Allen & Ginter was a

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

manufacturing company formed by John F. Allen and Lewis Ginter around 1880. The firm created and marketed the first

cigarette card Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco industry, tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and nicotine marketing, advertise cigarette brands. Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible car ...

s for

collecting The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual ''collector''. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obvi ...

and

trading Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market (economics), market. Traders generally negotiate throu ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Some of the notable cards in the series include baseball players Charles Comiskey,

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain"), "Pop", and "Baby" (early in his career) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association ...

, and Jack Glasscock, as well as non-athletes like

Buffalo Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age o ...

. The company merged with four other tobacco manufacturers to form the American Tobacco Company in 1890. Since 2006, a revived version of the brand has been issued by

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures trading cards and other collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of Baseball card, baseball and other sports and Non-sports tradi ...

for a line of

baseball card A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. In the 1950s, they came with a stick of gum and a limited number of cards. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, s ...

History

Tobacco manufacturing

Industries of Richmond 1886 - Allen and Ginter

The firm of Allen & Ginter, born around 1880, was the rebranding of John F. Allen & Company, a partnership formed about eight years earlier by John F. Allen and Lewis Ginter. When Allen retired in 1882, Ginter took on John Pope as his new partner but kept Allen's name. The first tobacco company to employ female labor, by 1886 they had 1,100 employees, predominantly girls, who rolled the cigarettes. Around 1876, the company offered a prize for the invention of a machine able to roll cigarettes (which until then had been hand-rolled). In 1880,

James Albert Bonsack __NOTOC__ James Albert Bonsack (October 9, 1859
. URL last accessed 2006-10-11.

of Virginia invented a cigarette rolling machine. Because it was not completely reliable, all but one of the large tobacco manufacturers declined to buy the machine.

James Buchanan Duke James Buchanan Duke (December 23, 1856 – October 10, 1925) was an American tobacco and electric power industrialist best known for the invention of modern cigarette manufacture and marketing techniques, and his involvement with Duke Unive ...

did buy this cigarette rolling machine in 1885 and used it to great success; by 1890 he had consolidated his four major competitors, including Allen & Ginter, and formed the American Tobacco Company. The "Allen & Ginter Company" was no more, but Lewis Ginter sat on the board of the American Tobacco Company. The cigarette brands of Allen & Ginter included Richmond Gems, Virginia Brights, Perfection, Dandies and Little Beauties. In 1890, Allen & Ginter, along with other companies of the United States (W. Duke & Sons, W.S. Kimball & Company, Kinney Tobacco, and Goodwin & Company) formed the American Tobacco Company, in an attempt to compete against

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

tobacco companies.

Collectible cards

In late 1880s, Allen & Ginter began to release

sets as stiffeners for the tobacco package and promotional items for its

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...

brands. The most part of the collection consisted of illustrated cards, but there were a few collections of photographs. Topics varied from birds and wild animals to American Indian chiefs or flags of the world. Allen & Ginter's

s were the first of the tobacco era baseball cards ever produced for distribution on a national level. The most popular and highly sought after of these sets is the N28 and N29 "World's Champions" series, released in 1887.1887 N28 Allen & Ginter Baseball Cards
on The Cardboard Connection In 1887, Allen & Ginter released its iconic "World's Champions" set, featuring not only baseball players but also athletes from various sports and notable public figures. These cards were illustrated, featuring vibrant chromolithographic printing. Players like

and

King Kelly Michael Joseph "King" Kelly (December 31, 1857 – November 8, 1894), also commonly known as "$10,000 Kelly", was an American outfielder, catcher, and manager (baseball), manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the Na ...

became some of the earliest sports celebrities, immortalized through Allen & Ginter’s cards. Allen & Ginter's influence extended beyond just baseball, inspiring future tobacco companies and card manufacturers to produce similar sets. Today, Allen & Ginter's cards are highly valued among collectors for their historical significance and artistry.

Modern era

In 2006,

, a leading producer of

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

and

trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other t ...

s, resurrected the Allen & Ginter brand name to produce a series of illustrated

s, mostly focused on baseball sets. Nevertheless, the first couple of years of the product's inception saw the inclusion of several other sports figures such as Jennie Finch (

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

Brandi Chastain Brandi Denise Chastain (born July 21, 1968) is an American retired soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold-medalist, coach, and sports broadcaster. She played for the United States national team from 1988 ...

and

Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm (born March 17, 1972) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player, two-time Women's Football at the Summer Olympics, Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Haile ...

(

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...

(

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

Danica Patrick Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver and model. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing—her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win ...

(

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

Leon Spinks Leon Spinks (July 11, 1953 – February 5, 2021) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1995. In only his eighth professional fight, he won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a s ...

(

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...

(

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

), Misty May-Treanor (

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...

) and

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

(

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

). Allen & Ginter cards began to feature hand-painted cards of current baseball players as well as various insert sets featuring standout athletes in other sports, pop culture icons, and historical figures ranging from Wee-Man to

Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennesse ...

and everything in between.

