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mouschi
Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
- May 18, 2012
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I have loved the game of baseball (and cards!) since I was little. Nothing has captivated me quite like it. Well ... maybe when I first learned of dinosaurs. I guess that's why 19th century baseball - and its artifacts intrigue me so much. Each time I learn something from that time period, I savor it. Doing an "online archaeological dig" brings up many things about the sport I love so much that I never knew about. The online community is captivated by the likes of Trout, Acuna and Soto, but many cannot name a single player from before 1900 ... in fact, many would be shocked to hear that baseball was even around back then! (Fun fact: baseball was *thriving* during the Civil War!)
The flavor of 19th century baseball seems to get lost to time because we simply don't have much to go by. We don't have video or even radio recordings of games. We can never hear King Kelly's thick Irish accent, but we can probably find pictures of Andrew McCutchen eating a sandwich yesterday. We can't observe a recording of what the first home run in baseball history was like, but we know it was hit by Ross Barnes. In a previous article I wrote, "Before there were Baseball Cards", I talked about what woodcuts are and how they were created. Extremely interesting stuff! Here is a woodcut from 1874 that depicts Ross Barnes. There aren't really any baseball cards of him, so it is great to be able to see him make an appearance here! This woodcut also depicts some true pioneers of baseball: Harry Wright, George Wright and A.G. Spalding.
Pictures are few and far between of baseball players from this time period.
I guess all of that is what intrigues me so much. It is the birth of our beloved sport, and I am fascinated by how we got to where we are today. My passion is matched with a feeling of duty to share what I've learned. I feel like I have some sort of inside information that could really knock the socks off of baseball fans and baseball card collectors alike.
WHEN A PICTURE REALLY WAS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
The 1870s was the beginning of the explosion of beautiful chromolithography (color lithographs) in America. Up until that point, you didn't see much that was man-made that blended colors together. Children and adults alike would collect "trade cards" (advertisements from baking soda to medicine to ... you name it!) which would typically be full color advertisements, and oftentimes die cut. This technology gave birth to the first color baseball cards in the 1880's. Allen & Ginter and Goodwin were among the most popular.
1880's America was a perfect breeding ground for the birth of baseball cards. Between the color printing explosion, trade card collecting, and America going wild over baseball, baseball cards were the perfect collectible to produce and include in packages of cigarettes. Everyone was dying to get their hands on a picture card of their favorite baseball player, because many had never seen the likeness of their heroes before.
Think about that for a second. Baseball cards were the connection for many to be able to put faces with names. These cards were *loved*. They were cherished without any regard for making sure corners weren't damaged/bent, and many times, would be glued to album pages for safe keeping. For people who care very little about back damage (such as myself) this gluing act was the saving grace for today's collectors who mainly care about the condition of the fronts.
I think this is something we take for granted. Today, we can get on our phones, and watch full baseball games in HD. We can keep in touch with the players by following them on Twitter and have a glut of high resolution images of any given player at our fingertips. We can even go back to see many old timers in action like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. Baseball and baseball card collecting have become fully immersive. When it comes to 19th century baseball, everything was different. Not a single person on the planet living today can say they have experienced a 19th century baseball game. Without video or audio, baseball cards from this time period play a key role in keeping the history of our game and hobby alive in a way that written words cannot.
HOW BASEBALL CARDS WERE MADE
In my opinion, there has never been a better time to collect baseball cards. We have the latest & greatest technology being used and a TON of options! Take a look at what Topps has been doing over the past several years with its Allen & Ginter line. Mini framed red ink autographs, stained glass cards, rip cards (cards that you rip with mini cards in them), metal cards and even framed silk cards. Does it get any better than this?
It does - glow in the dark cards! How can you not love this stuff?
Over the years, I've tried my hand at a few Allen & Ginter customs of my favorite player. You may have seen these before, but I figured I'd show them again ...
Here is a card I made entirely out of a player-worn jersey:
This card was made entirely out of a game used bat (and signed!) ...
I even made Jose CanLego ...
Speaking of Allen & Ginter, what many don't know is that the original company far predates Topps. Distributed in 1888, Allen & Ginter was one of the first nationally available baseball cards ever. I suspect their beauty is the reason Topps revived the brand and design in 2006 - well over 100 years since the originals came out. The design is so simplistically stunning, that the brand has thrived every year since 2006, with minimal design changes, and remains one of the most popular releases from year to year. People may be confused why some of the cards will depict designs with palm fronds, or players posing outside in nature. That is a direct call back to the cards of the 19th century, which of course, was heavily influenced by Victorian era art.
