The first collections consisted on black and white photographs of rugby players, such examples of this were series issued by Ogden and W.D.

Later collections featured color illustrations of player portraits (Ogden, 1906) and live actions (issued by Gallagher in 1912).

[1] Australian company Scanlens produced its first rugby league set in 1963,[2] releasing several collections during the 1970s and 1980s.

[3] The company was the official licensee for National Rugby League (NRL) cards (2010–12).

[4][5] Since then, the NRL licensed company "Elite Sport Properties" (ESP) to produce trading cards.