By reading about the collection they can determine if this is a complete collection of all the baseball cards of the period and understand the motivations of the original collector and of baseball card publishers. Historical Analysis and Interpretation Early baseball cards were issued by tobacco companies to promote sales. Advertising was, at this point, the primary function of the cards. Browse the collection by player , team , league , city , or card set , to read the back of the cards and the advertising that appears there. They are Valuable.
Students can discuss where advertisements appear today.
Students can research what laws regulate tobacco advertisements. As early as 1866, people referred to baseball as the national pastime. Students can broaden the discussion to their own experience of fads and trends. Students can debate what modern trends they predict will continue or fade away. Remind students that while this is an entertaining discussion for the classroom, investors stake much money in trend analysis.