1900 Cope’s Golfers Set and Checklist

‘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.jpgThese 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.

1900 Cope’s Golfers Checklist

  1. A Short Putt
  2. Tom Morris
  3. Keep Your Eye on the Ball
  4. Sandy Smith
  5. An Enthusiast
  6. A Drive
  7. Missed the Globe
  8. A.J. Balfour
  9. Andrew Lane
  10. A Bad Lie
  11. Old School
  12. Allan Robertson
  13. Mr. Crawford
  14. Fiery
  15. A Stymie
  16. This for a Half
  17. The Tee Shot
  18. A Bunker
  19. Charles I.
  20. F.G. Tait
  21. H.G. Hutchinson
  22. J.H. Taylor
  23. A Duffer’s Stroke
  24. Harold Hilton
  25. J. Ball
  26. Tom Morris
  27. J.E. Laidlay
  28. Professor Tait
  29. The Mashie
  30. New Woman
  31. The Duffer
  32. Lady Champion 1893-94-95
  33. MacFoozle
  34. Dormy
  35. A Novice
  36. How Many’s That?
  37. A Long Putt
  38. John Taylor
  39. Agriculture
  40. The Graces of Golf
  41. The Brassey
  42. The Parish Minister
  43. Fore
  44. The Parson
  45. The Elegancies of Golf
  46. Alex Herd
  47. Duffers Yet
  48. A Long Spoon
  49. Lord Stormonth Darling
  50. Lost Ball

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