A Guide To Collecting Allen & Ginter 19th Century Tobacco Cards

Allen & Ginter tobacco cards from the 19th century are among the most collected and valued cards of the era. Build your knowledge of every set produced by the Allen & Ginter Tobacco Company. Checklists, images, pricing and variant details are all included. Build you knowledge, value your collection, and enjoy this guide.

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American Tobacco Company Buffalo Bill Wild West Show Checklist (ACC# N143)

The Buffalo Bill Wild West Show set (ACC # N143) was produced by the American Tobacco Company for the Honest Long Cut brand. Since this would be after the Duke merger that formed the ATC, this set was probably produced in the early 1890s.

The set itself was a premium obtained by mail, although the die-cut pieces may also have been inserted into packs of Honest Long Cut as some have been seen with ad information stamped on the backs. The complete premium package consists of 38 die-cut cards, 6 “Act” cards, a program and a “stage” or base piece that the die-cuts fit into via tabs.

The die-cuts were either numbered or lettered to correspond to their placement on the base. The checklist below is numbered sequentially with the die-cut’s actual designation shown in parentheses.

Buffalo Bill Wild West Show (38 die-cuts + 6 “Act” tabs)

1. Mountain landscape (“1”)
2. Mountain landscape 2 (“1a”)
3. Mountain landscape 3 (“1b”)
4. Small teepee (“2”)
5. Indians walking through mountain pass (“3”)
6. Teepee (“4”)
7. Teepee – animal paintings (“5”)
8. Indian shooting bow while mounted (“6”)
9. Large teepee (“7”)
10. Indian riding brown horse, holding rope (“8”)
11. Large teepee with sun signs (“9”)
12. Buffalo herd (“10”)
13. Indian riding black horse, holding rope (“11”)
14. Indian on horse holding rifle (“15”)
15. Stagecoach, cowboys shooting out of it (“17”)
16. Horses from stagecoach (two tabs on this card: “18” and “19”)
17. Indian shot, falling from horse (“21”)
18. Indian shooting bow while mounted, pointing away from viewer (“23 1st”)
19. Cowboy shooting rifle while mounted – pointed towards viewer (“23 2d”)
20. Indian holding onto the side of a running horse (“25”)
21. Cowboy riding white horse, shooting pistol (“27”)
22. Indian riding running a Pinto (“28”)
23. Cowboy shooting rifle while mounted – running to the left (“31”)
24. Indian falling off an injured horse (“32”)
25. Indian sitting, beating drum (“A”)
26. Indian dancing, holding shield and spear (“B”)
27. Cowboy to left of covered wagon (“C”)
28. Cowboy with covered wagon – side view (“F”)
29. Cowboy shooting pistol behind horse (“G”)
30. Indian squatting with shield (“H”)
31. Indian running with shield (“I”)
32. Indian with raised shield (“J”)
33. Indian running with shield – seen from behind (“K”)
34. Indian holding shield – bent over (“M”)
35. Indian kneeling – seen from behind (“N”)
36. Cowboy riding bucking horse (“R”)
37. Cowboy riding buffalo (“V”)
38. Cowboy shooting rifle while mounted – pointed behind horse (“X”)
39. Act 1st: Attack On Deadwood Coach (Unnumbered)
40. Act 2nd: The Rescue (Unnumbered)
41. Act 3rd: Buffalo Riders Bucking Bronchos (Unnumbered)
42. Act 4th: Surrounding A Wagon Train (Unnumbered)
43. Act 5th: Scalp Dance (Unnumbered)
44. Act 6th: The Last Shot (Unnumbered)

Duke Sports Celebrities Checklist (ACC# N142)

The Duke Sports Celebrities set (ACC# 142) is rare, sports related, and very valuable. The is an unnumbered set made up of only seven cards, four baseball players and three cyclists. These are large format cabinet cards, roughly 6 x 9 inches. The Honest Long Cut brand is advertised at the bottom left on the fronts and the backs are blank.

Sports Celebrities (7)

1. G.S. Davis (Baseball – New York)
2. E.J. Delehanty (Baseball – Philadelphia)
3. John S. Johnson (Cyclist)
4. W.M. Nash (Baseball – Boston)
5. W. Robinson (Baseball – Baltimore)
6. W.C. Sanger (Cyclist)
7. A.A. Zimmerman (Cyclist)

Duke Gems Of Beauty Checklist (ACC# N111 & N141)

The Duke Gems Of Beauty set was basically released twice, once with the Honest Long Cut brand and once with the Fair Play Long Cut brand. The set itself consists of 25 cards, unnumbered and with no official checklist. The fronts of the two issues are essentially the same with some small differences in the borders on the fronts and the primary difference being the backs – the N111 issue has an ad for Honest Long Cut, while the N141 issue promotes the Fair Play brand. Both issues were released around 1890.

The fronts of the cards show bust-length images of women with pastel backgrounds. The checklist below gives a brief description of the pictured woman on each card.

