Baseball card pioneer Sy Berger, 91, Dies

Baseball cards have been a part of the lives of countless fans dating back to the early 1900s – evolving from simply plugging them into bike spokes to becoming a hobby that includes some of the world’s most serious collectors. One event that significantly changed the industry’s culture was the introduction of Topps in 1951, then led by Sy Berger.

Berger passed away on Sunday at his home in Rockville Centre, New York, according to a release by his family (via Richard Goldstein at The New York Times). He was 91.

Baseball cards date back to the late 1800s in a variety of iterations. Most were included in packs of cigarettes. The more you smoked, the more you could collect. Some of the rarest cards in existence come one particular set, including the infamous T206 Honus Wagner that has sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.

The market for the collectibles dipped in the early 1900s, particularly during World War II. As Goldstein tells it, Berger saw the opportunity to provide something new for young baseball fans in the New York market and capitalized. The successes of the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers, and New York Giants dominated the baseball landscape at the time. Add in the fact that television was becoming more widespread and kids could start watching games more frequently.

Berger is credited with the prototype of the modern baseball card – increasing in size from what the tobacco companies had issued and moving away from simple black and white photos. Topps’ 1952 collection, in particular, was game-changing as it was the first to include statistics, biographical information, and team logos.

Collectors can’t imagine anything different today.

Five years later Topps acquired their chief competitor, the Bowman Company. The brand still operates today under Topps’ leadership.

Today the collecting market has taken further changes. The base card – similar to what Berger created – is still prevalent but the collections have been added to with countless colored variations, limited sequencing, die-cut varieties, on-card autographs, and small squares of memorabilia that include game-used uniforms, bats, and more. The baseball card market has seen it’s downturns, like any other as the overall economy swings up and down, but it still acts as a means for many baseball fans to remain attached to the game of their youth as they build and boast about their personal collections. Berger was one of the greats whose ideas made that possible.