TRADE CARDS

The trade card was more than a simple extension of contemporary advertising. Trade cards first came into their own as an advertising medium during the post-Civil War period, a time when the nation was undergoing a great number of changes. The first of these changes to affect the trade card was the relocation of advertising from newspapers to the product package, caused in no small part by the new concept of packaging goods by portion, as opposed to the established practice of selling from bulk. This innovation also placed new emphasis on the individual producer, and created the desire for unique product identification.

Ads, which in newspapers had been dull, unimaginative column entries in black and white, exploded into interesting illustrations, vivid colors, and narrative persuasion. Illustrating, which had rapidly advanced as a result of public demand for more thorough news coverage during the War Between the States, now offered greatly improved lithographic capabilities. The result was a plethora of attractive and entertaining pocket cards that captured the attention of the newly-informed consumer. Advertising, in turn, became an industry unto itself, spawning an expansion of new advertising media, to include magazines mailed to the home and numerous daily newspapers. (Later in the 20th Century, advertising would similarly impact the expansion of television, revolutionize sports as entertainment, and help create the “Couch Potato.”)

Trade cards have since held a warm spot in the American heart. Most boys can remember their own eager collecting and trading of cards, be they sports, advertising, or other. Lest one fail to recognize the status our society has awarded such cards, remember that a Honus Wagner baseball card sold for more than $1.2 million in July, 2000 when offered on eBay - only to exceed $2M on eBay in 2007. Cards were (and are) traded by a huge number of people. So popular were they during Victorian times that they were soon collected for their illustrations alone, without further regard for their advertising value. Pamel Walker Laird, in her insightful book, “Advertising Progress,” has identified advertising as “the business of progress.” And, indeed, advertising seems to be mostly about the newest and the best, always at the leading edge of our technology or our social instincts. This could certainly explain the veritable explosion of trade cards upon the scene during the spectacular last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Look for Bill's book on McLaughlin's Coffee Company's Trade Cards. Coming soon and one of a series to include paper dolls, etc.!

We hope you enjoy the tasty sampling of McLaughlin’s Coffee Company’s memorabila you will find on this web site. And be sure to look for the highly detailed series of books coming soon that are written by the company’s founders grandson William F. McLaughlin. If you have any interesting information about the company or anecdotes you would like included in the books please contact Bill at:
wfmcl@embarqmail.com