Best baseball books the 20 best baseball books ever. These cards, issued with bubble gum in each pack, were the first baseball gum cards. Topps was always the best brand to get, for the wonderfully stale bubble gum that came in each pack, and the hopes of landing a jose canseco card. She has published articles and essays at the boston globe, the rumpus, museumnext, and other outlets. Plenty of great books are out there that dig into the history of baseball, basketball and other sports that arent very long at. Cards are gracefully portrayed as art but the accompanying text will statisfy both baseball card collectors and fans of japanese baseball. Starting in the 1880s, tobacco companies began printing 2. Free online baseball card price guide baseball card. Aug 20, 20 a social history as much as a baseball one, halberstams engrossing book sets the last gasp of the mickey mantleera yankees and the triumph of a young cardinals team powered by black stars like. Baseball cards which featured a player who did not appear in a regular season game during the most recently completed season, do not link to their major league statistics. The modern baseball card investor and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle.
What humbly began as a family gum business in brooklyn has evolved into a classic american sports company. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Another book with several editions, the great american baseball card flipping, trading and bubble gum book dates back to 1973 and could be credited as being the first book to reflect on baseball card collecting, much like may hobby bloggers do today. Frank ceresi and carol mcmains, formerly of the national sports gallery in washington, d. Jan 09, 2019 a new book from the library of congress chronicles the fascinating origins of baseball cards, from simple giveaways to priceless collectibles. Each set contained 52 cards, like a deck of playing cards, and in fact the cards could be used to play a game that would simulate the events of a baseball game. Discover bestsellers and new releases sorted by sport, including baseball, football, basketball, outdoor sports, and more. The set features 407 cards, each measuring 2 58 x 3 34, and is released throughout the year in six series. Today when many collectors hear the words tobacco cards, they think of the t205 and t206 baseball card sets from the early 20th century. Two years later, optigraphics changed its name and. Baseball cards, it strikes me now, were my first taste of capitalism. A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. This book shows the front side of every topps baseball card that was created from their inception in 1951 through 1990, when the book was published. Today in 1960s baseball december 24, 1964 today is the date when the kansas city athletics signed a lanky righthanded pitcheroutfielder named roland fingers.
The companys first foray into the trading card market actually started back in 1972 with football cards on the ice milk cup lids. They have also lectured, appeared on television, authored many articles on sports history and studied countless sports artifacts that can only be described as national treasures. For those unfamiliar with the general history of baseball cards, jamieson gives the details. A cultural history of the baseball card the atlantic.
Best book ive read on the card collecting hobby and the history of sports cards by an author whose mother did not throw out his childhood cards. In 1977, burger king began a tenyear run of issuing baseball cards through various promotions. By the time the pitcher rollie fingers made it to the big league club in 1968, the athletics had moved from kansas city to oakland. It is also known informally as the white border set due to the distinctive white borders surrounding the lithographs on each card. Over 100 of the cards picture minor league players. Vintage sports pennant guide ii includes photos, values. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, stadiums, or celebrities. The first major set of the 20th century was issued by the breischwilliams company in 1903. As the first comprehensive telling of the story of the most prized baseball card ever collected, okeefes book works on a number of levels. In these early days before modern printing techniques, a type of baseball theme picture card was made. While many learned to read with the help of sports cards, books help us dig deeper.
Major league baseball endures because of its historical reference points, and baseball almanac has dedicated itself to preserving the history of our national pastime. Get in the game with our wide selection of sports books, including sports biographies, memoirs by famous athletes, and more. This is a usedpreowned 1987 history of baseball cards paper book with 31 pages with ty cobb on front. Topps creates its first annual set of baseball cardsand ushers in an everlasting love affair between the company and collectors. Free online baseball card price guide baseball card values. Detailed visual timeline of all the topps baseball card designs from 1951 to 2020. To fully appreciate your collection, you need to know exactly what youve got. Wow if you want to be schooled in the history of baseballtrading cards from their inception. Dec 17, 2014 the first baseball cards were sold well before bergers time, and were meant not for kids, but adults. In these early days before modern printing techniques, a type. Highlights players such as ty cobb, lou gehrig, and wagner on cover. Originally called optigraphics, inc, the company specialized in multiple image trading cards using lenticular printing. History of bowman baseball cards vintage sets image gallery however, by this point in time there was a major new player on the block in the form of the topps gum company. After producing 3d cards for kelloggs for several years, they first released a set of nationally distributed baseball cards called sportflics in 1986.
