Pre-War Cards

Introduction

These were cards issued as part of various games. Often, gaming cards are good ways to find inexpensive releases of stars and Hall of Famers. Most gaming cards, however, feature generic players. Since those are usually cheaper than cards with actual players, gaming cards can be an inexpensive way to collect pre-war cards. This page also includes Japanese Menko game cards.

It should also be noted that many more pre-war baseball games exist. However, this site focuses only on ones with cards as a part of them.

Despite their age, gaming cards can also be found in excellent condition. Part of that is due to the cards’ manufactured rounded corners, which help them exhibit less wear than cards with originally-sharp corners. Another factor is that some games were boxed away and used only sparingly. While somewhat rare, it isn’t impossible to find complete game sets up for auction where the cards appear virtually untouched.

Interest in gaming cards varies, depending on the issue. Those featuring pictures/names of actual players are generally more desirable than those that have pictures of generic players. Basic action cards (those with only words on them to allow for game play) are not usually as sought after as those with pictures on them. However, they can also be an inexpensive option for type collectors that simply want any card from a particular set for their collection.

Note that the WG-Card designation was initially given to types of greeting cards in the American Card Catalog. Similar to the N-Card designation which has changed over time, this is another one that is used differently by today’s collectors.

Finally, in addition to cards that were included as a part of board games or strategic baseball games, several decks of cards were also printed that were standard playing cards with baseball designs on the reverse. Known ones, such as the 1914 Adams League Playing Cards set, are included here as well.

Here’s more on collecting game issues.

Sets

1914 Adams League Playing Cards	1904 Allegheny Card Company	1909 American National Base Ball
1890s Apollo Baseball	1910 Aydelott’s Base Ball Cards	1926 / 1936 Babe Ruth Milton Bradley Baseball Game
1888 Base Ball (WG1)	1909 Baseballitis	1908 Batter Up
1921 C. Schultz	1930s Cine Manual	Dainty Series Sports Silhouettes
1909 Dempsey’s National- American Base Ball Game	1889 E.R. Williams	1909 Fan-Ball
1904 Fan Craze	1906 Fan Craze (WG2)	1906 Fan Craze (WG3)
The Game of Sports	1903 George Norris	1910 Great National Game of Base Ball
1913 Harking Company Great National Game of Baseball	1914 Hatfield’s Parlor Base Ball	1922 Home Base Ball
1937/1939 Joe Medwick Big Leaguers Baseball	1923 Knickerbocker Base Ball Game	1884 Lawson Game
1945 Leister Autographs Game	1913 Leslie’s Perfection Baseball	1921-30 Major League Ball Die-Cuts
1894-95 McLoughlin Amusement for Boys	Menko Game Cards	1889 Milton Bradley American Sports Game
1913 Nap Lajoie Game	National American Baseball Game	1913 National Baseball Game (WG5)
1920 New Card Baseball	1917 Norpoth Baseball Playing Cards	1920s Old Maid
1930s Old Maid	1922 Olsen’s Base Ball	1910 Parker Brothers National-American Base Ball
1884 Parlor Base Ball	1914 Polo Grounds (WG4)	1926-35 Psychic Baseball
1934 Quaker Oats Ask Me (F279-1)	1906/1910 Russell’s Rustlers	1936 S&S Game (WG8)
1910 Snap Baseball	1947 Ted Williams Back Menko Game Cards (JCM44)	1909 Tim Jordan Game
1906 To the Ball Game Playing Cards	1913 Tom Barker Game (WG6)	1913 Tom Barker Game Fenway Breweries (WG6)
1927 Universal Baseball	1924 Walter Mails Game (WG7)	1930s Waner’s Baseball Game
1938 Whitman Big League Baseball	1935 Whitman Party Stunts

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