First use of "Yankees"
 

Is there any card, or related collectible, that says "Yankees" earlier than the Sweet Caporal Pins? Just one of those weird questions that pops into your mind while cataloguing!

Do T205s pre-date Sweet Cap pins?

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hard to say. Pins are listed as 1910 - 1912, but all NY pins say Yankees so if they really were started in 1910 that makes them earlier than T205.

From an online article...

Many believe that the Yankees shed their original Highlanders nickname in 1913, when they abandoned rickety Hilltop Park in favor of the Polo Grounds. They shared that ballpark with the Giants until 1923, when the team moved to a state-of-the-art facility that showcased the game’s greatest attraction in Babe Ruth.

Yet the first published reference to the upstart American League franchise as the “Yankees” occurred on April 7, 1904, when the New York Evening Journal reported on a successful Spring Training camp under the headline: “YANKEES WILL START HOME FROM SOUTH TODAY.”

One week later, the same newspaper’s coverage of the season opener was headlined: “YANKEES BEAT BOSTON,” with the term also appearing in the lead sentence of an article chronicling New York’s 8-2 victory over a team that was not yet known as the Red Sox. There were numerous references to the ballclub as the Yankees before 1913, including advertising and tobacco cards.

Historians believe that the name “Yankees” owes its success to the newspapermen, who were grateful to find a more succinct option than “Highlanders” or “Hilltoppers.” Marty Appel’s excellent franchise history, “Pinstripe Empire,” unearthed a 1922 issue of Baseball Magazine in which writer Fred Lieb reported:

“[Highlanders] was awkward to put in newspaper headlines. Finally, the sporting editor at one of the New York evening papers exclaimed, ‘The hell with this Highlanders. I am going to call this team the Yanks. That will fit into heads better.’”

A 1943 history of the franchise credits sports editor Jim Price of the New York Press for being the first to refer to the team as the Yankees.

The name Highlanders had never grown popular with fans, who found the Yankees moniker's patriotic symbolism more appealing, calling upon the Yankee Doodle days of the American Revolution. It should be noted that this was less than 40 years removed from the end of the Civil War.

Other nicknames of the time included the “Greater New Yorks,” “Invaders” and “Griffiths,” the latter of which was a reference to Clark Griffith, the club’s manager from 1903-08.

No formal announcement was made to confirm the full-time adoption of the nickname, but by 1913, it was generally accepted that the team would forever be known as the Yankees. Joe DiMaggio’s proclamation that he wanted to “thank the Good Lord for making me a Highlander” just wouldn’t have had the same ring to it.

That's great reading Jim, but I am more interested in the first collectibles appearance of the name. Obviously it's pre 1913, but what's the first.

Would “Yankee” be considered….
 

Derogatory to anyone in todays society? If so, could there ever be any traction to change the team name? I dont care either way - just thinking out loud and wondering if its been discussed elsewhere….

Angyale

I'm pretty sure any Red Sox fan would consider use of the name to be derogatory. Or pejorative. :D

As for the OP, I believe it is still murky as to the issue dates of the P2 pins, as is also true for Px7 and S74. They all may have been issued in 1911, and then it becomes a question (for some) as to which came first.

In certain contexts, sure, one might find it derogatory. However, having lived for many years walking distance from Yankee Stadium, I can tell you with confidence that any such discussions are unlikely to be taken seriously!