Non-sports trading card Non-sport trading cards are a particular kind of trading card, collectible card designated as such because trading cards have historically prominently featured athletes from the world of sports as subjects. Non-sports cards are trading cards wh ...

s issued by Topps included personalities such as

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...

and

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

, among others. From 2006 to 2009, artist Dick Perez was commissioned to hand paint special one of one insert cards in the style of Allen & Ginter. Perez created 30 art cards each of those years featuring the prominent stars of the game. As of 2012 the Allen & Ginter series remains one of Topps' most popular, highest selling brands in their product lineup. The best known of the Allen & Ginter insert sets however, are the DNA Hair Relic cards. These highly lauded cards feature strands of hair from famous historical figures such as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

and many others. Another popular feature of the Allen & Ginter product is the Rip Card. Invented by hobby shop owner and Topps consultant Alan Narz, Rip Cards have been a part of every Allen & Ginter product since 2006. These cards allow collectors to keep the card intact or to rip the outer card to reveal an exclusive mini card available only inside of a Rip Card. These mini cards may be short prints, autographs, or cards made from metal or wood. Beginning in 2013, Topps began including a Double Rip Card, which had two inner cavities with mini cards inside. In 2019, Topps introduced a jumbo Box Topper Rip Card, with 3 mini cards inside.

Trading cards series

There were various

sets released as promotional items for these products. The most popular and highly sought after of these sets is the N28 and N29 "World's Champions" series, released in 1887. Some of the series released were (all illustrations, except where noted): * A25: World's Inventors * N1: American Editors * N2: American Indian Chiefs * N3: Arms of All Nations * N4: Birds of America * N5: Birds of the Tropics * N6: City Flags * N8: 50 Fish From American Waters * N9: Flags of All Nations * N10: Flags of All Nations 2 * N11: Flags of the States and Territories * N12: Fruits * N13: Game birds * N14: General Government and State Capitol Buildings * N15: Great Generals * N16: Natives in Costumes * N17: Naval Flags * N18: Parasol Drills * N19: Pirates of the Spanish * N21: 50 Quadrupeds * N22: Racing Colors of the World * N23: Song Birds of the World * N24: Types of All Nations * N25: Wild Animals of the World * N26: World's Beauties * N27: World's Beauties 2 * N28: World's Champions * N29: World's Champions 2 * N30: World's Decorations * N31: World's Dudes * N32: World's Racers * N33: World's Smokers * N34: World's Sovereigns * N35: American Editors 2 * N36: American Indian Chiefs 2 * N37: Birds of America 2 * N38: Birds of the Tropics 2 * N40: Game Birds * N42: Song Birds of the World * N43: World's Champions 2 * N45: Actors and Actresses * N46: Cigarette Making Girls * N47: Dogs ¹ * N48: Girl Baseball Players * N49: Girl Cyclists * N57: Actresses * N58: Girls and Children * N59: Girls * N60: Actresses and Celebrities * N64: Girls and Children * N65: Girls and Children * N67: Actresses 2 ;Notes File:Dwyer Brothers, from the Racing Colors of the World series (N22b) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP835213.jpg, Dwyer Brothers ( Racing Colors of the World File:Emily Bancker, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 8) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes MET DP831374.jpg, Emily Bancker (Actors and Actresses) File:Austro-Hungary, from Flags of All Nations, Series 2 (N10) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP841360.jpg,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(Flags of All Nations) File:South Africa (Boer), from the Natives in Costume series (N16), Teofani Issue, for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP834892.jpg,

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

(Natives in Costume) File:Canada Goose, from the Game Birds series (N13) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP834665.jpg, Canada Goose from Game Bird series (1889) File:Big Elk, Ponca, from the American Indian Chiefs series (N2) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP828003.jpg,

Big Elk Big Elk, also known as ''Ontopanga'' (1765/75–1846/1848), was a principal chief of the Omaha (tribe), Omaha tribe for many years on the upper Missouri River. He is notable for his oration delivered at the funeral of Black Buffalo (chief), Black ...

(Indian Chiefs of America) File:Eagle, from the Birds of America series (N4) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP828758.jpg,

Bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

(Birds of America) File:Benjamin Franklin, printer's sample for the World's Inventors souvenir album (A25) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP838827.jpg,

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

(World's Inventors) File:Cimeter, from the Arms of All Nations series (N3) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP828704.jpg, Cimiter (Arms of All Nations) File:Edward Teach (Black Beard), Walking the Plank, from the Pirates of the Spanish Main series (N19) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP835032.jpg, Edward Teach (Pirates of the Spanish) File:Frank B. "Yank" Adams, Billiard Player, from World's Champions, Series 1 (N28) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP827440.jpg, Yank Adams (World's Champions) File:Emperor of Austria, from World's Sovereigns series (N34) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP838676.jpg,

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

, (World's Sovereigns) File:Sturgeon, from Fish from American Waters series (N39) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP839119.jpg, Sturgeon (American Waters)

References

External links

Allen & Ginter collections
on Topps
Topps Allen & Ginter collection
on Cardboardconnection
Allen & Ginter collector's site
(archived, 16 June 2021) {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen and Ginter 1880s establishments in Virginia 1890 disestablishments in Virginia Companies established in the 1880s Manufacturing companies established in the 19th century Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1890 American companies disestablished in 1890 1890 mergers and acquisitions American Tobacco Company Tobacco companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Richmond, Virginia Baseball cards Trading card companies Defunct manufacturing companies based in Virginia