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McDonald's

McDonald's has used sports and entertainment cards in Happy Meals and promotional campaigns.

1940–present United States Chicago, Illinois, USA
Sports cardsEntertainment & non-sportBaseballBasketballFootball
Image gallery (6) Pre-grade a card
1992 Topps McDonalds Baseball Best #22 Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics A's Card
1992 Topps McDonalds Baseball Best #22 Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics A's Card

McDonald's at a glance

McDonald's has used sports and entertainment cards in Happy Meals and promotional campaigns.

Full history, sources and grading notes below. Last verified · Published · Confidence: Medium

Company history

Promotional cards[1][2]

McDonald's has used cards in Happy Meals and sports promotions. The sets are small, often tied to a league or film, and are collected as food-issue ephemera.

Collecting context[1]

Autograph and relic cards are thick and prone to edge wear; check the window and signature. Base cards scratch easily and should be inspected under raking light. Confirm the licensed property and set code before comparing prices. Check whether the autograph is on-card or a sticker, and whether the relic window is intact. Licensed sets often share characters across products, so confirm the set code and year before comparing prices.

Timeline

Dated milestones with a source for each event. Hover a marker for the short label; the list below carries the detail.

McDonald's timeline
McDonald's timelineDated milestones in the history of McDonald's.1970: Promotional cardsPromotional cards19701990: Happy Meal cardsHappy Meal cards1990
View timeline events
YearEventDetail
1970Promotional cardsMcDonald's begins using cards in promotions.
1990Happy Meal cardsHappy Meal card promotions become a recurring format.
  1. 1970
    Promotional cards[1]

    McDonald's begins using cards in promotions.

  2. 1990
    Happy Meal cards[2]

    Happy Meal card promotions become a recurring format.

Brand identity

Image archive

Local, provenance-recorded images. Captions and source credits are part of the record; a missing section is shown as an explicit gap rather than filled with a placeholder.

Card fronts & backs

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1992 Topps McDonalds Baseball Best #22 Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics A's Card
Card fronts · 19921992 Topps McDonalds Baseball Best #22 Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics A's CardeBay listing image
Vintage 1974 Willie McCovey Padres McDonalds Baseball Disc Card (NM) — reverse.
Card backs · 1974Vintage 1974 Willie McCovey Padres McDonalds Baseball Disc Card (NM) — reverse.eBay listing image
McDonalds MVP Donruss Baseball Card Gold Pack (1992) (Read Description) — reverse.
Card backs · 1992McDonalds MVP Donruss Baseball Card Gold Pack (1992) (Read Description) — reverse.eBay listing image
Vintage 1974 Willie McCovey Padres McDonalds Baseball Disc Card (NM)
Card fronts · 1974Vintage 1974 Willie McCovey Padres McDonalds Baseball Disc Card (NM)eBay listing image
NEW! Darryl Kile, St Louis Cardinals McDonalds Coin, Token And Baseball Card
Card frontsNEW! Darryl Kile, St Louis Cardinals McDonalds Coin, Token And Baseball CardeBay listing image

Notable sets

Notable sets
YearSetWhy it mattersSource
1990McDonald's Happy Meal cardsA representative food-issue promotion.[2]

Grading notes

How this manufacturer's stock, cutting and production method affect the four grading pillars.

Handling[2]

Promotional cards are often handled by children; corner wear and surface scuffs are common.

How to identify McDonald's cards

1970-present[1]

The McDonald's branding and promotion name identify the card.

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Frequently asked questions

When did McDonald's start making cards?

McDonald's began issuing cards in 1970.

Who owns McDonald's now?

McDonald's operates independently or under its current ownership.

What is McDonald's known for?

McDonald's has used sports and entertainment cards in Happy Meals and promotional campaigns.

Sources & methodology

Every factual claim in the profile is tied to the numbered sources below. Translated sources are tagged with their original language. Media provenance is recorded per image; images are stored locally and credited to their source.

  1. Wikipedia: McDonald's (accessed 2026-11-07 · EN)
  2. Cardboard Connection: McDonald's cards (accessed 2026-11-07 · EN)

Unverified or incomplete

  • Text-first draft; media, design evolution and people/place sections are pending.

Cite this profile

PreGradeCards Research. “McDonald's.” Card Manufacturers Directory. Last verified 2026-11-07. https://pregradecards.com/manufacturers/mcdonalds

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