Trading cards are collectible cards related to specific topics or subjects, often featuring images on one side and information on the other. They have been popular since the 19th century, with sports and celebrity cards becoming popular in the 20th century. Chewing gum manufacturers were among the first to package baseball cards with their products, and trading cards have since expanded to other sports, TV shows, and even magic games. Some collections have become extremely valuable, with investors buying and selling rare cards like stocks.
Trading cards are cards that are related to a specific topic or subject and considered worthy of being collected into a collection for fun or profit. In terms of size, most trading cards are about the size of a regular playing card from a deck of cards. It is not unusual for one side of the card to carry an image while the opposite side carries printed information relating to the image found on the reverse side.
Collecting cards related to different subjects has long been a favorite pastime of many people. The card collection itself is often traced back to the 19th century, when it became fashionable for men to collect what was known at the time as French postcards. A more respectable form of card collecting involved the creation of recipe cards that could be collected by cooks employed by both the wealthy and the homemaker.
Throughout the 20th century, trading cards associated with sports personalities and other types of celebrities became prized possessions for many children and teenagers. Many boys during the 20-1930 era actively collected baseball cards with the image of their favorite players on one side and the player’s playing stats on the opposite side. To add to collectibles, many card manufacturers would release a new set of cards for each new baseball season.
Chewing gum manufacturers were among the first companies to see the value in mating baseball cards with their product. A set of four or five cards would be packaged together with thin flat pieces of chewing gum and sold for pennies to eager young consumers. By rotating the cards packed into each set, this created a marketing approach that encouraged sports fans to keep buying packs of gum until they had a full set of cards from that year. Any duplicates were used to initiate trades with others in exchange for cards needed to complete the collection.
Trading cards soon spread to other sports as well. By the mid-20th century, it was possible to collect cards relating to professional football, soccer, and many other popular sports. Along the way, the trading card idea caught on with other public celebrities. Manufacturers were soon issuing card sets relating to television shows, musical artists, and even cartoon characters. Collectors of all ages were quick to purchase complete sets of a series issued by one manufacturer, which usually added value to the collection.
While trading cards relating to sports personalities and other celebrities continue to be popular, a contemporary twist has been added to the card collecting hob. In recent years, trading cards related to ongoing magic games have attracted the attention of a young audience. As with the collections of years past, the idea is to protect individual cards that are highly sought after along with the ability to own a full set of the issued cards.
Due to the popularity of trading cards over the years, some of these collections have become extremely valuable. For example, a complete set of baseball cards relating to a specific year and a specific team can easily be sold for a hefty sum. There are investors who engage in the buying and selling of rare trading cards in a way that is not dissimilar to investing in a stock market. As with many collectibles, rare cards often generate a lot of interest and carry a hefty price tag when offered for sale.
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