3 Baseball Card Eras (2024)

Sports cards are truly diverse, which makes them even more interesting. Not only can you collect cards from different sports, but from different eras as well. This means that sports card collectors can have fun creating their collection in whatever way that they like. Some people choose to focus their collections on certain teams, players, errors, or even eras. When it comes to eras, there are 3 main eras in the baseball card world: pre-war baseball cards, vintage baseball cards, and modern baseball cards.

Pre-War Baseball Cards

Cards in this era were printed before the beginning of the US involvement of World War II, in 1941. In general, these cards are usually smaller in size, with bright and colorful artwork of players; occasionally the cards are in black and white. On the back of these cards there are advertisem*nts for tobacco and chewing gum companies. Since these cards are the oldest ones around, they’re usually more valuable; especially if they’re in good condition.

Vintage Baseball Cards

These cards were printed between 1942 and 1979. During this time, the cards started to take on a more modern design. The standard dimensions of these cards are 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches. It was during this era that baseball cards started to come with player statistics on the back of the card. Similar to the pre-war baseball cards, these cards are usually brightly colored. Due to their rarity, these cards can also be very valuable.

Modern Baseball Cards

Modern cards are any cards that were produced after 1980. These cards are known for having bright and glossy photography. Unfortunately, when you sell baseball cards that are modern, you probably won’t receive as big of a return. This is because these cards were overprinted, meaning they aren’t in high demand.

When you sell baseball cards, one of the big factors that will determine the value of your cards is the era. If you have a rare pre-war or vintage baseball card, you may be in luck.