The 1888 WG1 set of baseball playing cards is arguably one of the most historically significant and valuable sets of baseball cards in existence today. Produced in the late 1880s, this set marked one of the earliest attempts to feature baseball players on trading cards at a time when the relatively new sport of professional baseball was still in its formative years but gaining immense popularity across the United States. The cards offer a fascinating glimpse into the early days of the national pastime and provide modern collectors with a rare opportunity to own authentic artifacts from baseball’s pioneering era.
The cards were published by the Wellington-Guarantee Cigarette Company as a promotional item inserted into packs of cigarettes between 1888-1890. Each pack contained 11 cards featuring individual baseball players from both the National League and American Association. In total, there were 110 unique baseball cards across 10 series issued over the 3 year period. The cards are considered the oldest documented form of baseball trading cards and pre-date the legendary 1880s Goodwin Champions set which is generally regarded as the first modern baseball card set.
Although the precise printing numbers for each series are unknown, it is believed the total run for the entire 10 series WG1 set was relatively low, especially considering it was produced in the 1880s before the advent of mass printing techniques. As such, finding high quality, fully intact examples of the cards in the modern day has become an immense challenge for collectors. The fragile paper stock and 120+ years of wear and tear since the cards were first circulated has resulted in very few specimens surviving in pristine Near Mint condition required by the most discerning vintage card connoisseurs. Several key details also make authenticating high grade WG1 cards difficult, such as the lack of player signatures, statistical information or team logos that are standard features of modern cards.
Unsurprisingly, given the set’s great historical value and prominence as the first true baseball cards, examples that have survived in excellent condition have sold at auction for astronomical prices. In recent years, individual rare and high graded WG1 singles have routinely fetched five and even six figure sums. One of the most famous auctions was for an 1888 Old Judge Leather Lung Sullivan card that was graded PSA NM-MT 8 and sold by Heritage Auctions in 2016 for an astronomical $86,250 setting a new record price for any pre-20th century baseball card. Other legendary names on WG1 cards that have sold for over $10,000 include King Kelly, Buck Ewing and Jim O’Rourke.
Even raw, ungraded examples in generally well-preserved condition can still demand prices in the thousands of dollars due to their great historical importance, especially if they feature sought after star players of the time. For collectors looking to affordably add an authentic piece of early baseball card history to their collections on a budget, WG1 singles in grades of F-VF or lower are usually available in the $500-$3,000 range depending on condition and the individual player featured. Occasional deals can be found below $1,000 if a card exhibits lower grades with wear, staining or rounded corners.
A complete set across all 10 series is the obvious top prize for advanced WG1 collectors but is close to unobtainable for anything less than an immense 6 figure sum. Only a handful are privately held in institutional collections and not often accessible to the broader marketplace. Individual series however can still be stratospherically valuable even in crudely assembled form with duplicates. A late 1880s Series 9 set recently sold on eBay for $42,000 as the first ever complete documented set of that particular issue to come to public auction.
For buyers wanting exposure to the WG1 set without investing tens of thousands, the next best options are to target individual subsets across more common series or acquire smaller specialty collections. Dealers and auction houses have broken up complete sets over the years to sell series like the 1886-S5 which featured an all New York Giants team for around 5-10 times the price of a single card. Short print star subsets and particular league/position/team subsets have also sold well for WG1 collectors who can’t afford a full retrospective.
The 1888 WG1 baseball playing cards were truly groundbreaking in the history of sports collectibles as pioneering precursors to the modern trading card craze. Few other sets can match their immense historical, aesthetic and monetary significance. Ownership of even just a single WG1 card offers a connection to the nascent era when baseball first captured the American imagination in the latter 19th century. For discerning collectors, finding high quality specimens is an ongoing challenge but becoming part of this epic set’s legacy makes the quest well worth embarking on. No other vintage card set quite encapsulates baseball’s roots or rich past within the confines of fragile cardboard.
