The world was a much different place 125 years ago but if you were a baseball fan (or ‘Base Ball’ as they called it back then), you could collect trading cards. As long as you smoked or knew someone who did and favored Goodwin and Company’s Old Judge and Gypsy Queen brand, you could build quite a collection. Over 40 different teams from various levels of pro baseball were represented by hundreds of cards created from studio photographs. Placed in packs of cigarettes, they featured obscure players as well as the superstars of the era, like ace pitcher Charles “Kid” Nichols. This week, our eBay listings include 12 terrific 19th century Old Judge cards including Nichols, all graded and ready for new homes. Because of their age, cards from this era are hard to find in high grade and even respectable looking cards are coveted. Those we’re offering are of solid quality, SGC graded between 30 and 60. Somewhat surprisingly, the more common cards in the Old Judge sets really aren't that expensive, even though a very small sampling is available. What constitutes a complete set of Old Judges will likely never be known because of the large number of photo variations and the limited number of cards that survived. However, every collector who appreciates vintage cards should own at least one and our auctions offer the chance to snap one up. The unique poses and uniform styles are a great lesson in baseball history. Bidding closes Sunday night.
