Misc. Post-War Cards

Baseball exploded in popularity after World War II, and many companies besides Topps and Bowman used baseball cards to help sell their products. In the 1950s, just about every big league cities had some kind of regional set of hot dog cards — in Cincinnati, cards came with Kahn's Wieners, while in New York, they came with Stahl-Meyer Franks. In St. Louis, cards could be found in packages of Hunter Weiners. Wilson Weiners, meanwhile, made a national set with players from many teams. Cards were also issued, with bread, soda pop, ice cream, potato chips, cookies, dog food and gasoline. Also included here are Exhibit cards, which were distributed through vending machines. Baseball cards became popular just about everywhere after WWII, including Japan and Latin America. The first group here highlights major league players.

For those who collect minor league baseball cards, the decade following WWII is a gold mine. A comprehensive display of Pacific Coast League cards from 1946-57 is worthy of its own website. Beyond the borders of the United States, baseball card mania swept both Cuba and Japan, inspiring many interesting and attractive sets.

In 1960 and 1961, Fleer Gum produced cards sets that paid tribute to players from the early 20th century. In 1961, Golden Press published a booklet that came with perforated cards of former stars. In the late 1960s, Fleer first came out with a series of "patches," which were really stickers — displayed here is a Fleer box from 1975.