In 1887, J. Baines obtained a patent that would become the first football cards known in the world. His designs for cards were artistic and were in the shape of shields or club crests.
The J. Baines shields span across various decades and identifying or dating some of the shields can be incredibly hard.
Below will be an image gallery and a rudimentary “checklist” of Baines shields that I have seen. The checklist and gallery is mainly focused on football cards that feature a portrait shot.
Image Gallery
Checklist
Billy Meredith (Manchester City)
Liverpool “Well Kicked”
Arthur Wharton (Darlington)
C. Wreford Brown “Play Up England” (Corinthians)
Harry Ford (Chelsea)
Lot Jones (Manchester City)
E. Needham (Sheffield United)
Lintott (Leeds City)
J. Logan (Aston Villa)
J. McDonnell (Bohemians)