Collecting cards was as much of a mania in the late 1880s as it was in 1909. Here are a couple of threads I've posted with firsthand recollections by oldtimers of collecting back then.
From 1929:
https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=202129
From 1942-43:
https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=239836