Size-wise what is considered a 'card'?

[frankh8147]

I'm curious to hear some opinions on this. Over the years, i have accumulated a lot of 'oversized' vintage items; R311s', Goudey Premiums, Exhibits, etc. and I always wondered what these pieces are catagorized as and if any of them are considered cards. Also, the term 'premium' is used a lot to describe larger items, is this a catagory separate from cards or is there any overlap? Thanks!

[poorlydrawncat]

Just the other day I stumbled on a post in the baseball card subreddit (reddit.com/r/baseballcards) by someone who had found a stash of R312s in his grandfathers basement. He thought they were blank postcards or just colored photographs. I think laymen generally have a stricter conception of baseball cards that only include cards of certain sizes and aesthetics. So if you go by the common definition of the term, then no, I don't think they'd be considered baseball cards. In the collector's circle on the other hand, "baseball cards" is more of an umbrella term which it seems to me generally does include things like exhibits, premiums, etc. I really think it depends on the context in which the word is spoken.

[mark evans]

One of the great imponderables of the hobby, in my opinion.

[rainier2004]

The more I collect, the more I think they are all cards. I remember when I use to laugh at the thought that a PC could be considered a "card"...now I think the exact opposite. Same for premiums, T3's and just about everything else out there. Its all in the eye of the beholder.

[steve B]

To me it's something that fits a few criteria.

Was it sold or issued in a series
Is it obviously something else- A coin, a figurine, a plate etc.
Is it medium size or less- narrower than shoulder width, and not overly tall. I'm thinking 11x14 is about the biggest Id think of as a card. So posters are out but the roughly 5x7 cards made from the same art in the 80's are in.
It can't be simply cut down from packaging- The wiffleball boxes with Munson or Scott while collectible aren't cards even if the flap is cut off. But the cards printed 5 to a box are cards.
Other packaging items aren't cards - The Yaz Kielbasa label is cool, but it's not a card.

And there's a bunch of stuff that isn't readily categorized. B18s, silks, Bf2s that sort of stuff.

Steve B

[Exhibitman]

"Ephemera" or "paper emphemera" is what I call the other stuff. Go to a general paper collectibles show if you have a chance and you will see the incredible variety of stuff people classify that way.

I'd go to about 11 x 14 also as a card, even if made of cardboard. Anything more really tends towards a display piece or poster for me.

[ullmandds]

what steven said!

[novakjr]

The biggest I'd go is possibly the Baseball Magazine Premiums(and even that's debatable)...I wouldn't consider everything in my collection a "card", but everything gets treated as one.. Especially with my main focus being rookies(or pre-rookies), I'd prefer a pin/coin/premium/woodcut/whatever that pre-dates a card any day..

[frankh8147]

Thanks for your responses! This was always something I was curious about. I was never that scientific in my thought process- I considered everything which was smaller than the 1936-39 Wheaties panels to be a card but now given this, i think i'll change my thought process a little!

[Peter_Spaeth]

I agree with the first part of Steve B.'s analysis and don't think you need to go any further. If another noun better describes it, it's not a card. If not, it's a card.