What is history of sports cards?

Sports cards have been around for over a hundred years, with baseball cards being the first popular type of sports card. The first baseball cards were produced in the 1860s and were used as promotional tools for tobacco companies. These early cards were simple and often featured an image of a player on one side and an advertisement on the other.

In the early 1900s, baseball cards began to be produced on a larger scale, with companies such as American Tobacco and Topps leading the way. The 1950s saw a boom in the sports card industry, with kids collecting and trading cards of their favorite players. The era of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron helped solidify baseball cards as an American pastime.

In the 1980s and 1990s, sports cards became big business, with companies producing cards for baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, among other sports. The use of holograms, autographs, and game-worn memorabilia on cards made them more valuable and collectible.

The sports card industry has seen its ups and downs over the years, with overproduction and the rise of digital collecting impacting the market. However, sports cards remain a popular hobby and a reflection of our love for sports and the athletes who play them.