The name t206 refers to the catalog designation assigned by jefferson burdick in his book the american card catalog. Between 1951 and 1955 a proverbial state of war existed between the two companies that. In the opposite environment of the 1930s, the most relevant and artistically created baseball cards and sportscards were produced, and the cards were given sanctuary as a valuable collectable in recording the history of the 1930s through the eyes of baseball. Since those years, some major changes and rule additions have taken place and baseball almanac has, hopefully, listed them into an easy to understand timeline. Topps baseball cards is a huge, expensive photo collection of all topps cards issued since their inception in 1951. The 25 best baseball books of all time, ranked sporting news. Their coverage of baseball has no rival and they are simply the most respected source of baseball statistics anywhere. I guess they have to be small to limit the number of pages and size of book, although the book as it is is still a hefty volume. Pinnacle brands was a trading card company from 1988 to 1998 history. The rules have evolved from the original knickerbocker rules in 1845, to the first set of national league rules in 1877. The aim is to provide factual information from the marketplace to help collectors. Tyler kepner started his own baseball magazine in 1988 as a kid in suburban pennsylvania. The t206 honus wagner card, published 19091911, is the most valuable baseball card in history.
Mar 28, 2019 as it turns out, the real history of baseball is a little more complicated than the doubleday legend. Learn more about the sportlots baseball card values guide. The set consisted of 787 baseball cards and each card from the 1972 topps baseball card set is listed below. A brief history of baseball cards the earliest days. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Each year has a section of what happened in the season during said year, and has a quiz. I like this book because it has all the baseball cards reproduced, although the images are small, looks smaller than the surf books, but upon measuring, the size is the same. Selling history by set by player by set by player social about baseball basketball football golf. Organized by year, you get over 21,000 full color reproductions of topps cards using a highquality facsimile reproduction process especially developed for this purpose.
The library of congress has an incredible collection of early. Cigarette cards were first produced in the 1870s as a means to stiffen flimsy cigarette packs. Nice 1980s history of baseball cards soft cover baseball card collecting history book in very good, preowned condition 31 pages. Books on baseball cards society for american baseball. My dad reacts to me getting his 19th century book on baseball. Includes flagship image gallery, set links, design history and more. Fifty years ago baseball cards were played with, flipped, thrown, and stuck in bicycle spokes. Over the last 30 years baseball card values have skyrocketed beyond anyones wildest dreams, but baseball cards werent always regarded as the collectibles that they are today. This chapter book series by dan gutman is a more advanced version of the magic tree house series where the historical adventures are all baseball focused. They arent wrong to make that connectionthose were tobacco cards but the history of tobacco cigarette cards includes more than just baseball. Between 1951 and 1955 a proverbial state of war existed between the two companies that would later inspire the book the bubble gum card war. Rounders is referenced in 1744 in the childrens book a little pretty pocketbook where it was called baseball. The first baseball cards were sold well before bergers time, and were meant not for kids, but adults.
The initial years of burger king cards were focused on team sets and regional distribution that included the yankees, phillies, rangers, and astros. Once published material enters the book world, the value usually doubles or triples, he said. The book explores, in a very entertaining way, the marketing of cigarettes and gum by packaging them with collectible cards. It also includes the traded series for those players drafted or traded during said year.
References to games resembling baseball in the united states date back to the 18th century. The amazing history of baseball cards filled with stories all in one card binder i read the nonfiction book, mint condition 2011, by dave jamieson. Baseball card values and how to determine their worth. May 21, 2019 k a history of baseball in ten pitches by tyler kepner. New book showcases early baseball cards in story of national. Each years selections come with a brief summary of the season and its achievers, a price range of the cards, and a quiz. Here, for the first time, is the most definitive collection of baseball cards ever assembled. But follow these five steps and youll be better off than most. I was surprised to learn that baseball cards have been in existence since the 1860s.
