Red Man Tobacco Baseball

RGOLD'S 1950's Red Man Tobacco Baseball Cards

Baseball Cards for Red Man Chewers and Their Boys

Welcome to My World of Red Man !

"My father bought my first baseball cards in 1956. I was six years old. An older boy traded me his cards for mine. When I came home, my dad could see that I had been cheated. I had traded my brand new 1956 Topps cards for old cards, and not even for Topps, but for Red Man Tobacco cards!

I don't think my father ever forgave me for that."

From that humble beginning, I am now proud to have one of the finest collections of Red Man baseball cards in the world. All four sets are complete, with 208 different cards in top condition.

My sets were once rated All-Time Finest on the PSA Registry, a listing of all the top baseball card sets. I recently retired my sets after being ranked Number 1 for five years in a row 2002-2006.
This gives other Red Man collectors a chance to compete for the annual PSA Registry Awards, and will allow me more flexibility in improving my sets. I have begun having my collection re-graded by Sportscard Guaranty(SGC), the company I consider to be the best in the hobby. This also allows me to pursue some of my other baseball card interests, which I will be showing on this site.

I am always looking to better my collection. If you have any of these great cards for sale, graded or ungraded, I would be interested. Please check out my full collection at www.imageevent.com/rgold.

I hope you enjoy this site, and if you have any suggestions or comments, please write to rgold7000@aol.com.

Is there a better card of the greatest player ever? Move over Topps and Bowman, here's 3 1/2" x 4" of Willie at his best.

Red Man baseball cards were the first national set of tobacco cards produced since the golden days of tobacco sets in the early part of the 1900's. Four sets were issued in 1952-1955, each set made up of 25 American League and 25 National League players all personally selected by Editor J.G. Taylor Spink of the "Sporting News". The first two years included a manager from each league, and 1954 had four different variation cards. That makes a total of 208 cards for the collector.

Card fronts are full color paintings of each player with biographical information. Card backs contain company advertising with a premium offer for a Big League style baseball cap.

Each card has a 1/2" tab at the bottom that was to be redeemed. For every 50 tabs mailed to Red Man Chewing Tobacco you would get a free hat. Thus, cards with the tabs still intact are harder to find today, and are more valuable. The last coupons expired June 15, 1956, so don't try to send in for your cap now!
My thanks to Red Man collector extraordinaire Tony Conte for providing the scan of the unopened pack seen below.

Newest Red Man Addition
I hope to maintain this site as often as possible. Please look to the menu on the left side of this page, and at the bottom of this page for the following features:

*CHECK LIST-A complete listing of all 208 Red Man cards by year. Did you know that 9 players appear in all four years? Can you find them?

*MARKET REPORT-Current numbers of cards graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), a third party grading service. High grade Red Man cards are among the rarest baseball card collectibles. Recent sales prices and auctions for Red Man cards.

*HALL OF FAMERS-Did you know that there are 112 different players and managers represented in the four Red Man sets 1952-1955? Many players appear in more than one year. The background colors and biographies differ from year to year, but the artwork remains the same. Did you know that 27 different Hall of Famers are in the Red Man sets? Scans of 24 of the Hall of Famers appear on these two pages. Can you find the other three on my website?

*MY PSA 9 RED MAN-Only 181 Red Man cards have ever been graded PSA 9 Mint. These cards represent the highest ever graded except for the 4 PSA 10 Gem Mint Red Man that I am proud to own three of them. Here are just a few PSA 9's from my collection.
*MY SGC RED MAN-Sportscard Guaranty is known for their consistent and conservative grading, as well as their beautiful card holders. I am attempting to rebuild my #1 PSA 1952 Red Man set in SGC 88 Near Mint/Mint or better, and will be adding more cards to my Red Man collection graded by this company. Here are all 52 cards from my 1952 Red Man set, which is now the #1 set on the SGC Registry.
*MY SPORT KINGS & GOUDEY COLLECTION-The 1933 Sport Kings and Goudey sets are made up of some of the hobby's most desirable cards. Here are some of my favorites. My collection isn't just all Red Man, so please check out more of my collection at www.imageevent.com/rgold.
Look for links to more of my collection at the bottom of this page!

The condition of a baseball card is very important. Values are determined by the rarity of a card, the popularity of the player and condition.
Red Man baseball cards in mint or near mint condtion can be worth several hundred dollars a piece, or more. Lesser condition cards may be worth $25 or less. Mint cards are virtually perfect.
Attributes include four sharp corners, sharp focus and full original gloss. There must be no staining or creasing, and the card should be cut and centered in a manner that doesn't impair the overall appeal of the card.
The leading third party grading service, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), grades cards as follows:
PSA 10 Gem Mint
PSA 9 Mint
PSA 8 Near Mint to Mint
PSA 7 Near Mint
PSA 6 Excellent to Mint
PSA 5 Excellent
PSA 4 Very Good to Excellent
PSA 3 Very Good
PSA 2 Good
PSA 1 Poor to Fair
As of this date, there have been 4 Red Man cards graded PSA 10 Gem Mint. Only 181 cards have ever been graded PSA 9 Mint. Only 1,589 Red Man cards have been graded PSA 8 Near Mint to Mint.
The highest sales price for a Red Man baseball card was almost $15,000 for a 1952 Ted Williams PSA 8. The three players in the Red Man sets that sell for the most are Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Stan Musial. Also, 1952 Red Man cards seem to be rarer than the other years, and command a premium.
I am always looking for Red Man baseball cards. If you have cards that are complete with tabs, and in really nice condition, please do not hesitate to contact me at rgold7000@aol.com. You can see all of my collection at www.imageevent.com/rgold.
Don't forget to look for more links to other features at the bottom of this page!