- The first commercially produced baseball cards were manufactured by Peck and Snyder, a sporting goods company. These cards, which featured a picture of an entire baseball team on one side, carried an advertisement for Peck and Snyder products on the other side. The very first issue was a card picturing the undefeated 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team. There are estimated to be fewer then 10 such cards in existence, and the remaining ones are valued at over $100,000 apiece.
- By the 1880s, professional baseball was well-established, and other companies decided to jump on the baseball advertising bandwagon. The Goodwin Tobacco Company was among the first to do so, producing a series of cards that were inserted in packs of Old Judge tobacco. They issued over 2,000 different cards in all, many of which are still available to today's collector. They are somewhat less expensive than the Peck and Snyder rarities, ranging in price from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on condition and scarcity. Other tobacco companies producing baseball cards include Buchner & Co, Allen & Ginter, Mayo & Co and Kimball. These tobacco cards all tend to be smaller than modern-day cards, but you can purchase specially-sized plastic sleeves meant to protect them.
- Between 1909 and 1911, one of the rarest and perhaps the best-known collectible baseball cards was produced--the T206 Honus Wagner, which was distributed in various brands of tobacco marketed by the American Tobacco Company. Wagner, a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, insisted that his card be withdrawn from the market, either because he disapproved of smoking or because he wanted a larger cut of the profits. There are only 50 to 60 such cards known to be in existence today, most of which would be priced around $500,000. The most well-known T206, a card once owned by hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky, made headlines when it sold in 2007 for $2.8 million.
- The Goudey gum company produced its first set of baseball cards in 1933. These cards are notable for being the first-ever sets packaged with a stick of gum. The Goudey baseball cards were issued between 1933 and 1941, although Goudey continued to produce non-baseball cards through 1949. You may be able to pick up a Goudey card in Very Good condition for as little as $20, or for over $1,000, and a rare 1938 #274 Joe DiMaggio has been priced as high as $45,000.
- The Bowman Gum Company started issuing its own baseball card sets, also packaged with a stick of gum, in 1948. Of all of the card series they produced between 1948 and 1956, the most popular was the 1951 issue, featuring rookie cards for Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Some Bowman cards can today be picked up for just a few dollars, particularly if they are for obscure players and/or in poor shape, but the better-known players and higher-graded cards still command top dollar. One 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle card sold for $600,000 in 2008, making it the second-most expensive baseball card ever, behind the $2.8 million T206 Honus Wagner.
- The Topps Chewing Gum Company started issuing its card sets in 1952, and one of the most sought-after of all post WWII baseball cards, the Topps #311 Mickey Mantle, was produced in this first year. One such card recently sold at auction for nearly $250,000. In 1956 Topps bought out Bowman, and from 1956 through 1980, the vast majority of baseball cards were produced by Topps. In 1980 a court ruling broke up the Topps monopoly, although the ruling allowed that Topps would be the only manufacturer allowed to package its cards with a stick of gum. Although names like Fleer, Donruss and later Upper Deck became well known for the cards they produced in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, Topps remained at the top. Topps reached a new deal with Major League Baseball for exclusive use of the MLB and club trademarks and logos on its cards starting January 1, 2010, which may signal a return to the monopoly of old.
