The 1887 N172 Old Judge cigarette set is one of the most valuable and historically significant releases of tobacco-related collectibles. Produced by the American Tobacco Company and inserted randomly into packs of Old Judge cigarettes, the cards featured prominent baseball players from the late 1880s and helped popularize the relatively new sport of professional baseball across the United States. The cards were mass produced but are now exceedingly rare, with only a tiny fraction of the original print run known to have survived to the present day in collectors’ hands. Given their excellent condition and key role in baseball history, pristine examples can sell at auction for well over $1 million each.
Old Judge was one of the most prominent cigarette brands of the late 19th century, produced as American Tobacco sought to capitalize on growing tobacco consumption in the post-Civil War era. Building brand loyalty through promotional items was an early form of mainstream advertising. In 1887, the N172 set was introduced, with individual cigarette cards printed on a thick paper/cardboard substrate and measuring approximately 2.5 x 3 inches each. Each card featured a single baseball player in action along with their name and team.
There were a total of 25 cards issued in the series, profiling stars from the National League, American Association, and other prominent amateur clubs of the time. Notable inclusions were Cap Anson of the Chicago White Stockings, future Hall of Famer Tony Mullane of the Louisville Colonels, Dan Brouthers of the Buffalo Bisons, and Erastus “erasmus” Wedge of the Cleveland Blues. The cards represented some of the best known players and biggest stars of late 19th century baseball at a time when the spotlight was just beginning to shine on professional athletes.
When initially inserted into cigarette packs as intended by American Tobacco, the cards would have been a major attraction for baseball enthusiasts looking to collect profiles of their favorite players and teams. They were never intended as collectibles in their own right. Most consumers used and disposed of the cards without consideration for their future value. Surviving examples are scarce due to effective quality control measures like standardized sizes that made cards easy to tear and damage over a century ago. Environmental factors like exposure to heat, humidity, and rodents have also taken a toll.
Today, hobby experts estimate less than 200 examples might still exist across all 25 N172 cards in the set. The rarest are considered to be the cards of legendary players like Roger Connor, Tim Keefe, and Mike “King” Kelly – with perhaps only a handful known for each. Even relatively common players like Buck Ewing and Hick Carpenter could be worth six figures if in exceptional preserved quality. The finest specimens regularly break records when they cross the auction block.
In 2013, mint condition examples of Bug Holliday, Dave Orr, and Jim Whitney sold for $204,000, $231,000, and $262,000 respectively at auction. A PSA EX-MT 5/5 “Gem Mint” Roger Connor from 1887 changed hands for over $1 million in 2016. And a rare Mike “King” Kelly graded PSA NM-MT 8 sold in 2021 for an astounding $657,250. Prices have consistently risen steeply in line with growing awareness and demand from affluent collectors.
For serious paper money investors and tobacco Americana fans, owning an N172 is considered a singular achievement. They represent history through baseball’s earliest icons and the surging popularity of cigarettes at a unique moment in time. The 1887 Old Judge set is one of a handful of non-sports card releases predating the modern era that laid important groundwork. Examples changing hands for hundreds of thousands or over $1 million today illustrates how far collectibles have come since randomly tossed aside over a century past. In the eyes of the paper money community, they are national treasures deserving of preservation and display by devoted caretakers willing to pay top dollar.
The 1887 N172 Old Judge baseball card set holds immense cultural and historical significance as tobacco memorabilia, representations of professional baseball’s rising stars, and highly valuable rarities within the hobby. Despite being mass produced promotional items originally intended for brief usage and disposal, a tiny fraction have incredibly survived over 130 years to become million-dollar commodities. They connect the earliest eras of America’s pastimes to an evolving present where history commands increasingly high prices. For any aficionado of sports, tobacco Americana, or simply paper money collecting, obtaining an N172 would be considered an crowning achievement.
