1900 Cope’s Golfers Set and Checklist

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Cope’s Golfers
Year	1900
Size	1 3/8″ x 2 3/4″ (standard size — narrow size is slightly smaller)
Images	Color
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	50

1900 Cope’s Golfers Overview

1900 Cope Golfers.jpg These early golf cards featured vintage pictures of the sport. Cards were distributed by Cope Brothers & Company, Ltd., a firm based in Liverpool and London in England. The company issued the cards inside of their tobacco products (backs merely state they were packed in Cope’s Tobaccos).

Fronts feature full color cartoon golf images as well as a title for each card. The back, like many late 19th Century cards, includes a complete checklist.

Some cards feature generic pictures of golfers while others depict actual players and include their name. Because the set is such an early issue, it includes recognized rookie cards for several stars of the sport.

Highlights of the set include ‘Old’ Tom Morris and his son ‘Young’ Tom Morris, as well as other key figures, including J.H. Taylor, Harold Hilton, Charles I, and A.J. Balfour (former prime minister and noted golfer). The set is also notable for a handful of cards depicting women, including Lady Margaret Scott, who was possibly the most dominant early female golfer.

Narrow Versions

Collectors should note that many of these cards appear as if they have been trimmed on the sides. However, that is often not the case. While some cards may certainly be trimmed, most with shorter sides were actually factory cut that way to fit inside some narrower packaging.

The thin cut cards generally have the same value as the regular-sized cards, even though they appear to be rarer.