Editing Baseball card (section)

{{Short description|Type of trading card related to baseball}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox toy
| name = Baseball card
| image = 1954 Bowman Mickey Mantle.jpg
| image_size = 170
| image_upright = 
| alt = 
| caption = A 1954 [[Bowman Gum|Bowman]] card of [[Mickey Mantle]]
| othernames = 
| type = 
| inventor = 
| company = [[Topps]]<br />[[Panini Group|Panini]]
| country = United States <br /> Japan
| from = c. 1860 <ref name=nbc/>
| to = present 
| materials = 
| features = [[Baseball]]
| slogan = 
| website = 
}}
A '''baseball card''' is a type of [[trading card]] relating to [[baseball]], usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/unusual-materials-used-by-trading-card-companies/|title=Not Always Cardboard: Unusual Materials Used to Make Trading Cards|date=2016-02-10|work=Sports Collectors Daily|access-date=2017-04-22|language=en-US}}</ref> In the 1950s, they came with a stick of gum and a limited number of cards. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, stadiums, or celebrities.

Baseball cards are most often found in the [[Contiguous United States]] but are also common in Puerto Rico or countries such as Canada, Cuba, South Korea and Japan, where top-level leagues are present with a substantial fan base to support them. Some notable companies producing baseball cards include [[Topps]] and [[Panini Group]].

Previous manufacturers include [[Fleer]] (now a brand name owned by [[Upper Deck Company|Upper Deck]]), [[Bowman Gum|Bowman]] (now a brand name owned by Topps), and [[Donruss]] (now a brand name owned by Panini).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2009/03/13/panini-buys-donruss.html|title=Panini Buys Donruss|last=Rovell|first=Darren|date=2009-03-13|work=CNBC|access-date=2017-04-22}}</ref> Baseball card production peaked in the late 1980s and many collectors left the hobby disenchanted after the [[1994-95 MLB strike]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shea|first=Bill|title=How the billion-dollar sports card industry collapsed and then rebounded|url=https://theathletic.com/1812753/2020/05/20/how-the-billion-dollar-sports-card-industry-collapsed-and-then-rebounded/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=The Athletic}}</ref> However, baseball cards are still among the most sought collectibles of all time.