An integral part of the Museum's collection of ephemera, the Burdick collection of baseball cards tells the history of popular printmaking in the United States. In 1947, after having approached A. Hyatt Mayor, the Museum's curator of prints and photographs, the Syracuse electrician Jefferson R. Burdick (1900–1963) began to donate in large batches his entire collection of more than 30,000 baseball cards—along with another 303,000 trade cards, postcards, and posters—to The Met. The baseball cards collected by Burdick represent the most comprehensive public collection outside of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

This exhibition features over one hundred cards produced between the 1890s and the 1950s. Collectively, they illustrate the history of baseball from the dead-ball era, at the turn of the nineteenth century, through the golden age and modern era of the sport. Produced using various types of media-from photography to lithography-the cards feature legends of the game as well as lesser-known players, owners, and teams that have contributed to the history of the game.

Exhibition Date: December 3, 2020 – May 31, 2021

Location: The Met Fifth Avenue in  Gallery 774 

General Admission

For visitors from outside New York State:

Adults: $25

Seniors (65 and over): $17

Students: $12

Members and Patrons: Free

Children (under 12): Free

Suggested Admission

For New York State residents and NY, NJ, CT students, the amount you pay is up to you.

If you wish to pay less than the general admission ticket prices, you may purchase your ticket at one of The Met's locations with a valid ID. All admission tickets include entry to exhibitions as well as same-day entry to both Met locations.

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