Allen & Ginter was a

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

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 ch ...

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 manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands. Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible cards with their packages of cigarett ...

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 obvio ...

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. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exch ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Some of the notable cards in the series include baseball players

Charles Comiskey Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was also ...

, Cap Anson, and Jack Glasscock, as well as non-athletes like Buffalo Bill Cody. The company merged with four other tobacco manufacturers to form the

American Tobacco Company The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company. The company was one of the original 12 members ...

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 chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, an ...

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, sta ...

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 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 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

. 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 Goodwin & Company was an American tobacco manufacturer from New York City. Initially E. Goodwin and Brother, the company was founded before the American Civil War. It was known for its cigarette brands "Gypsy Queen" and "Old Judge". In 1890, the ...

) formed the

, in an attempt to compete against British tobacco companies.

Collectible cards

In late 1880s, Allen & Ginter began to release

sets as promotional items for its cigarette 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

Modern era

In 2006,

, a leading producer of confectionery 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 ...

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 game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

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 t ...

and

Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra (; born March 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the ...

( soccer),

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1 ...

(

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

Danica Patrick Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver. 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 by a woman i ...

(

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primaril ...

Leon Spinks Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fr ...

(

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

), Randy Couture (

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

), Misty May-Treanor ( beach volleyball) and

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

(

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

). 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 David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

and everything in between.

Non-sports trading card Non-sport trading cards are a particular kind of 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 whose subjects c ...

s issued by Topps included personalities such as

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 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 invent ...

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...

and

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...

, 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 an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

, George Washington 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 Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

, 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 Dwyer Brothers Stable was an American thoroughbred horse racing operation owned by Brooklyn businessmen Phil and Mike Dwyer. The Dwyer brothers hired trainer Evert Snedecker and purchased their first Thoroughbred, Rhadamanthus, in 1874. In O ...

( 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 Emily Bancker (1861/62 – June 5, 1897) was a popular stage actress active on the North American stage over the balance of the 1880s and '90s. Sources disagree regarding her origins, with contemporary newsprint articles divided on whether she was ...

(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, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(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 ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-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 this a ...

(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 for many years on the upper Missouri River. He is notable for his oration delivered at the funeral of Black Buffalo in 1813. Big Elk led his p ...

(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 nich ...

(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 who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a 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 Frank B. Adams (December 19, 1847 – December 29, 1929"New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", database, ''FamilySearch'' (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WGM-FQX : 3 June 2020), Frank B. Adams, 1929.), commonly know ...

(World's Champions) File:Emperor of Austria, from World's Sovereigns series (N34) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP838676.jpg, Franz Joseph I, (World's Sovereigns)

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