Old Baseball Cards Photographs - Old Judge (N172) Series - Super High Resolution 2-DVD Set

This 2-DVD set is a collectorīs item with 400+ fabulous baseball posters of some of Americaīs most famous and favorite baseball stars from 1887. Although these are vintage baseball posters - sponsored by Old Judge Cigarettes - you can clearly see the fire in the eyes of baseballīs early legends as they pose for these posters. Their postures suggest strongly, that the game was played for the sake of sport and not quite to serve commercial ends. The "Old Judge" cigarette company cleverly used these posters, which were printed on the back covers of the cigarette packs, to boost their sales as well as further the popularity of these stars, much as brands do in our times today.

Few American sports compare with baseball in terms of either thrills or nostalgia. Rarely do you come across a baseball stadium, which is not full of screaming, hotdog munching fans. Even the most pressing domestic duties are ignored when a ball game is being shown live on the Television. Woe be unto the baseball fan who is married to a spouse who does not share his passion for the game.

What was begun as a casual sport by Alexander Joy Cartwright has evolved into a multi-million dollar industry, which boasts of more millionaires per square mile than most other sports. Incidentally, Cartwright is also credited with inventing the modern baseball field. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings decided to become a completely professional team. This decision was a monumental one in an era when professionalism was a little understood term. It also kick-started a series of pro baseball leagues across the country and made the game intensely competitive and popular as well.

On the sidelines were many business houses that watched the evolution of baseball into a "national pastime". Among them was James Duke, owner of the popular brand of cigarettes that are named after him. On the lookout for an innovative way to boost his sales, the shrewd Duke cashed in on the popularity of baseball and lithography - a newfangled printing technology that enabled printers to produce posters in color.

Duke printed cigarette advertisements and lithographs of popular baseball stars on pieces of cardboard that were inserted in cigarette packs to strengthen them. So successful was this strategy, that very soon almost all tobacco companies were aping Duke. The intense competition that ensued only served to improve the quality and contents of the cards. More importantly, though, they preserved the early history of baseball for posterity.

This 2-DVD set features 450+ rare and historic baseball cards that were sponsored by the Old Judge Company.

Sample thumbnails taken from the collection.

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Baseball is the sport that cackles back at canīt-miss kids. Baseball humbles every player sooner or later. Baseball confers greatness stingily, in its own sweet time. At least thatīs what the bow-tied essayists and sandlot scouts solemnly tell us." - Johnette Howard in Sports Illustrated

Few Americans can escape the mystical lure of baseball these days and it was no different when television was yet to be invented. The idea to harness this popularity for the sale of tobacco and cigarettes was nothing short of a stroke of genius. The idea was simple. Buy my brand of cigarettes and, hey, hereīs a picture of your favorite baseball star as bonus. The more packets you buy, the larger your collection of baseball cards grows.

Strangely, these cards served many purposes other than the ones they were primarily designed for. Long after many sponsors merged with the America Tobacco Company or faded into oblivion, these cards have kept alive the history of Americaīs favorite sport. They also reflect advancements made in the field of printing technology in the 1880s and in the decades to follow.

The birth and spread of professional baseball league was a boon for tobacco companies who joined the ever-intensifying race for market-supremacy. In turn tobacco companies did a great job of helping the game by preserving forever the memory of its best-loved stars. Grab this CD toady if you are a baseball or a history buff. It is a virtual gallery of baseballs most revered names.

CUSTOMERīS REVIEWS:

"Wow! I could not have asked for a better birthday present from my parents. I am an avid collector of Baseball memorabilia and ever since this DVD arrived I have been hooked to the computer downloading as many posters as I can and plastering my room walls with them, much to the envy of my pals. You will be getting orders from them now."

Customerīs Name: Brad Connors (Abbeville, Alabama)