Top baseball card by Decade
Always an interesting subject.
Here's one person's list:
1900s: 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner 1910s: 1916 M101-4 Sporting News Babe Ruth 1920s: 1921 E121 American Caramel Babe Ruth 1930s: 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth 1940s: 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson 1950s: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle 1960s: 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan 1970s: 1973 Topps Mike Schmidt/Ron Cey/John Hilton 1980s: 1982 Topps Cal Ripken 1990s: 1993 Upper Deck SP Derek Jeter 2000s: 2001 Topps Chrome Albert Pujols or Ichiro Suzuki 2010s: 2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani |
Ryne Sandberg Baseball Cards
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Starting approximately in 1886, sportscards, mostly baseball cards, were often included with tobacco products, for promotional purposes and also because the card reinforced the packaging and protected cigarettes from damage. These sports cards are referred to as tobacco cards in the baseball card hobby. Over the next few years many different companies produced baseball cards. Tobacco cards soon started to disappear as the American Tobacco Company tried to develop a monopoly by buying out other companies.
They were reintroduced in the 1900s, as American Tobacco came under pressure from antitrust action and Turkish competition. The most famous and most expensive, baseball card is the rare T206 Honus Wagner. The card exists in very limited quantities compared to others of its type because Wagner forced the card to be removed from printing. It is widely (and incorrectly) believed that Wagner did so because he refused to promote tobacco, but the true explanation lies in a dispute over compensation.
Soon other companies also began producing baseball and football cards. Sports magazines such as The Sporting News were early entries to the market. Candy manufacturers soon joined the fray and reflected a shift toward a younger target audience for cards. Caramel companies were particularly active and baseball cards were one of the first prizes to be included in Cracker Jacks. World War I soon suppressed baseball card production.