Why are they all from Pennsylvania?
 

I was wondering why it seems like so many great vintage sets were produced in PA. Even Topps and Fleer was in PA. I understand Philly is a big city, but what lead to the small candy subsets. Even Yuengling is from Pa.

Anyone have a place to read the history or can educate me and others?

Many of the early confectionary companies, Hershey, etc have their roots in PA and actually many are off-springs of one another. Williams Caramel and Breisch-Williams for example.

That doesn't seem disproportionate for a sizeable state. All sorts of sets were made, for example, in Boston.

I think all major cities had candy and baking companies, some focused on non-sport cards, others just focused on the candy. New York had candy brands like Leader Novelty that had all sorts of non-sport cards. Boston had Goudey and World Wide Gum. Chicago was another hot bed, with Wrigley, Cracker Jack and Leaf Brands (Dietz and Overland issues are also from the Leaf family).

At the root of it, immigrants hit the east coast and spread throughout the country. The fact that there are so many brands rooted in PA may be more related to success of start ups setting down roots early, or the fact that the iconic card sets had staying power and coincidentally were all based in the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania
 

Pennsylvania also had Bowman and Play Ball cards.

Boston also had Boston Garter, US Caramel, DeLong, Double Play, probably more I am forgetting.

Before they moved it, Boston was in Pennsylvania

Boston was moved? Get out of town!

Brian

Don't forget Bowman and the Philadelphia gum company. A friend of mine's father, Edward Fenimore was a Vice President of Bowman before he established the Philadelphia Gum Company in Haverford, PA. Previously, he was a professor of engineering at UPENN. Philadephia gum's main business was confectionary's though it obtained a license from the NFL to produce football cards from 1964 through 1967.

Looking a Wikipedia the former site became a YMCA. For what it’s worth it is a very nice YMCA.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Gum

Keep in mind also that Topps was NOT really a Pennsylvania company. They did move their warehouses and printing facilities to PA in the mid-Sixties, but they were essentially a Brooklyn-based company. I believe they kept their offices in NYC after the Sixties, although after the original family sold the business, it's possible they moved elsewhere. Still, in terms of its founding and growth as a confectionary giant, Topps was NY, not PA.

Why so many sets from PA?
 

+1... I thought candy makers immediately....