ESCO was founded in Chicago in 1901 and is credited with helping invent the modern trading card. For more than half a century it put the biggest stars in America on thick card stock, from silent film icons and baseball legends to The Beatles, and sold them one penny at a time out of arcade machines it built itself. Those cards are now some of the most studied pieces of vintage hobby history. In 2026, the brand came back with a very specific mission: to become the premium trading card brand for music and pop culture. So far, the brand’s return has resulted in exclusive trading card packs from global pop superstars LISA and KATSEYE . This is the full story of ESCO, from the cards and machines that made its name to why its return is landing at exactly the right time.

What Does ESCO Stand For?

ESCO stands for Exhibit Supply Company. The name comes from "exhibit cards," the postcard-sized picture cards the company printed and sold through coin-operated arcade machines in the early 1900s.…