Gary Cieradkowski selected as winner of 2026 SABR Jefferson Burdick Award
Gary Cieradkowski was selected as the winner of the 2026 Jefferson Burdick Award, which honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the baseball card hobby, by SABR’s Baseball Cards Research Committee.
Cieradkowski is best known within the card industry for his Infinite Baseball Card Set, an ever-growing, independently produced collection of cards highlighting a mix of baseball outsiders, overlooked legends, and untold stories. He is also the author of The League of Outsider Baseball: An Illustrated History of Baseball’s Forgotten Heroes. His designs and illustrations can also be found at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Wrigley Field, Ebbets Field Flannels, and the Federal League-themed Smoke Justis bar and restaurant in Northern Kentucky. He was the guest on SABRcast #150 with Rob Neyer in 2022.
Click here to read more about Cieradkowski’s work and influence at the SABR Baseball Cards Blog.
Jefferson R. Burdick (1900–63) was a pioneer card collector whose invented classifications still govern the hobby; he donated his enormous collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains one of the most popular destinations for researchers. He created The American Card Catalog, the bible of the hobby, and tribute is paid to his lifelong work whenever anyone brings up T-206 or N-162 or other codes common in card collecting. To learn more about his life and legacy, click here.
To learn more about the Burdick Award, click here.
Originally published: March 10, 2026. Last Updated: March 10, 2026.