Net54baseball.com Forums - The history of lineup cards

Hi Everyone,

I have been collecting lineup cards in a modest way since 2014. In doing research, I was surprised to find that there’s no definitive source on lineup cards, just a handful of articles and info on message boards like this one. So I decided to write something.

I’m knee deep in compiling a “history of lineup cards”. I’m covering a variety of topics, including what they are, when they were first used, format changes over the years, artistry, famous lineup cards (e.g., the cards from the Ripken 2131 game), signatures/autographs, authentication, mistakes, collections, etc.

I’ve already done a lot of research, talked to a number of people from collectors to the likes of umpires (Joe West, Dallas Parks), auction houses, the Baseball HoF, etc. Jeff L., if you know him, you won’t be surprised at what a tremendous resource he is. But I’m looking for more folks to fill in some missing info (e.g., why are away batting order cards traditionally blue-ish, when did the first dugout cards get used and by whom?).

If you think you might have any information that would be helpful, or can help put me in touch with people who do, I’d be grateful. If you have any historic or otherwise interesting cards or collections, I’d love to hear from you.

I expect to be continuing work on this for the next few months at least, so please reach out whenever is convenient. You can reach me at: looperbirdie@yahoo.com. Thank you!

Tom O’Reilly