Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	G20 Allen & Ginter World Champions Banner
Year	1888
Size	16″ x 28″
Images	Color
Type	Banners
Number in Set	1

1888 G20 Allen & Ginter World Champions Banner Overview

The 1888 N28 Allen & Ginter cards featured a collection of 50 champions and stars in a variety of sports, including baseball, rowing, wrestling, pugilism/boxing, rifle shooting, and billiards/pool. These cards were packaged inside of boxes of Allen & Ginter cigarettes.

The G20 banners were an advertisement of sorts that were likely hung in shops selling the cigarettes that included the cards. Printed on thin paper, they are difficult to find at all – let alone in good condition.

The posters feature a layout of all 50 cards. One unique thing is that the cards on the poster do not overlap and the pictures are the same ones used in the A16 Allen & Ginter Album. Those also included pictures of the N28 cards but did not have the Allen & Ginter name printed on the bottom as the cards that were packaged with cigarettes did. It is important to note that, while many collectors assume all hand cut N28 cards that are blank-backed and without the Allen & Ginter name at the bottom are from the A16 Album, that is incorrect. Some of the hand-cut examples out there were from the album but some were also from these banners, such as this example here.

The banners had a gold background and a baseball diamond of sorts. Four sports were pictured in each corner of the banner, representing some of the sports featured in the set – baseball, boxing, billiards, and rowing.

1888 G20 Allen & Ginter World Champions Banner Checklist

The cards featured on the banner are the same in the N28 Allen & Ginter set and are listed below.

1. Joe Acton
2. Yank Adams
3. Cap Anson (Baseball)
4. Theo Bauer
5. William Beach
6. Chas Bennett (Baseball)
7. Young Bibby
8. Captain Bogardus
9. George Busear
10. Jimmy Carney
11. Jimmy Carroll
12. W.F. Carver
13. Bob Caruthers (Baseball)
14. John Clarkson (Baseball)
15. Buffalo Bill Cody
16. Charles Comiskey (Baseball)
17. Maurice Daly
18. Jack Dempsey (‘Nonpareil’)
19. Joseph Dion
20. Albert Frey
21. Jake Gaudaur
22. Jack Glassock (Baseball)
23. Albert Hamm
24. Ed Hanlon
25. George Hosmer
26. Tim Keefe (Baseball)
27. King Kelly (Baseball)
28. Jake Kilrain
29. Joe Lannon
30. J.L. Malone
31. Jack McAuliffe
32. John McKay
33. J.H. McLaughlin
34. John McMahon
35. Charlie Mitchell
36. William Muldoon
37. Joseph Mulvey (Baseball)
38. Annie Oakley
39. Wallace Ross
40. J. Schaefer
41. William Sexton
42. George Slosson
43. Jem Smith
44. Matsada Sorakichi
45. John L. Sullivan
46. John Teemer
47. E.A. Tricett
48. M. Vignaux
49. John Ward (Baseball)
50. Ike Weir

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