Cap Anson’s 1887-1890 Old Judge Card Reflects Baseball’s Victorian Origins

An ultra-scarce Cap Anson 1887-90 Old Judge card reconnects modern day collectors with one of professional baseball’s earliest superstars and the game’s Victorian era roots.

1887-90 N172 Old Judge - Cap Anson - SGC 3 (VG) - "Street Clothes" | https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-cards/singles-pre-1930-/1887-90-n172-old-judge-cap-anson-street-clothes-without-name-team-sgc-vg-3/a/50090-80002.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

Long before the legends of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner or even Christie Mathewson became household names, Adrian “Cap” Anson established what many historians call an original standard for prolonged professional greatness. Anson, who debuted at only nineteen years old in 1871 for the Rockford Forest Citys, played an extraordinary 2,524 games over 27 seasons before retiring in 1897. He would also go on to play for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago White Stockings.

1885 Chicago White Stockings - Team Picture - Featuring Cap Anson | https://thisdayinbaseball.com/1885-chicago-white-stockings/

In addition to playing in over 2,500 games, Cap Anson also became the first member of the prestigious 3,000-hit club (with 3,435 hits to be exact), which would go on to include some of baseball’s most celebrated players and making his baseball cards even more important.

Baseball’s First Major Superstar

Speaking of his cards, his 1887-90 N172 Old Judge portrait is currently up for auction at Heritage and offers collectors the rare opportunity to own one of baseball’s earliest known cards dating back to the Victorian era. The card which features a portrait of Cap Anson in his “street clothes” is graded SGC 3 (VG for Very Good).

1887-1890 N172 Old Judge - Cap Anson "Street Clothes" - SGC 3 (VG) | https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-cards/singles-pre-1930-/1887-90-n172-old-judge-cap-anson-street-clothes-without-name-team-sgc-vg-3/a/50090-80002.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

For an auction perspective, bidding for this card currently stands at $3,600 (via Heritage Auctions) and is scheduled to conclude on September 18.

One of the Earliest Known “Image Variation” Cards

There’s no doubt that the 1887-90 N172 Old Judge collection remains one of the most sought-after sports-related tobacco card sets of the late 19th century. Its massive checklist, featuring more than 500 players, was one of the first to offer collectors some of the earliest known “image variations” as Cap Anson appears on two cards: one that features his standard uniform portrait and another that distinctively features a portrait of Anson wearing “street clothes”.

Why Connecting The Hobby to Its Victorian Era Roots Matters

The 1887-90 N172 Old Judge Cap Anson does something many of today’s card can’t, and that’s the fact that this card preserves some of baseball’s earliest imagery by not only capturing the players themselves but also showcasing their fashion sense and even their personalities away from the game. For example, the Victorian Era allowed the game of baseball to transition from a localized cluster of amateur clubs into a highly organized professional sports entity. The establishment of the National League in 1876 allowed for the standardization of rules, the construction of ballparks and stadiums and the introduction of a league that still stands today.

Adrian "Cap" Anson - Hall of Fame Plaque - National Baseball Hall of Fame (Class of 1939) | https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/anson-cap

From a hobby perspective, this auction introduces both modern-day and vintage collectors to some of the earliest known nineteenth-century collectibles and allows for the continued appreciation (and further enhancement of market demand) of some of baseball’s earliest superstars.