Baseball card collecting began in earnest in 1948 when the Bowman Gum Company issued its first baseball card set.  They were black-and-white consisting of 48 cards which were square in size with a full picture on the front side.  Later this format was changed and they were issued in color.  From 1948 to 1950 bowman was the only major company that issued baseball cards.  The Topps Gum Company began to issue cards in 1951.  Their first cards were small and not too appealing.  Bowman, on the other hand, had colorful cards with player histories on the reverse side.  1952, however, Topps issued one of the most popular and sought-after sets in the hobby today.  These cards were not only colorful, thyey were much larger than the Bowman cards, at 2 5/8" by 3 3/4".  The children loved them as did other collectors.

Bowman, in trying to recapture the market, brought out a new type of card in 1955.  Each player was pictured inside of a TV screen, as television was becoming quite popular.  Unfortunately the ideas did not catch on.  The cards were not widely accepted.  In the same year Bowman went out of business and Topps became leader in the baseball card market.  It is a place Topps still holds today despite challenges from Fleer, Donruss, Score, Upper Deck and other newcomers. *