Editing Baseball card (section)

===1995–current===
Starting in 1997 with Upper Deck, companies began inserting cards with swatches of uniforms and pieces of game-used [[:Category:Baseball equipment|baseball equipment]] as part of a plan to generate interest. Card companies obtained all manner of memorabilia, from uniform jerseys and pants, to bats, gloves, caps, and even bases and defunct stadium seats to feed this new hobby demand.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> It is also in 1997 that the first "one-of-one" cards were released by Fleer, beginning with the 1997 Flair Showcase "Masterpieces" (the Ultra set would begin to include purple 1-of-1 masterpieces the following year). Both kinds of inserts remain popular staples in the hobby today.

The process and cost of multi-tiered printings, monthly set issues, licensing fees, and player-spokesman contracts made for a difficult market. Pinnacle Brands folded after 1998. Pacific, which acquired full licensing in 1994, ceased production in 2001. In 2005, [[Fleer]] went bankrupt and was bought out by Upper Deck, and [[Donruss]] lost the MLB license in 2006 (they also did not produce baseball cards in 1999 and 2000). At that time, the [[MLBPA]] limited the number of companies that would produce baseball cards to offset the glut in product, and to consolidate the market.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/releases/releases.jsp?content=0721 |title=Baseball trading cards focus on future growth |publisher=MLB Players Association |date=July 21, 2005 |access-date=May 20, 2010 |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107224857/http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/releases/releases.jsp?content=0721 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As a result of the measure that included revoking the MLB/MLBPA production licenses from Donruss, only two companies remained; Topps and Upper Deck.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Topps and Upper Deck are the only two companies that retained production licenses for baseball cards of major league players. In a move to expand their market influence, Upper Deck purchased the Fleer brand and the remnants of its production inventory. After purchasing Fleer, Upper Deck took over production of the remaining products that were slated to be released. Upper Deck continues to issue products with the Fleer name, while Topps continues to release Bowman and Bazooka card products. Topps is also the only company that continues to produce pre-collated factory sets of cards.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Card companies are trying to maintain a sizable hobby base in a variety of ways. Especially prominent is a focus on transitioning the cards to an online market. Both Topps and Upper Deck have issued cards that require online registration, while Topps has targeted the investment-minded collector with its eTopps offering of cards that are maintained and traded at its website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etopps.com/Help/aboutetopps.asp |title=etopps – about etopps |publisher=The Topps Company |access-date=May 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723064946/http://www.etopps.com/Help/aboutetopps.asp |archive-date=July 23, 2010 }}</ref> Also, since the late 1990s, hobby retail shops and trade-show dealers found their customer base declining, with their buyers now having access to more items and better prices on the Internet. As more collectors and dealers purchased computers and began trusting the Internet as a "safe" venue to buy and sell, the transformation from the traditional retail shops and shows to Internet transactions changed the nature of the hobby.

During the same time period, MLBPA also introduced a new guideline for players to attain a rookie card. For years, players had been highlighted in previous sets as a rookie while still in the Minor Leagues. Such players would sometimes remain in the Minor Leagues for considerable time before attaining Major League status, making a player's rookie card released years before their first game as a major leaguer. The new guideline requires players to be part of a Major League team roster before a rookie card would be released in their name, and a designated "rookie card" logo printed on the face of the card. The rookie card logo shows the words "rookie card" over a baseball bat and home plate with the Major League Baseball logo in the top left corner.

Baseball cards garnered national media attention again in early 2007, when it was found that Topps' new [[Derek Jeter]] card had allegedly been altered just prior to final printing. A reported [[practical joke|prankster]] inside the company had inserted a photo of [[Mickey Mantle]] into the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]]' dugout and another showing a smiling President [[George W. Bush]] waving from the stands. Topps Spokesman Clay Luraschi later admitted that it was done on purpose by the Topps creative department.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2781230 Card trick: Bush, Mantle cheer Jeter in gag image]</ref>

In February 2007, one of the hobby's most expensive card, a near mint/mint professionally graded and authenticated [[T206 Honus Wagner]], was sold to a private collector for $2.35 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/17355488/ |title=Honus Wagner card sold for $2.35 million |agency=Associated Press |publisher=NBC Sports, MSNBC |date=February 27, 2007 |access-date=May 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531083602/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/17355488 |archive-date=May 31, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The card was sold again later that same year for a record-setting $2.8 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3007893 |title=Honus Wagner card sells for record $2.8 million |agency=Associated Press |publisher=ESPN |date=September 6, 2007 |access-date=May 21, 2010}}</ref>

Throughout the 20th century, baseball cards were always made from cardboard. Now, companies use other materials that they claim can withstand being soaked in salt water.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shoebox Treasures {{!}} Baseball Hall of Fame |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/museum/shoebox-treasures |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=baseballhall.org}}</ref>

In 2012, Topps created the Topps Bunt digital trading card app. The app has gained over 2 million users from more than 50 countries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Topps Bunt Digital Baseball Cards|url=https://www.carddugout.com/blog/history-of-topps-bunt/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708232721/https://www.carddugout.com/blog/history-of-topps-bunt/|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 July 2015|website=CardDugout.com|access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref>

In 2020, baseball cards—and sports cards as a whole—received a big boost in popularity, with many citing the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] as a contributing factor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-02 |title=Sports cards are back in a big way -- pandemic, recession and all |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/30009629/how-coronavirus-internet-tons-money-unexpectedly-fueled-sports-cards-biggest-boom |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Baseball cards are booming during the pandemic, with long lines, short supplies and million-dollar sales |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-baseball-cards-pandemic-20210212-225ottvh4ngfjcho6qfixkqajy-story.html |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=Chicago Tribune|date=February 12, 2021 }}</ref>