball. In 1868, Peck and Snyder, a sports equipment store in New York, started producing trade cards featuring baseball teams. Peck and Snyder sell baseball equipment, and they are natural advertising vehicles. Peck and Snyder cards are sometimes considered the first baseball cards.
Typically, a time-trading card displays images on one side and advertises business information on the other. Progress in color printing increases the attractiveness of the card. As a result, cards start using photos, either in black-and-white or sepia, or the color of the artwork, which is not always based on photos. Some early baseball cards can be used as part of the game, which can be either a conventional card game or a simulated baseball game.
In early 1886, baseball player images were often included on cigarette cards with cigarette packs and other tobacco products. This is partly for promotional purposes and partly because the cards help protect cigarettes from damage. By the end of the century, baseball had become so popular that production had spread beyond America and into the Pacific Islands.
1900-20
At the turn of the century, most of the baseball cards were produced by candy companies and tobacco companies. The first major collection of the 20th century was issued by the Breisch-Williams Company in 1903. Breisch-Williams is a confectionery company based in Oxford, Pennsylvania. Soon after, several other companies began to advertise their products with baseball cards. These include, but are not limited to, American Tobacco Company, American Caramel Company, Canada's Canadian Tobacco Company, and CabaÃÆ'Â ± as. producer of Cuban cigars.
American Tobacco Company decided to introduce a baseball advertising card into their tobacco products with the T206 White Border Set problem in 1909. The cards were put into cigarette packs and produced for a period of three years until ATC was dissolved. The most famous card, and the most expensive for the class, is Honus Wagner from this set. Another famous one, from 1911, is Joe Tinker.
At the same time, many other non-tobacco companies began to produce and distribute baseball cards to the public. Between 1909 and 1911, The American Caramel Company produced the E90-1 series and 1911 saw the introduction of the 'Zee Nut' card. This set was produced over a 28-year span by Collins-McCarthy Company of California. In mid-teen companies such as The Sporting News magazines began sponsoring card issues. Caramel companies like Rueckheim Bros. & amp; Eckstein was among the first to put a 'gift' into their box. In 1914, they produced the first of two Cracker Jack card problems, featuring players from both major leagues as well as players from the short-lived Federal League. When the teenagers were almost over, the Chicago-based Boston Store Department also issued a set.
1920-1930
After the end of World War I in 1918, the production of baseball cards was left for several years as overseas markets had not yet developed and the US economy was transitioning from wartime production. This trend will continue until the late 1930s when the effects of the great depression eventually struck. The twenties produced a wave of second caramel cards, a large number of postcard problems, and numerous cards from different regions of the world. During the first two years, the inclusion of strip cards hit the market. These cards are distributed in long strips and often cut by consumers or retailers in stores. The American Caramel Company re-emerged as a baseball card manufacturer and began distributing sets in 1922-1923. Some, if any cards, were produced in the mid-twenties until 1927 when companies like York Caramel of York, Pennsylvania began producing baseball cards. Cards with similar images to York's caramel sets were produced in 1928 for four ice cream companies, Yuengling, Harrington, Sweetman and Tharp's. In 1921, the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago began issuing issues about postcard stock. Although considered a postcard problem, many cards have statistics and other biographical information behind.
1920 saw the emergence of overseas markets after essentially an eight-year hiatus. Canadian products found their way into the market, including products branded by Peggy Popcorn and Food Products products from Winnipeg, Manitoba from 1920 to 1926, and Willard's Chocolate Company from 1923 to 1924. Other Canadian products came from ice cream producers in 1925 and 1927, from Holland Creameries and Honey Boy, respectively. Billiken Cigars, a.k.a. "Cigarros Billiken", was distributed in Cuba from 1923 to 1924.
1930-50
In the early 1930s, production soared, starting with the US set of 1932 Karamel. Goudey Gum Co. Issue The popular 1933, which includes the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig cards, best identifies this era. Unlike the economical designs that were common in the previous decade, this set of cards featured brightly colored photo players on the front. Backs provide short biographies and personal information such as height, weight, and birthplace. The set of 240 cards, big enough for the moment, includes current players, ex-stars, and prominent minor leagues. Individual cards measured 2 3/8 "by 2 7/8", which Goudey printed on a 24-card sheet and distributed throughout the year. Most of the early members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame appear in this set.
