Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	N135 Duke Honest Long Cut Talk of the Diamond
Year	1890s
Size	2 1/2″ x 4 1/8″
Images	Color
Type	19th Century Tobacco
Number in Set	25

N135 Duke Honest Long Cut Talk of the Diamond Overview

The N135 Duke Honest Long Cut set includes 25 baseball-themed cards. While an exact date is not known for the set, it is believed to have been issued in the early 1890s.

The fronts of the cards include colorful artwork with generic, unnamed baseball players. Backs include the “Talk of the Diamond” set name at the top with a brief advertisement for W. Duke Sons and Company, a branch of the American Tobacco Company – the manufacturer. Some collectors will notice that some of the images of the baseball players on the left part of the card are the same or similar to those used in the N284 Buchner Gold Coin set.

The set was a comical issue. While one side included a color lithograph of a baseball player, the other featured a corresponding comical image related to the topic. In the card shown entitled, ‘A Home Run’, a batter is shown circling the bases after a long ball. The other side shows a young child being scolded and sent running away (presumably, home) from an angry woman.

As stated on the backs, the cards were packed in Honest Long Cut products. Backs also included a complete checklist, which has been added below.

N135 Duke Honest Long Cut Talk of the Diamond Checklist

1. A pitcher in the box
2. Stealing a base
3. He serves the ball
4. A base tender
5. Left on base
6. A home run
7. A chronic kicker
8. A regular ball
9. Three out-all out
10. A good catch
11. After the ball
12. Going for third base
13. A lively game
14. A good throw
15. A low ball
16. A rounder
17. A foul catch
18. A big hit
19. No game
20. A hot ball
21. Out
22. Left field
23. A shortstop
24. A foul balk
25. A heavy batter

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