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What are TCG trading cards?
By Richard Mueller of Sports Collectors Store
If you're not a die-hard collector (yet) and see three little letters parked at the bottom of an old baseball card, chances are you're wondering what they stand for. For over half a century, the cards that originally came packed with bubble or chewing gum have provided collectors young and old the opportunity to study the game of baseball. TCG, or Topps Chewing Gum, was the original manufacturer of modern era baseball cards. Not only did Topps begin the distribution of sports cards in 1952, they did it so well that many would soon follow with limited success in comparison. In 1952, Topps struck gold with players like Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Many great players have come along since those days when kids collected a Mays or Mantle in a card pack. Not many players of today have the original prestige of the two Hall of Fame baseball standouts. Those "TCG" Trading Cards prompted many kids to spend weeks' worth of allowances trying to find their favorites. Some moms may have tossed those cards, now very valuable, aside in lieu of cleaning up the attic. Much to the chagrin of many adult collectors, the cards produced in the 1950s and 60s became rare before their potential worth was actually realized. Hence, the simple TCG trading cards question was born as non-collectors found them at flea markets, garage sales and elsewhere. The question "what does 'TCG' stand for?" could be answered only if you knew the name of the company that produced bubble gum with its sports cards. Now, many older collectors have to pay top money to land the card they have reminisced about for years. Those baseball cards of the 50's era were never initially thought of as having huge monetary value. They were just, plain and simple, trading cards. Star cards were sentimental because many youngsters became attached to the simplicity and love of the game. This generation of collectors had the opportunity to hang on to cards well before anyone had ever dreamed up a “steroids” era. Players in this era obviously weren't perfect, but it was certainly easier to fantasize about being your favorite athlete without seeing reports of their every mistake like we sometimes do today. Eventually, the gum in Topps Chewing Gum would disappear from the packages. This happened when the worth of the baseball cards became substantial enough to stand alone. A piece of chewing gum in the package sometimes did irreparable damage to many cards in the pack. While the soft, pink gum was fun, it didn't serve the cards too well in regards to long term value. Topps somehow managed to be the only manufacturer of baseball cards from 1956-1980. In those years, Topps instilled a brand that it would simply never relinquish thanks to the start a little piece of chewing gum and a small piece of cardboard. The new generations of baseball card collectors will generally only hear stories of the card packs that once contained the old style Topps Chewing Gum. Those TCG cards will still always have a special place in the heart of collectors who are lucky enough to have a collection of vintage sports cards with that familiar three-letter identifier.
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Sports Collectors Store
The "T.C.G." stands for Topps Chewing Gum
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