1933 also saw the delivery of World Wide Gum issues. World Wide Gum Co. based in Montreal and obviously have a close relationship with Goudey Gum Company, because each of their four problems is very similar to the contemporary Goudey. Goudey, National Chicle, Delong and a handful of other competitive companies in chewing gum and the baseball card market until World War II began.
After 1941, the cards would not be produced in significant numbers until several years after the war ended. Wartime production was diverted to postwar civilian consumer goods, and in 1948 the production of baseball cards continued in the US with problems by Bowman Gum and Leaf Candy Company. At the same time, the Topps Gum Company pulled out their Magic Photo set, four years before they took out their first "traditional" card set. By 1950, Leaf had bowed out of the industry.
Japanese baseball cards became more numerous in 1947 and 1950. The cards were attributed to the Coordinating Minister, a Japanese card game. Early baseball menko is often round, and printed on thick cardboard stock for easy play.
Modern card history
1948-80
Bowman was the major producer of baseball cards from 1948 to 1952. In 1952, Topps began to produce large card sets as well. The 1952 Topps set was the most sought after World War set among collectors due to the rookie card rookie Mickey Mantle, the first Mantle card issued by Topps. Although this is not the original rookie card (the honor belonged to his 1951 Bowman card), it is still considered the final card to possess from the post-war era.
Topps and Bowman then compete for customers and for the rights to baseball player similarities. Two years later, Leaf stopped producing cards. In 1956, Topps bought Bowman and enjoyed a position that was largely unmatched in the US market over the next two decades. From 1952-1969, Topps always offered five or six nickel wax packages and in 1952-1964, also offered a package of pennies.
In the 1970s Topps increased the cost of candle packages from 10-15 cents (with 8-14 cards depending on the year) and also offered a cello pack (usually around 18-33 cards) for 25 cents. The 39-54 card rack package can also be owned between 39-59 cents per pack.
This does not prevent a large number of regional firms from successfully running trading cards. In addition, some US companies are trying to enter the market at the national level. In 1959, Fleer, a rubber company, signed Ted Williams for an exclusive contract and sold a set of cards featuring it. Williams retired in 1960, forcing Fleer to produce a set of Baseball Greats cards featuring players who have retired. Like the Topps cards, they are sold with chewing gum. In 1963, Fleer produced 67 sets of active player cards (this time with cherry cookies in packs instead of candies), which was unsuccessful, as most players were required contractually to appear exclusively in Topps trade card products. The Post Cereal issued a card on a cereal box from 1960 to 1963 and its sister company Jell-O issued an identical card on the back of its packaging in 1962 and 1963.
In 1965, Topps licensed production to Canadian candy maker, O-Pee-Chee. The O-Pee-Chee set is basically identical to the Topps set until 1969, when the back of the card is stamped O-Pee-Chee. In 1970, due to federal law, O-Pee-Chee was forced to add a French text to the back of his baseball card.
In the 1970s, some companies took advantage of new licensing schemes, not to take the Topps, but to create premiums. Kellogg's started producing an inserted 3D card with a cereal and hostess graphic card in its baked goods package.
In 1976, a company called TCMA, which mainly produced small league baseball cards, produced a set of 630 cards consisting of Major League Ball players. The card is produced under the name of Star Sports Publishing Company, or SSPC. TCMA publishes a baseball card magazine called Collectors Quarterly that is used to advertise sets that offer it directly via mail order. The cards are available directly from TCMA, and are no longer available, like other sets issued by TCMA, due to manufacturer agreement.
Since 1981
Fleer sued the Topps in 1975 to break the company's monopoly on baseball cards and win. In 1981, Fleer and Donruss took out a set of baseball cards, both with chewing gum. Fleer's call to action by Topps explains that exclusive Topps rights apply only to cards sold with chewing gum. After the appeal, Fleer and Donruss continue to produce cards issued without chewing gum; Fleer includes a team logo sticker with their card package, while Donruss introduces the "Kings of Diamond Hall of Fame" puzzle and includes three puzzles in each package. In 1992, Topps's candy and Fleer logo sticker was stopped, with Donruss stopping the puzzle piece the following year. With a very popular and rare publication (compared to other sets at the time) set in 1984, Donruss began to hold as one of the most popular card brands in competition with Topps. In particular, some rookie cards on the set of Donruss 1984 are still considered the most desired cards of the year from any brand (especially Don Mattingly rookie cards). Also in 1984, two monthly price guides came on the scene. Tuff Stuff and Beckett Baseball Card Monthly , published by Dr. James Beckett, seeks to track the market value forecasts of some types of trading cards.
