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The Cardboard Timeline

A comprehensive era-by-era history of sports card collecting from 1868 to the present, covering the tobacco era through the Fanatics age.

A. 1860s–1880s: The Beginning — Trade Cards & Early Tobacco Issues​

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B. 1890s–1910s: The Tobacco Era & the T206 Set​

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C. 1920s–1930s: Candy, Gum, and Goudey​

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D. 1940s: War Years, Rationing, and Recovery​

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E. 1950s: The Golden Age — Topps, Bowman & the Monopoly​

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F. 1960s: Expansion, Licensing Wars & Regional Variants​

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G. 1970s: The First Antitrust Challenges​

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H. 1980s: The Boom — Fleer, Donruss & Upper Deck​

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I. 1990s: Innovation Explosion — Refractors, Autos & Memorabilia​

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J. 2000s: Premium Market & Consolidation​

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K. 2010s: Digital Era, Exclusivity & the Rise of Prizm​

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L. 2020s: Pandemic Boom, Market Correction & the Fanatics Era​

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