Gems Of Beauty (25)

1. Red hat, looking right
2. Red top, looking right
3. Blond hair, looking right
4. Black hat with blue flowers, looking right
5. Blue hat, looking right
6. Yellow hat with flowers, looking right
7. Top with black fringe, looking right
8. Yellow hat with large ribbon, looking right
9. Red hair with black parasol, looking right
10. Red top with black fringe, looking right
11. Fancy blue hat, looking forward
12. White top, red hair with hat, looking forward
13. Blue top and hat, read hair, looking forward
14. White top, hat with flowers, looking forward
15. Short hair, necklace, looking forward
16. Red top and hat, looking forward
17. Black hair, looking left
18. Long red hair with hat, looking left
19. Top with black fringe, looking left
20. Black hair, lace shawl, looking left
21. Red top, looking left
22. Black hair with fancy head wrap, looking left
23. Dark blue top, looking left
24. Red hair, top with white fringe, looking left
25. Black hair, fancy hat, looking left

Duke Yacht Club Colors Of The World Checklist (ACC# N140) – Large Format

The Duke N140 Yacht Club Colors Of The World set is a re-issue of the N91 set in a larger format. The sets have the same 50 card checklist and are unnumbered. The fronts show the same image from the N91 set with one of five different nautical border designs. The designs have been found in three colors, blue, gray and gold. The backs show an unsorted checklist for the set.

This set was issued around 1890 and were packed in the Honest Long Cut brand.

Yacht Club Colors Of The World (50)

1. American Canoe Association
2. Atlantic Yacht Club
3. Berliner Yacht Club
4. Beverly Yacht Club
5. Black Sea Yacht Club
6. Boston Yacht Club
7. Brooklyn Yacht Club
8. Bunker Hill Yacht Club
9. Clashot Castle Yacht Club
10. Central Hudson Yacht Club
11. Columbia Yacht Club
12. Cruising Club
13. Danish Yacht Club
14. Dorchester Yacht Club
15. Eastern Yacht Club
16. Gleneig Yacht Club
17. Haverhill Yacht Club
18. Hoboken Yacht Club
19. Hudson River Yacht Club
20. Isle Of Purbeck Yacht Club
21. Lachmont Yacht Club
22. Long Island Yacht Club
23. Lynn Yacht Club
24. Madison Yacht Club
25. Manhattan Yacht Club
26. Mud Hook Yacht Club
27. New Brunswick Yacht Club
28. New Jersey Yacht Club
29. New York Yacht Club
30. Norddeutscher Yacht Club
31. Oceanic Yacht Club
32. Paris Yacht Club
33. Portland Yacht Club
34. Prospect Park Model Club
35. Riverside Yacht Club
36. Royal Belgium Yacht Club
37. Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
38. Royal Canadian Yacht Club
39. Royal Cork Yacht Club
40. Roayl Harwich Yacht Club
41. Royal Irish Yacht Club
42. Royal Sail Yacht Club
43. Royal Squadron Yacht Club
44. Royal Welsh Yacht Club
45. Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club
46. Seawanhaka Yacht Club
47. St. Augustine Yacht Club
48. St. Petersburg Imperial Yacht Club
49. Union Yacht Club
50. Williamsburg Yacht Club

Duke Types Of Vessels Checklist (ACC# N139)

The Duke Types Of Vessels set consists of 25 die-cut cards. This is a popular set that is hard to find in great condition (as is generally the case with die-cuts). The backs can have the “Honest Long Cut” text printed in either green or blue. Knapp is the lithographer of the green backs and Giles is the lithographer of the blue backs.

This set was issued around 1889 and were packed in the Honest Long Cut brand.

Types Of Vessels (25)

1. Am. 3-Mast Schooner
2. Am. Cruiser (Saluting)
3. Am. Cruiser, Bark Rigged
4. Am. Tug Boat
5. Ballancelle (Mediterranean)
6. Brigantine
7. Catamaran
8. Cat Boat
9. Dutch Coaster
10. English Channel Side-Wheeler
11. Flat Bottomed Sail-Boat
12. French Fishing Smack
13. Full Rigged Ship
14. Lighter, N.Y. Bay
15. N.Y. Ferry Boat
16. Modern Ocean Grey Hound
17. Old Transatlantic Side-Wheeler
18. Olyster Sloop
19. Racing Canoe
20. Schooner Yacht
21. Sloop Yacht
22. Sound Steamer
23. Steam Launch
24. Tug Boat, Head On
25. Wreck On Shore

Duke Tricks With Cards Checklist (ACC# N138)

Here’s the checklist for the Duke Tricks With Cards set (ACC# N138). This is also a tough set to find, most likely because it was (and still isn’t) a very popular set. The fronts describe a particular card trick and the backs give details on how to perform the trick. The trick descriptions on the back correspond to tricks other than the one shown on the front, for instance card #10 Sympathetic Cards has the description for the trick shown on card # 3 on the back.