More collectors entered the hobby during the 1980s. As a result, producers such as Scores (who later became Pinnacle Brands) and Upper Deck entered the market in 1988 and 1989 respectively. The Upper Deck introduces several innovative production methods including tamper-proof foil packaging, hologram-style logos, and higher quality card stock. This production style allows Upper Deck to charge a premium for its products, becoming the first major baseball card product to have a suggested retail price of 99 cents per pack. In 1989, the first set of Upper Deck included Ken Griffey, Jr. card. rookie. The card becomes highly sought until Griffey's constant injury problems cause his performance level to decline. Other big card companies follow and make card brands with higher price points. Topps resurrected the brand name Bowman in 1989. Topps produced Club Club issues in 1991. 1992 proved to be a breakthrough year as far as baseball card prices were concerned, at the price of the previous 50 cents per pack replaced by higher price points, overall stock of high grade cardboard , and a limited introduction of limited edition "inserts" across all product lines. 1992 was the beginning of a collector's hunt for "gold foil," which is usually stamped on a limited edition "insert" card. Key examples of the 1992 "insert" craze included Donruss Diamond Kings, which included the first gold-foil accents, and Fleet host of "insert" gold accented foil cards, including All-Stars and Rookie Sensations. 1992 was also the first year a "parallel" card was introduced. In 1992, Topps generated a Topps Gold "insert" card for each card in its standard base set. The "Topps" Gold card has the name and team of players who are branded in a "gold foil" banner on the front of the card. The "parallel" moniker becomes popular for describing this card because each and every card in the standard base set has variations of "insert" attached to it. In 1993, the card company upgraded the "premium" card genre with a "super premium" card set, with Fleer debuting set "Flair" and Topps debuting set of "Topps Finest". Topps Best is the first set to use a refractor, a technology that utilizes reflective foil technology that gives a glossy "rainbow" appearance card that proves to be very popular with fans. Other important "premium" card sets from the 1990s are as follows: Donruss issued the Leaf brand in 1990; Fleer followed by Fleer Ultra set in 1991; and Score issued the Pinnacle brand card in 1992.
Started in 1997 with Upper Deck, the company began to put cards with uniform swatches and baseball equipment that were used as part of a plan to generate interest. Card companies get all kinds of memorabilia, ranging from t-shirts and pants uniforms, to bats, gloves, hats, even bases and dead stadium seats to meet the demands of this new hobby. In 1997 also the first "one-one" card released by Fleer, beginning with the 1997 Flair Exhibition "Masterpiece" (Ultra devices will begin incorporating the 1-of-1 purple masterpiece the following year). Both types of inserts remain a popular staple in today's hobby.
The process and cost of multi-tier printing, monthly set issues, license fees, and player-mess contracts are made for difficult markets. Pinnacle Brands folded after 1998. The Pacific, which gained full license in 1994, halted production in 2001. In 2005, Fleer went bankrupt and was bought by Upper Deck, and Donruss lost MLB license in 2006 (they also did not produce baseball cards on 1999 and 2000). At that time, MLBPA limited the number of companies that would produce baseball cards to offset the advantages of the product, and to consolidate the market. As a result of a move that included revoking the MLB/MLBPA production license from Donruss, only two companies remained; Topps and Upper Deck.
Topps and Upper Deck are the only two companies that maintain production licenses for baseball card baseball players. In a move to expand their market influence, Upper Deck bought the Fleer brand and remnants of its inventory. After purchasing Fleer, Upper Deck takes over the production of the remaining product that is scheduled to be released. The Upper Deck continues to issue products under the name Fleer, while Topps continues to release Bowman and Bazooka card products. Topps is also the only company that continues to manufacture sets of pre-assembled factory cards.
Card companies are trying to maintain a sizeable hobby base in a variety of ways. Particularly prominent is the focus on card transition to the online marketplace. Both Topps and Upper Deck have issued cards that require online registration, while Topps has targeted investment-minded collectors with eTopps card offerings maintained and traded on its website. Also, since the late 1990s, hobby retail stores and merchant trade fairs have found their subscriber base declining, with their buyers now having access to more goods and better prices on the Internet. As more and more collectors and dealers are buying computers and start trusting the Internet as a "safe" place to buy and sell, the transformation from traditional retail stores and performances to Internet transactions alters the nature of the hobby.