That one had roughly 1,200 pennants in it, egner told sports collectors. A history entry into the baseball card market in 1951, topps produced its first baseball cards in two different sets known today as red backs and blue backs. But baseball cards have their own distinct story, a trajectory that passes through stops in the tobacco era and the candy cards of the twenties and thirties before. It is at once a history of baseball card collecting, a history of the groundbreaking t206 set, and not immaterially a history of the great honus wagner himself. I delayed purchasing it because while i loved collecting baseball cards as a kid i figured there was no way an entire book about baseball cards could be enjoyable. Dave jamieson looks at these details, and more, of the history of the baseball card industry in his mint condition. As for the thousands of cards released between 1887 and 1890, its a miracle. A new book from the library of congress chronicles the fascinating origins of baseball cards, from simple giveaways to priceless collectibles. Baseball card price guide prices from actual card sales. The complete collection, a 35 year history 19511985 by frank slocum 1985, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Topps, fleer, and donruss dominated the 1980s sales of baseball cards, while in 1989 saw the birth of the upper deck company. To those who are familiar with it, it is the indepth look at some of the primary characters who helped shape the industry that is the most appealing part of the book.
Joe stosh stoshack discovers he can use old baseball cards to travel through time and find out the history behind his baseball heroes like mickey mantle, jackie robinson, babe ruth, satchel paige, and more. In 2010, he was named national baseball writer for. Young baseball card collectors have grown up to become part of a knowledgeable community that has influenced baseball card collecting to this day, making it an attractive pastime for baseball lovers and collectors alike. The cards produced by the goudey gum company reestablished the artistic quality of. Charting the history of baseball cards, dave jamieson goes all the way back to the hobbys roots through to the very recent past. African american african american history baseball cuban and cuban american latino american history reading. By the turn of the century, most baseball cards were produced by confectionery companies and tobacco companies. It goes way beyond just looking up a card s book value. It doesnt have to be the lengthy biographies that are so big they hurt your back every time you pick them up. In 1871 the first professional league, the national association of professional base ball players, was founded. Early baseball cards from the library of congress, offers baseball fans and historians a visual delight that showcases early baseball cards from the 19th and early 20th centuries alongside photos from the early days of the nations beloved pastime. Oct 25, 2018 baseball cards would not rebound until the taft administration busted up dukes monopoly in the early 20th century. Above all, though, the book is a history of the perfect wagner card, most famously owned by wayne gretzky.
While the idea of baseball card history sounds rather dull, jameison makes it humorous, entertaining, and insightful. Throughout its remarkable history, topps has proudly fostered an enduring connection between fans and their heroes, not only in baseball but also in football, hockey, entertainment, and pop culture. A history of baseball in 10 pitches the new york times. By the time the 1990s arrived, people began to see baseball cards as items of value and in some cases.
Imagine buying a pack of baseball cards from the mid1980s. Boyd and harris do a great job of conveying what makes sports cards so much fun and innocent. The 1933 goudey set is considered one of the big three classic baseball card sets, along with the t206 and 1952 topps sets. Cards trading card database has prices achieved from actual card sales, not estimates. It wasnt particularly attractive or futuristic, but that was the year as a 9 yearold boy i fell in love with baseball and began collecting cards. Douglas palmieri recommends hunting for books in shops and at auctions devoted to sports memorabilia, where baseball cards, photographs, balls, and gloves get most of the attention. John gall and gary engels new book sayanara homerun. The sporting news is nothing short of the most respected and legendary magazine newspaper in sports history.
Make sure to correctly identify the players, sets, and the. There are also multiple cards for the same player in different. Collectors, con men, and the true story of history. Each pack has 14 random cards, many of which feature players you do not know. References to baseball date back to the 1700s where in tudor england it was known as a game called rounders. Modern baseball cards 1980s and newer in todays collecting terms, the baseball cards from 1980s and newer are fairly inexpensive to buy.