Collecting Cards as a Kid in 1889

[Lucas00]

Wouldn't it have been fun going up to old guys smoking and asking for their Old Judges and Goodwin champions? I do.

Jokes aside I love this card of a kid Demanding for this guy's tobacco card. It's kind of cardception.

For those curious it's a N85 Duke and Sons postage stamp card.

Titled:
Give Us That Card Mister!

[ullmandds]

Who's US?????

Very cool card!!!

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Who's US?????

Very cool card!!!

Thanks!

I like to imagine every Town and City had a gang of kids roaming around for adults tobacco cards. Explains the US.
But who knows maybe the person who's pov is viewing the scene sent the kid to do it for him and paid him. Which he then used to complete his set! We shall never know.

[philliesfan]

Wow. I have several of those N85's. now I have to find them to see if I have that one!
Thanks,
Bob

[Casey2296]

Great card, thanks for posting.

[Jay Wolt]

In the same N85 Duke's set
there's another card on collecting
"Got any Duke's stamp cards?"

[maniac_73]

Always enjoyed this article about Kids collecting T206

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...ll-card-mania/

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Who's US?????

Portrait of the Bruces as a young boys.

[Rhotchkiss]

Very cool piece.

Somewhere there are threads with newspaper articles from 1909(ish) talking about all the boys' hysteria for pictures of baseball men and how they would harass smokers for cards, and in some cases, start smoking themselves just to get cards.

It appears that boys and baseball cards (and maybe tobacco) have been a thing for over 120 years. That's pretty good momentum for the future

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

In the same N85 Duke's set
there's another card on collecting
"Got any Duke's stamp cards?"

Originally Posted by maniac_73

Always enjoyed this article about Kids collecting T206



https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...ll-card-mania/

I’m Glad So many of you Enjoy the card. It struck a Chord with me as a collector when I bought it. And I knew it would do the same for many others.

Love the one you have of the kids trading!

And love the Article on card mania from 1909. It even mentions the Dukes mania of 20 years prior!

[trdcrdkid]

Some of the kids who collected cards in the 1880s later wrote down firsthand accounts. Here is a post of mine about the best known of them, Arthur Folwell, who wrote an article for the New Yorker in 1929 about his memories of collecting cards 40 years earlier:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=202129

And here is a post with a couple of articles from Card Collector's Bulletin in the 1940s, with people's memories of collecting tobacco cards back in the 1880s:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=239836

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by trdcrdkid

Some of the kids who collected cards in the 1880s later wrote down firsthand accounts. Here is a post of mine about the best known of them, Arthur Folwell, who wrote an article for the New Yorker in 1929 about his memories of collecting cards 40 years earlier:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=202129

And here is a post with a couple of articles from Card Collector's Bulletin in the 1940s, with people's memories of collecting tobacco cards back in the 1880s:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=239836

Thank you for sharing the posts again. They were very good reads. Gave insight that I thought didn't exist!

[Jay Wolt]

Here's a similar postcard a couple decades after the 1889 N85 Duke's
I have about 8-10 different ones

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

Here's a similar postcard a couple decades after the 1889 N85 Duke's
I have about 8-10 different ones

Someone should create a similar image - using Target, sports card distributors, and blaster boxes. Replace the kids with images of flippers carrying Pelican cases.

[Rhotchkiss]

Jay, that postcard is totally awesome!

[toledo_mudhen]

It appears that everyone wore a hat back then

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by toledo_mudhen

It appears that everyone wore a hat back then

Everyone wore a hat until JFK made it fashionable not to wear one.

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Jay, that postcard is totally awesome!

Ryan I got a bunch of different ones, here's one dated 1903 on the front

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

Ryan I got a bunch of different ones, here's one dated 1903 on the front

“Little boy does this look like the best time?”

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

I recall a post many years ago when this postcard was referred to as the Barry Sloate rookie card. Was funny then anyway.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

Ryan I got a bunch of different ones, here's one dated 1903 on the front

They are really really cool!

And the Barry Sloate Rookie is classic. Very funny

[Joe_G.]

Enjoyed this thread, bumping it back with a late 1887 take on collecting & trading. I like the mention of OJ baseball cards from earlier in the year being quite popular, more so than the actress cards that replaced them in late 1887. Also appears that the Kinney Military cards were quite popular with premium paid for recognized rarities.

15 cents for a card was enough to buy 3 full 10 count packs.

[spec]

Thanks, Joe, for that fascinating trip back in time. If those kids didn't rescue those cards we'd have little to collect today, nearly a century and a half later.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Joe_G.

Enjoyed this thread, bumping it back with a late 1887 take on collecting & trading. I like the mention of OJ baseball cards from earlier in the year being quite popular, more so than the actress cards that replaced them in late 1887. Also appears that the Kinney Military cards were quite popular with premium paid for recognized rarities.

15 cents for a card was enough to buy 3 full 10 count packs.

I appreciated the opportunity to read that article, thanks for sharing.

Among other things, I learned the definition of "yclept."

[philliesfan]

And the definition of teayter.

[Joe_G.]

I've found other articles about our early baseball cards, not all with happy endings. Here is another from 1887, third paragraph mentions the baseball pictures (likely Old Judge cards). Children buying and smoking cigarettes was a widespread issue that would be addressed over the ensuing years with legislation at city, state, and eventually Federal level.

By all accounts, collecting these early cigarette inserts was immediate, primarily by the boys and those assembling scrap books (often adult females - with a stronger interest in the actress and many other non-sport subjects).

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Joe_G.

I've found other articles about our early baseball cards, not all with happy endings. Here is another from 1887, third paragraph mentions the baseball pictures (likely Old Judge cards). Children buying and smoking cigarettes was a widespread issue that would be addressed over the ensuing years with legislation at city, state, and eventually Federal level.

By all accounts, collecting these early cigarette inserts was immediate, primarily by the boys and those assembling scrap books (often adult females - with a stronger interest in the actress and many other non-sport subjects).

Sad but interesting article. It definitely gives me pause as a vintage collector to perhaps focus more on candy and gum card collecting instead.

Brian

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by Joe_G.

I've found other articles about our early baseball cards, not all with happy endings. Here is another from 1887, third paragraph mentions the baseball pictures (likely Old Judge cards). Children buying and smoking cigarettes was a widespread issue that would be addressed over the ensuing years with legislation at city, state, and eventually Federal level.

By all accounts, collecting these early cigarette inserts was immediate, primarily by the boys and those assembling scrap books (often adult females - with a stronger interest in the actress and many other non-sport subjects).

Another great read! Thanks for sharing.

Everyone’s always been told it wasn’t until the 60s or 70s that cigarettes were found out to have severe consequences. But even in the early days some people definitely knew.

Here’s a few Magic lantern slides On ebay from the 20s or 30s I thought were really cool. I’m not sure if these are official quotes or if a teacher made them up.