.... continued on the next post .....
The flavor of 19th century baseball seems to get lost to time because we simply don't have much to go by. We don't have video or even radio recordings of games. We can never hear King Kelly's thick Irish accent, but we can probably find pictures of Andrew McCutchen eating a sandwich yesterday. We can't observe a recording of what the first home run in baseball history was like, but we know it was hit by Ross Barnes. In a previous article I wrote, "Before there were Baseball Cards", I talked about what woodcuts are and how they were created. Extremely interesting stuff! Here is a woodcut from 1874 that depicts Ross Barnes. There aren't really any baseball cards of him, so it is great to be able to see him make an appearance here! This woodcut also depicts some true pioneers of baseball: Harry Wright, George Wright and A.G. Spalding.
Pictures are few and far between of baseball players from this time period.
I guess all of that is what intrigues me so much. It is the birth of our beloved sport, and I am fascinated by how we got to where we are today. My passion is matched with a feeling of duty to share what I've learned. I feel like I have some sort of inside information that could really knock the socks off of baseball fans and baseball card collectors alike.
WHEN A PICTURE REALLY WAS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
The 1870s was the beginning of the explosion of beautiful chromolithography (color lithographs) in America. Up until that point, you didn't see much that was man-made that blended colors together. Children and adults alike would collect "trade cards" (advertisements from baking soda to medicine to ... you name it!) which would typically be full color advertisements, and oftentimes die cut. This technology gave birth to the first color baseball cards in the 1880's. Allen & Ginter and Goodwin were among the most popular.
1880's America was a perfect breeding ground for the birth of baseball cards. Between the color printing explosion, trade card collecting, and America going wild over baseball, baseball cards were the perfect collectible to produce and include in packages of cigarettes. Everyone was dying to get their hands on a picture card of their favorite baseball player, because many had never seen the likeness of their heroes before.
Think about that for a second. Baseball cards were the connection for many to be able to put faces with names. These cards were *loved*. They were cherished without any regard for making sure corners weren't damaged/bent, and many times, would be glued to album pages for safe keeping. For people who care very little about back damage (such as myself) this gluing act was the saving grace for today's collectors who mainly care about the condition of the fronts.
I think this is something we take for granted. Today, we can get on our phones, and watch full baseball games in HD. We can keep in touch with the players by following them on Twitter and have a glut of high resolution images of any given player at our fingertips. We can even go back to see many old timers in action like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. Baseball and baseball card collecting have become fully immersive. When it comes to 19th century baseball, everything was different. Not a single person on the planet living today can say they have experienced a 19th century baseball game. Without video or audio, baseball cards from this time period play a key role in keeping the history of our game and hobby alive in a way that written words cannot.
HOW BASEBALL CARDS WERE MADE
In my opinion, there has never been a better time to collect baseball cards. We have the latest & greatest technology being used and a TON of options! Take a look at what Topps has been doing over the past several years with its Allen & Ginter line. Mini framed red ink autographs, stained glass cards, rip cards (cards that you rip with mini cards in them), metal cards and even framed silk cards. Does it get any better than this?
It does - glow in the dark cards! How can you not love this stuff?
Over the years, I've tried my hand at a few Allen & Ginter customs of my favorite player. You may have seen these before, but I figured I'd show them again ...
Here is a card I made entirely out of a player-worn jersey:
This card was made entirely out of a game used bat (and signed!) ...
I even made Jose CanLego ...
Speaking of Allen & Ginter, what many don't know is that the original company far predates Topps. Distributed in 1888, Allen & Ginter was one of the first nationally available baseball cards ever. I suspect their beauty is the reason Topps revived the brand and design in 2006 - well over 100 years since the originals came out. The design is so simplistically stunning, that the brand has thrived every year since 2006, with minimal design changes, and remains one of the most popular releases from year to year. People may be confused why some of the cards will depict designs with palm fronds, or players posing outside in nature. That is a direct call back to the cards of the 19th century, which of course, was heavily influenced by Victorian era art.
.... continued on the next post .....