Over the same time period, MLBPA also introduced a new guide for players to get rookie cards. Over the years, players have been highlighted in previous sets as rookie while still in the Minor League. Players like that sometimes stay in the Minor League for quite a long time before reaching Premiership status, making the player rookie cards released many years before their first major league match. The new guidelines require players to be part of the Premier League team list before rookie cards will be released on their behalf, and the "starter card" logo printed on the face of the card. The rookie card logo shows the words "rookie card" on the baseball bat and home plate with Major League Baseball logo in the upper left corner.
The baseball cards garnered national media attention again in early 2007, when it was discovered that the new Jet's Derek Jeter card was allegedly altered shortly before the final printing. An amused reporter inside the company has put Mickey Mantle's photo into the Yankees break room and the other shows a smiling President George W. Bush waving from the stands. Topps Spokesman Clay Luraschi later admitted that it was done deliberately by the creative department of Topps.
In February 2007, the hottest card of the hobby, mint/mint professionally rated and confirmed T206 Honus Wagner, sold to private collectors for $ 2.35 million. The card was sold again later in the same year for a record $ 2.8 million.
Throughout the 20th century, baseball cards were always made of cardboard. Now, companies are using other materials that they claim can survive soaked in saltwater.
In 2012, Topps invented the Topps Bunt digital trading card application. This app has gained over 2 million users from more than 50 countries.
Card market
United States
Baseball cards in the United States have undergone many changes in everything from production and marketing to distribution and usage. The earliest cards are targeted primarily in adults because they are produced and associated by photographers who sell services and tobacco companies to market their merchandise. In the early 1910s, many cards were issued as part of the game and the connectivity companies started handing out their own set of cards.
Markets in the United States are heavily influenced by both sports and non-sport issues. The economic effects of World War I, World War II, and the Great Depression all had a major impact on card production. For example, World War I suppressed the production of baseball cards to the point where only a handful of sets were produced until the economy underwent a transition from wartime industrialization.
The 1994 strike caused a decline in interest and consolidation of the industry. However, with the emergence and acceptance of third-party companies that bring greater objectivity in baseball card valuations (plus online marketing), the vintage baseball card business has become very popular again, with multi-million dollar sales recorded annually for at least ten years.
Monopoly Topps
The purchase of Bowman Topps causes grip on player contracts. Because the Topps has no competition and there is no easy way for others to enter the national market, this company has a de facto monopoly. However, some regional sets featuring players from local teams, big leagues and minor leagues, are issued by various companies.
Over the years, there has been a lot of resistance from other companies. In 1967, Topps faced efforts to undermine its position from the Association of Baseball Players League, the union of newborn players in the League. Struggling to raise funds, MLBPA found that it can generate significant revenues by collecting members' publicity rights and offering group licensing companies to use their images on various products. After initially placing players in Coca-Cola bottlecaps, the union concluded that the Topps contracts did not pay players adequately for their rights.
Fleer even filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission stating that the Topps was involved in unfair competition through the aggregation of his exclusive contract. A hearing tester ruled against the Topps in 1965, but the Commission reversed this decision on appeal. The Commission concluded that since the contract only covers the sale of cards with chewing gum, competition is still possible by selling cards with other low-cost products. However, Fleer chose not to pursue the option and instead sold the remaining player contract to the Topps for $ 395,000 in 1966.
Soon after, MLBPA executive director Marvin Miller then approached Joel Shorin, president of Topps, about renegotiating these contracts. At the moment, Topps has every major league player under contract, generally for five years plus an update option, so Shorin refuses. After discussions continued everywhere, before the 1968 season, the union asked its members to stop signing an extension on this contract, and offered Fleer the exclusive rights to the market card. Although Fleer rejected the proposal, at the end of 1973, Topps agreed to double its payout for each player from $ 125 to $ 250, and also to start paying Percentage of Topps overall sales. The number for individual player contracts has risen to $ 500. Since then, Topps has used individual player contracts as the basis for his baseball card.
