Trade card describes small cards, similar to the visiting cards exchanged in social circles, that businesses would distribute to clients and potential customers. Trade cards first became popular at the beginning of the 17th century in London. These functioned as advertising and also as maps, directing the public to merchants' stores, as no formal street address numbering system existed at the time.
The trade card is an early example of the modern business card. Some businesses began to create increasingly sophisticated designs, especially with the development of color printing. A few companies specialized in producing stock cards, usually with an image on one side and space on the other side for the business to add its own information. As the designs became more attractive and colorful, collecting trade cards became a popular hobby in the late 19th century, since color images were not yet widely available.
In its original sense, the "trade" in trade card refers to its use by the proprietor of a business to announce his trade, or line of business. By moving into the realm of collecting, trade cards gave rise to the trading card, the meaning now shifting to the exchange or trade of cards by enthusiasts. Some cards, particularly those produced by tobacco companies featuring baseball players, later developed into collectibles and lost their function as a business advertisement.
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Phonecards :: Collecting
Trading Cards :: Collecting

EBL Historical Collection - Images of medicine-makers advertising trade cards.
German Cards - Informative site about German cigarette and trade cards. Includes listings by manufacturer and theme.
Jeff Allender - Personal page which includes extensive checklists of mainly British trade card sets. Also includes a non-sports trading card page.
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P.J.Wright - Cigarette and trade card collector with a selection of material for direct sale.
Reggie's Victorian Trade Card Album - Collection of Victorian-era trade cards.
Meta Description: [ Reggie's collection of Victorian-era trade cards. ]
Steve Talbot's Cartophily Pages - An informational site on cartophily, the hobby of collecting cigarette cards. Includes a brief history of the hobby and information on how to start and maintain a collection.
Meta Description: [ An independent collector's site dedicated to cartophily (the hobby of collecting cigarette cards), including a brief history of the hobby, information on how to start and maintain a collection and some useful contact details. ]
TeaCard.Com - Specializes in Red Rose Tea cards, with information about some other companies as well. Includes FAQ, links, and buy and sell pages.
Meta Description: [ This site is about collecting Tea and Cigarette cards. Primarily Red Rose Tea Cards. I buy, trade and sell. Let's talk! ]
Teacards.com - Specializes in Brooke Bond tea cards. Includes complete listing with some images, and links.
Meta Description: [ Brooke Bond tea card collecting ]
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