Beautiful Lot of 13 Antique 1890 W. Duke, Sons & Co. "Holidays" Cigarette Cards (N80) — NEAR MINT Condition!
Up for purchase is an exceptional group lot of 13 original 19th-century tobacco insert trading cards, issued by the legendary W. Duke, Sons & Co. in 1890.
These come from the highly coveted "Holidays" Series (Catalog No. N80), beautifully chromolithographed by Knapp & Co. of New York. Each individual specimen depicts a gorgeous Victorian beauty styled in intricate regional gowns, traditional attire, or festive costumes representing celebrated historical, national, and religious events from around the globe.
The 13 Festive & Historical Subjects Included in This Set:
- Carnival; Rome, Italy
- St. Patrick's Day; Ireland
- Washington's Birthday; U.S.
- New Year's Day
- St. Valentine's Day
- Garibaldi Day; Italy
- Marriage of Venice to the Sea; Italy
- May Day; France
- Reformation Day; Germany
- Grand Prix; France
- Fair Day; Wales
- Harvest Home; Austria
- Schuetzenfest; Switzerland
Collector's Condition & Structural Assessment:
- Near Mint Condition: This lot has survived in exceptionally well. The front chromolithographs display brilliant, rich colors and razor-sharp image registration. The card borders and margins remain remarkably clean and crisp for raw, 136-year-old paper.
- Flawless Back Panels: Unlike typical late 19th-century trade cards which heavily suffer from catastrophic scrapbook backing pulls, glue thinning, or heavy surface wear, all 13 of these card backs are 100% clean, un-peeled, and boast deep, bold typography. Every card uniformly features the classic, elegant cursive scroll reading 'Packed in Duke's Cigarettes' at the base. They represent prime candidates for advanced registry collectors and professional grading submissions (PSA / SGC).