N28's : 1887 or 1888
 

I own three N28, one of which shows no date and two that have 1887.

However, SMR and many other N28s I've seen for sale are dated 1888.


Was this revisionist history or the results of expanded research or what?

Attachment 291423

Attachment 291424

Attachment 291425

John Clarkson was sold from Chicago to Boston in April 1888. That should cinch it.

Long time hobby confusion over dating N28 and N29.

N28 was 1888 issue (not 1887) for reasons stated by Barry. Bennett is also clearly shown in a striped Detroit uniform which was introduced in 1888.

N29 was long thought to be an 1888 issue but A&G didn't produce and distribute this 2nd series until summer of 1889. I wrote about this briefly in the last issue of OC (old Tobacco Journal that provides accurate dating to many of our sport and non-sport collectables).

A&Gs release of the second series of Champions cards (N29) and banner (G21) as reported in 8/16/1889 Tobacco Journal. The album (A17) likely followed a couple weeks later.


Most of the sport and non-sport sets at this time that had cards, banner, and album followed a pattern of cards distributed in cigarette packs with a banner at point of sale to advertise the set the consumer could collect. The coupons/certificates/tickets advertising the album were inserted with the cards in the cigarette packs. The album was usually the last to debut, a couple weeks after the cards and banner were introduced. During the late 1880s, the shelf life for a given insert from the larger tobacco manufacturers (Duke, A&G) was often only a month or two. The total population of N29 cards, for example, were likely produced and distributed from August to September, 1889. The sets that displaced N29 were Birds of the Tropics (N4) in September which was then replaced by Fish of the World (N8) in October.

Goodwin & Co. would be an exception as they stuck with their popular baseball cards for several years. Far more details can be found in last issue of OC.

Thanks for the knowledge, Joe - I appreciate it.

-Raymond

Thanks Joe....certainly what I think we all hope for more of on this site. Great information on pre-wwII cards.