The set consists of an unusual amount of 24 numbered cards. They were packed in the Honest Long Cut brand.

Tricks With Cards (24)

1. Vital Cards
2. Solitaire
3. Transfixed Cards
4. Second Sight
5. The Restored Card
6. An Electric Stroke
7. Dissolving Card
8. Caught on the Fly
9. Surer than 3 Card Monte
10. Sympathetic Cards
11. Metamorphoses
12. Quicker Than Thought
13. Electrified Cards
14. Jumping Card
15. Mouchoir du Diable
16. Cabalistic Cards
17. A Square Deal
18. Inseparable Couples
19. The Rattled Innkeeper
20. Mysterious Confederacy
21. Clairvoyance
22. A Penetrative Eye
23. Carte Vivante
24. Metempsychosis

Duke Transparencies Checklist (ACC# N137)

Here’s the checklist for the Duke Transparencies set (ACC# N137). This is a tough set to find, probably because the cards themselves are very thin and easily destroyed. The thinness was on purpose as the cards were supposed to be held up to light to see a “transparent” effect (thus the set being called “Transparencies” by collectors). There’s little information on the cards, just the word “Honest” on the front. The cards showing girls have no captions so a brief description is given in the checklist. The backs are blank.

The set consists of 25 unnumbered cards. They were packed in the Honest Long Cut brand.

Transparencies (25)

1. Bethesda Fountain
2. The Bridal Veil
3. Brooklyn Bridge
4. Capitol, Washington
5. Columbus Monument, N.Y.
6. Coney Island
7. Garibaldi Monument, N.Y.
8. Girl facing to left (shoulders and head view)
9. Girl facing to right (shoulders and head view)
10. Girl, standing with left arm raised
11. Girl, standing with hands on hips
12. Girl, sitting on stool
13. Girl, seated with guitar
14. Grand Canel, Venice
15. Horse Shoe Falls in Winter
16. The Hudson
17. Lower Falls of the Yellowstone
18. Niagara Falls
19. The Palisades
20. Statue of Liberty, N.Y.
21. U.S. Battleship Indiana
22. U.S.S. Texas
23. Washington Arch
24. Washington Bridge
25. White House

Duke The Terrors of America (Large Format) Checklist (ACC# N136)

Here’s the checklist for the Duke Terrors of America set (ACC#N136). This set is a larger format version of the N88 set. The inset images are from the N88 set and the checklist is the same. This set is also an unnumbered 50 card set issued around 1889.

These were packaged in the Honest Long Cut brand and are approximately 2 1/2  x 4 3/4 inches in size.

Terrors of America (50)

1. “Ain’t she a beauty”
2. “Clean it for a quarter”
3. “Extra! Extra!!’
4. “Get off there”
5. “Hit a fellar yer size”
6. “I didn’t steal no apples”
7. “Knuckle down!”
8. “Let her go slow”
9. “Line up back there”
10. “Please come home”
11. “Pot a Boilin”
12. “Watch me hit him”
13. “What a find”
14. “Wid me one hand”
15. A Stunt
16. A Turkish Bath
17. Before Election
18. Big Bite
19. Boss Whistler
20. Brick in Hat
21. De Boss of de Gang
22. Election Night
23. Fishing
24. Foot Ball
25. Hide and Seek
26. In the First Class
27. Kite Time
28. Leap Frog
29. Maud S.
30. Me galluses is gone wrong
31. My New Duds
32. Out in left field
33. Out on first
34. Playing Buffalo Bill
35. Playing Nurse
36. Rabbit Hunting
37. Save the Core
38. Snow Balling
39. Spread the Eagle
40. Swimming
41. Tappy-on-the-window
42. Thanksgiving Day
43. The Boss Fighter
44. The Boss Short Stop
45. The Catcher
46. The Dude
47. The Figure Eight
48. The Pitcher
49. The Umpire
50. Tug of War

Duke Talk Of The Diamond Checklist (ACC# N135)

The Duke Talk Of The Diamond (ACC# N135) set is a 25 card, unnumbered set. This set features baseball-themed cartoons showing various comical references to baseball slang. This set was issued after the American Tobacco Company merger, around 1893. In some cases, the titles on the checklist found on the backs vary slightly from what is actually printed on the fronts. This set was found in the Honest Long Cut brand.

Talk Of The Diamond (25)

1. After The Ball
2. A Base Tender
3. A Big Hit
4. A Chronic Kicker
5. A Foul Balk
6. A Foul Catch
7. Going For Third Base
8. A Good Catch
9. A Good Throw
10. He Serves The Ball
11. A Heavy Batter
12. A Home Run
13. A Hot Ball
14. Left Field
15. Left On Base
16. A Lively Game
17. A Low Ball
18. No Game
19. Out
20. A Pitcher In The Box
21. A Regular Ball
22. A Rounder
23. A Short Stop
24. Stealing A Base
25. Three Out – All Out