[Archive]

Posted By: Jay Miller

As usual, Joe is right on the money. I think the variation is simply a seperate printing of the card with a new mount. Since the names were handwritten on the mount it appears that two different people did the writing. As for the numbers on the cards, Brown's Champs, being part of the short numbered 1887 series, should have a number not beginning with a zero in the upper right of the card. Lew Lipset lists these numbers for Brown's Champs in his encyclopedia. I have found three of the 13 Brown's Champs to come both numbered and unnumbered (Caruthers, Nicholl and Kemler). I haven't looked that hard so there may be more.
BTW, that was a great observation, not just for a new collector of Old Judge cards but for even a seasoned veteran. Keep up the good work, there are many mysteries to solve in this set.