Old Judge.......How do you collect them?

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Posted By: Anonymous

Hello Bruce, the complete run of 1887 Detroit Wolverines numbers only 28. Of the 8 National League teams, Detroit had the fewest players & poses.

Jeff, the 1887 long numbered cards (leading "0" followed by 2 or 3 digit number) are among the more easily collectable in the series with each team having a common background (all from same photo shoot). Collecting in such a fashion can make for a neat looking subset with a common look or appearance to the card design and team back drop. For example, all the Detroit cards have a stadium back drop (as do the Chicago cards).

In terms of price, you may notice that Brooklyn (neat outdoor photos) and possibly Detroit carry a slight premium. I would 2nd New York as a good team to collect. A ton of poses, perhaps the easiest to find, and a great team to boot (1888 & '89 Champs).

Quick Run Down of the Teams represented in 1887 long numbered series:
(poses / players)
National League
Boston - 74 / 15
Chicago - 63 / 12
Detroit - 28 / 9
Indianapolis - 35 / 13
New York - 111 / 14
Philadelphia - 49 / 14
Pittsburgh - 49 / 14
Washington - 48 / 14

American Association
Brooklyn - 48 / 14

Grand Total of 505 poses amongst 117 players / managers. I would venture to guess that one card of each player from any team could be completed in one to two years if aggressive. Going after all the poses of any one team would probably take 5 - 10+ years, again if aggressive. Commons in "gradeable" condition run from $200 - $500+ while HOFers will run $750 - $2000+.

The same 8 National League teams from 1887 remained in the league for 1888. Goodwin re-issued many of the same poses while new ones were added from different photo shoots (different back drops) and so on. Lots of variations, errors, etc. The other American Association teams also joined the fray along with some minor league teams. In some cases, a player that happened to jump from a major league team to a minor league team could result in an obscure Old Judge team variation card.

Best Regards,
Joe Gonsowski