Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Yum Yum Tobacco / August Beck & Company
Year	1893
Size	Unknown
Images	Brown Ink
Type	19th Century
Number in Set	Unknown

1893 Yum Yum Tobacco / August Beck (N398) Overview

The 1893 Yum Yum Tobacco / August Beck set is extremely rare. These were likely issued in packages of Yum Yum Tobacco products.

The set is believed to be mostly a non-sports issue. However, several sports are known to be in the set. Among the big four, a baseball and football card are known. No athletes are named as these were generic pictures. Additionally, a golf card is found in the set.

The football image, seen here, features a generic ball-carrier in the midst of being tackled. The title ‘Foot Ball’ is printed at the bottom, which also includes a ‘Smoke and Chew Yum Yum Tobacco’ box.

Cards were printed in only brown ink with pictures consisting of a relatively basic sketch of a subject. Nearly impossible to find, these cards are among the rarer 19th century tobacco issues.

Redemption Program

The cards are well over 100 years old so the fact that they are rare is not terribly surprising. But another reason for their scarcity could be the fact that August Beck & Company ran a redemption program for them.

Backs indicate that several prizes could be awarded for the exchange of the cards. A ‘fancy cob pipe’ that was advertised as the finest made could be had for 20 cards. Here is a full list of the prizes available and the required cards needed to secure them.

• Fancy Cob Pipe – 20 cards
• Genuine Briar Pipe – 40 cards
• Pocketbook – 50 cards
• Pocket Knife – 50 cards

The cards were to be mailed to August Beck & Company in Chicago, Illinois.

1893 Yum Yum Tobacco / August Beck (N398) Checklist

Due to the scarcity, a full checklist of this set is not currently known. However, the sports cards identified in it thus far include:

• Baseball
• Cycling
• Football
• Golf

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