1898/1899 Ogden Cricketers and Sportsmen Set and Checklist

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Ogden Cricketers and Sportsmen
Year	c. 1898/1899
Size	1 5/8″ x 2 1/4″
Images	Black and White
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	50

1898/1899 Ogden Cricketers and Sportsmen Overview

1898 Ogden Cricketers and Sportsmen H.H. Hilton Golf This set is sometimes cited as the earliest issue featuring golfers. While other golf cards, including trade issues and those featuring generic subjects certainly existed well before it, PSA calls this the first to include actual golfers.

Unlike other Ogden cards in the early 1900s that have black borders, these are white-bordered issues. The cards feature real black and white images of athletes with their name and a title printed at the bottom, along with the Ogden’s Cigarettes name. The titles on the cards for each athlete varied. In some cases, a cricketer’s team or location was given. In others, an athlete was recognized with a special title indicating they were a champion or top performer.

They were reprinted in or around 2001, and while it isn’t out of the ordinary to find those, finding the real cards is not an easy task.

Several sports were included in the set but cricket is by far the dominant one. A total of 36 cricket cards are found in the same, easily the most for any of the sports featured. Other sports include cycling, track and field, and walking (pedestrians). But, by far, it’s the golfers that are the most valuable in it.

Golf is not heavily represented but a few cards are in the release.. Headlining the set are Hall of Fame golfers H.H. Hilton and Harry Vardon. These cards are cited as their rookie issues. Hilton is referred to as an ‘Amateur Golf Champion’ while Vardon is called the ‘World’s Golf Champion.’

Finally, of note is that a similar set was printed around the same time period by Ogden’s featuring actresses. Those cards have a similar layout to these, albeit slightly modified.

Dating Concerns

While called an 1898 set, the dating on it is a little murky. It is often cited as an 1898 issue but is sometimes also called an 1899 release. Really, circa 1898 or 1899 seems to be a better term.

Per this thread, the titles of champion assigned to the golfers noted above seem to have been given after 1898. That has called into question whether the cards were really printed that early.