1887 Old Judge N172 Baseball Cards
The 1887 Old Judge baseball card set, also known by its American Card Catalog designation N172, is a confusing and seemingly endless series to collect for the novice; the precise number of cards it contains is unknown, and even the card size (around 1-7/16"x2-1/2") tends to vary somewhat between examples.Nevertheless, for collectors of 19th century baseball, tobacco cards, or vintage memorabilia, it remains a constantly surprising and fascinating grouping of items.
The cards were released between 1887 and 1890 by Goodwin & Co., a tobacco firm, under their imprint of Old Judge or, occasionally, Gypsy Queen cigarette brands. As with other tobacco cards of that era, they were issued one to a pack of cigarettes.
Collecting the set is a baffling proposition: cards were either numbered or unnumbered; issued with or without a date; more than 40 major and minor league teams and 500 players are represented; some player cards have up to 20 different variations in pose, team, or caption, adding up to over 3,500 total.
Still, for many baseball card collectors, the Old Judge N172 series stands as a goal that they can spend the rest of their lives working to obtain. Virtually no single person owns every card in every variation; and many have spent decades seeking out the individual cards they need to complete their sets. All of this makes this elusive antique card set a worthwhile objective and a constant learning experience.