e cards and putting them into scrapbooks became one of the country's most popular hobbies. Most of the old trade cards from back then are damaged on their back because they were pulled out of their scrapbooks.
             By the mid 1880's, baseball cards were mass produced and distributed nationwide for the first time. The first major set of baseball cards was issued beginning in 1886 by Goodwin & Co. of New York City. They were a tobacco company and issued the "Old Judge" cards. During this era, there was fierce competition between American tobacco companies, and Goodwin was among the first to adopt the idea of inserting cards into cigarette packages as a way to increase sales. A small picture card was inserted into the cigarette pack for promotional purposes as well as to reinforce the pack from damage. These cards are known as tobacco cards. Over 2000 different cards are known to exist and new ones are still being discovered today. Sometimes they would offer the large cabinet card as a "premium". They would put a small Old Judge baseball card and a coupon inside the packs of cigarettes and when you collected enough coupons, you could trade them in for a large card. Other tobacco companies saw the sales boost and jumped on the band wagon. They created many interesting and attractive cards also.
             After a few years of intense competition, another time-honored American institution came forth: a monopoly. Under the firm hand of "robber baron" Buck Duke, Allen & Ginter, Goodman & Co., W.S. Kimball and others became the American Tobacco Company by 1891. Without competition, there was no longer any need to produce new cards, and the first era of baseball card issues came to an end.
             In 1907, the U.S. Government began to wage a court battle to dismantle the American Tobacco Company, stating that it was in violation of the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act. Many small tobacco companies were formed and g...