Henry Reccius HONUS WAGNER card

[sb1]

Trade cards were made for merchants to advertise their products, much like a handbill or flyer. Some were specifically made for said merchant, others had a blank box where the merchant could stamp his name.

The cards as we know, N, T & E were inserts or premiums to entice a customer to buy the product, whether it was candy or tobacco. Nearly all of these were comprised of some type of "set" to encourage repeat buying to obtain all of them.

While both are "cards", they had very different intended purposes.

Trade cards were pretty much gone by 1900.

[E93]

Thanks Scott. That is very clear.
JimB

[barrysloate]

Peck & Snyders are technically trade cards too, but now that they are slabbed they are considered baseball cards.

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Peck & Snyders are technically trade cards too, but now that they are slabbed they are considered baseball cards.

so what's the first "true" baseball card?

[barrysloate]

The 1887 issues, such as Old Judge, Allen & Ginters, etc. Whichever came out first is it. Maybe it's the N167. But the definition of a baseball card has broadened in recent years, and most collectors are fine calling a CdV or a trade card a baseball card...as long as it is slabbable. In our hobby the slab supersedes everything else.

[E93]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

The 1887 issues, such as Old Judge, Allen & Ginters, etc. Whichever came out first is it. Maybe it's the N167. But the definition of a baseball card has broadened in recent years, and most collectors are fine calling a CdV or a trade card a baseball card...as long as it is slabbable. In our hobby the slab supersedes everything else.

I agree. I think that in the traditional way in which we think of cards and sets, the N167 Old Judge set was probably the first baseball card set.
JimB

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

In our hobby the slab supersedes everything else.

sad but true.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by sb1

Trade cards were pretty much gone by 1900.

Replaced by postcards and ink blotters for the most part.

[benchod]

postcards suck

[jcmtiger]

Originally Posted by benchod

postcards suck

I don't think so.
Here are a few of mine.

Joe

[CW]

Originally Posted by benchod

postcards suck

Thanks for sharing such wonderful insight and contributing to the positive vibe of the forum.

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by CW

Thanks for sharing such wonderful insight and contributing to the positive vibe of the forum.

sorry... postcards REALLY suck

[benchod]

Thanks Jeff,
Keep piling it on and maybe I'll win something next round of Legendary!

[CW]

did not realize tongue-in-cheekness of said comment. All good....

sorry, just come here to unwind and relax and enjoy the hobby, and am getting tired of negative comments all around lately (grading sucks, PSA sucks, that autograph sucks, etc.). My bad.