РефератыИностранный языкThThe History Of Baseball Cards Essay Research

The History Of Baseball Cards Essay Research

The History Of Baseball Cards Essay, Research Paper


Baseball cards have a very broad history. In the


beginning, god made man. Then, man produced…….. the


baseball card. From 1887 to the present, billions of


baseball cards have been produced. Some cards are valued at


ten cents, while others, are valued at over one hundred


thousand dollars. Since 1887, Baseball cards have been a


major part of many people’s lives.


The Beginning of the baseball card collecting era


would lead cards to a path of greatness and immortality. The


first baseball cards were made of a cloth like material.


Many of these cards were “home made” (SCD)*. No one but the


creator of these cards, (there all dead) knows for sure what


exactly was used to produce these early cards. This time


period started on 1887 and continued on until 1901. The 1887


baseball cards were part of a unique set. Not only did this


set contain baseball cards, but it also contained boxing.


golf, and horse racing cards.


These cards are very high in value because of their


rarity and because they are some of the early baseball


cards. The common card is worth around $800. All of these


cards are common, considering that there were no star


athletes back then. There were not many cards sizes during


this time period. The only size that I could find was one


and a half inches by two inches. There were many company’s


that manufactured cards during this time period. They were:


Mayo Tobacco Works, Buchner, Kimball’s, Old Judge, Allen &


Ginter, and Goodwin (SCD). These cards are rare, but are


not very difficult to obtain if you’re willing to pay top


dollar.


What many collectors call “the golden years of


baseball”, took place from 1902 until 1935. One reason that


collectors call this time period that is because cards took


many different changes during this era. Cards were starting


to be packaged with Chewing Tobacco, crackerjacks, and


Chewing gum.


The value of cards during this time period depends


on many different factors. A large percent of these cards


have misprints (flaws). Because of these misprints, a card


may have a higher value than the exact same card because of


a misprint. The reason there were so many misprints was


because the card industry was just starting to experiment


with the printing process (SCD). The most expensive baseball


card of all time was produced during this era. That card was


the Honus Wagner T-206 produced in 1909. The reason that


this card is so expensive is because only 4 of these cards


were ever produced. Honus Wagner didn’t want kids buying


tobacco for the Baseball cards. One of the Wagners sold at


an auction recently for 451,500 to Wayne Gretzky (SCD).


There were three main sizes of baseball cards during


this time period. One of the sizes was the “tobacco” size


cards. These cards were one and a half inches by two inches.


The second card size was a rectangular sheet of three cards.


These were about two inches by five and one fourth inches.


The third and final size was a square about two inches by


two inches. Cards were packaged with chewing tobacco,


cracker jacks, chewing gum, and cigarettes (SCD).


Many company’s produced cards during this era. Some


of the major manufactures were : Piedmont, Soverign, Ramly,


Hassan, Mecca and Turkey Red. The T-2.. series is very


common at card shows. With the exception of the Honus


Wagner, most of these cards can be acquired for a reasonable


price.


From 1936 until 1960, not much happened in the card


collecting era. Three major changes occurred during this


time period. The cards themselves changed to a size that


would carry them to present time.

Also, two ground breaking


companies would arrive and last until the 21st century.


The value of the 30’s and 40’s cards is around


forty dollars for a semi-star (BKM)*. The value of the 50’s


cards is a little higher at forty five dollars for the semi-


star. Mickey Mantle’s rookie is included in the 1952 Bowman


set. It is valued at $9,000 . Also, another Mantle , his ‘52


Topps is worth $35,000 (BKM, SCD, TUFF*). The 60’s


common cards are worth between one dollar and five dollars.


There were two main card sizes from 1936 to 1960.


The first was two and a half inches by three and one eighth


inches. The second card size is two and a half inches by


three and a half inches. This is the size that ball cards


would remain to be for the next 36 yr.. The major company’s


that produced cards during this time period are Bowman,


Topps, Goudey, and Play ball. The common card from these


years is pretty easy to come by.


This time period really set cards for 80’s and 90’s.


Many present and future Hall of Famers had cards during


this age. Cards basically remained the same. One new card


company came into the card industry.


These cards aren’t valued very highly because they


are very easy to find. A few cards are valued at over


$200.The common card is valued from around ten cents to


three dollars. The size of these cards remained the same as


before, two and a half inches by three and a half inches.


There were only a two company’s who produced cards


during this time duration. The two company’s that produced


cards during this time period were Topps and Fleer. These


cards are very easy to find.


From 1980 to 1996, cards took several revolutionary


changes. These changes would affect the value and


collectability of baseball cards forever.


The value of these cards is actually quite high


considering how long these cards have been on the market.


Some of the older cards, such as Cal Ripken Jr.’s 1982 Topps


Traded, are valued at over $350. Newer cards, such as Ken


Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas’s rookies are around $80. Card


companies devised a scheme to lure the card collector into


buying more cards, the INSERT!!!! The “Insert card” is a


special card that has a certain chance of you pulling it out


of a pack. The higher the odds, the higher the


value of the card. This was designed to make the collector


buy lots of packs to try to pull an insert. Card company’s


also introduced a card called the redemption card. These


cards are usually seeded at about 1:360 packs. If you pulled


one of these cards, you could send it into the company and


they would send you back a limited edition set. Finally,


those devilish little fellows at the card company’s decided


to to created a premium card. These cards were special cards


that cost more to buy. They have a UV coating that gives


them a slick look. Also, the company only makes so many


of these cards. It is harder to get a autograph on these


cards because of the UV coating. The autograph beads up.


The sizes of these cards remained the standard size


of two and a half by three and a half. The only difference


is the new UV coating on the cards. The companies that


manufacture baseball cards now are Topps, Upperdeck, Bowman


O-Pee-Chee, Fleer, Score, Studio, Donruss, Pinnacle, Leaf


and Stadium Club.


Baseball cards have a very broad history as you can


see. Whether it’s homemade cloth cards or store bought


premium cards, you’ll probably find something you like.


Well, have baseball cards affected your life since 1887?


You’ll have to decide yourself.


* BKM – Beckett Baseball Card Mothly


TUFF-Tuff Stuff


SCD- Sports Collectors Digest

Сохранить в соц. сетях:
Обсуждение:
comments powered by Disqus

Название реферата: The History Of Baseball Cards Essay Research

Слов:1402
Символов:9051
Размер:17.68 Кб.