Fleer vs. Topps
In April 1975, Fleer asked Topps to release his exclusive rights and allow Fleer to produce stickers, stamps, or other small items featuring active baseball players. Topps refused, and Fleer then sued both Topps and MLBPA to break the Topps monopoly. After several years of litigation, the court ordered the union to offer group licenses for baseball cards to companies other than Topps. Fleer and other companies, Donruss, were thus allowed to start making cards in 1981. Fleet's legal victory was canceled after a season, but they continued to produce cards, replacing stickers with team logos for chewing gum. Donruss distributed their cards with Jigsaw puzzle pieces.
Canada
The history of baseball cards in Canada is somewhat similar to baseball cards in the United States. The first card is a trading card, then a card issued with tobacco products and then candy and gum. World Wide Gum and O-Pee-Chee both produced the main set during the 1930s.
In 1952, Topps began distributing American-made cards in Canada. In 1965 O-Pee-Chee re-entered the baseball card market that produced a licensed version of the Topps collection. From 1970 to the set based on the last Topps produced in 1992 the cards are two French/English to comply with Canadian law
From 1985 to 1988, Donruss published a parallel Canadian set under the name Leaf. The set is basically identical to Donruss's problem in the same year but it is bilingual. All Leaf devices are manufactured in the United States.
There have been some promotional issues issued by Canadian companies since Major League Baseball started in Canada in 1969. There are also several public safety sets issued, especially the Toronto Blue Jays set of fire safety in the 1980s and early 1990s and the Public Library Toronto "Reading Fun" sets 1998 and 1999. This set is distributed in the Toronto area. The card is monolingual and only published in English.
Japanese
Baseball cards first appeared in Japan at the end of the 19th century. Unlike American cards in the same era, these cards use traditional Japanese illustrations and ink pens. In the 1920s, black and white photo postcards were issued, but picture cards became the norm until the 1950s. The decade carries cards that combine photographs of players, mostly in black and white. The CoC card also became popular at the time.
NPB branded baseball cards are now widely available in Japanese toy stores, supermarkets, sport shops, and as a bonus item included in certain potato chip packages.
United Kingdom
In 1987 and 1988, the American company Topps released two American baseball cards featuring cards from Major League Baseball teams in America and Canada in the UK. Full color cards are produced by a subsidiary of Topps Republic of Ireland and contain explanations of baseball terms. Due to the lack of popularity in the UK, the problem did not work.
Latin America
Topps issued a licensed set in Venezuela from 1959 to 1977. Most of the sets had Spain in place of English subtitles on cards and sets including winter league players. There are locally produced cards depicting players from the winter leagues produced by Offset Venezolana C.A., Sport Grafico, and others produced until the late 1990s.
In Cuba, the set was first issued in the early 1900s. In the 1930s various candy makers, chewing gum and chocolates offer cards, especially Chocolate Baguer. The post-World War II era has cards issued by magazines, candy makers, Coca-Cola, and of course rubber companies. In the post-Cuban revolution, baseball cards are still being released.
Several sets of Mexican League baseball cards have been published in recent years.
American-made cards from Major League Baseball players-Puerto Rican and international-are widely available in Puerto Rico.
Australia
Australia's first produced baseball card was released in 1990 by the newly created Futera trading card company. These cards feature players from the newly created Australian Baseball League. The next baseball cards are released annually in the box set or foil packages until 1996 when interest decreases seeing production stop. No new baseball cards are released in Australia until Select Australia releases six sets of team cards during the 2012-13 Australian Baseball League. This was later followed up by Dingo Trading Cards who released several baseball card teams during the 2013-14 Baseball League season.
Price guide
Price guides are used mostly for different price lists of baseball cards under different conditions. One of the most famous price guides is Beckett's price guide series. Beckett's price guide is a multi-level card price guide, which means it's rated by a scale of 1-10, which is the lowest possible score and the top ten. Additionally, the Professional Sports Authenticator PSA) scores 1-10 cards, and can authenticate signatures as well.
Price guides have grown since the boom in online trading of baseball cards, now there are options like PriceGuide.Cards or the free cardspriceguide.com website that keeps track of completed online sales. These new appearances provide collectors with their card-determined market prices.
See also
- Postcard ad
- Allen & amp; Ginter
- Cigarette cards
- Corner card
- Hockey card
- Postcards
- The rookie card
- Sports cards
- Topps
- The trading card
- The trading card
References and footnotes
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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