Definitive Dating of Some Allen & Ginter Cards Including N28 & N29

[oaks1912]

Great info Joe, and more support of the mixed sport sets being issued during overlapping years. The N-28's were clearly very popular and were likely distributed in more markets, including the West Coast where I've found more than a dozen 'original' groupings over the years... They were probably marketed for about 5 or 6 months (Oct 1888-mid-1889) and then the N-29 / N-43 came out in August 1889. I don't think there were as many printed, or perhaps sent to fewer markets. The N-29's have always been tougher, and the N-43 still tougher. I've never found an 'outside the hobby' group of N-43. All that I have purchased were from 'inside the hobby' sources... With continued research we'll probably find the same thing for N-184 Kimball, which were also distributed in the West Coast market...

[trdcrdkid]

Thanks for the great research, Joe. This article from the December 1, 1941 Card Collector's Bulletin, based on notes made by Harry Lillien from the journal Tobacco (which I guess was distinct from "Tobacco Journal"?), is also relevant here. I'm not sure why Lillien's notes include so few issues, but the dates for the A&G sets he found are consistent with your findings. Walter Corson wrote these dates by the relevant entries in his copy of the 1946 American Card Catalog, which I have. I have a nagging feeling that I've seen another early article like this that includes other dates for N card sets, but if so I couldn't find it earlier.

[insidethewrapper]

So it looks like the N29 and N43 series including 6 baseball players were issued in 1889 (late in the season). If so, the cards were designed much earlier and never corrected (Morrell - Morrill) played for Washington in 1889 and Boston in 1888 and Getzin - Getzien ( played for Indy in 1889 and Detroit in 1888). Both spelled wrong and both not team updated.