• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Wander Franco Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Vintage Sports Card News / Old Baseball Card Sets / 19th Century Trade Cards Had Charm And A Message

19th Century Trade Cards Had Charm And A Message

December 8, 2015 By Bob D'Angelo

Advertising was much simpler in the late 19th century. Think of it: no Internet, social media, television or radio. Certainly, there were newspapers and magazines, but enterprising businessmen used a more personal way to tout their companies during the Victorian era.

Trade cards.

These were small, illustrated advertising cards. A drawing on the front was usually accompanied by a card back that publicized a business. It was the perfect way to advertise a company’s goods or services. Think of them as 19th century business cards.

Cards illustrated in color were extremely popular, as color lithography was still relatively new.

Trade card 19th century

Baseball was one of the subjects businessmen used to tout their services. And in the 1880s, one of the more whimsical and humorous issues was put out by Merchant’s Gargling Oil Linament, a company that was established in 1833. This was a five-card set that featured caricatures of chubby baseball players in various poses. The cards, measuring 3 ¼ inches by 5 ¼ inches and printed on thin stock, were manufactured in Lockport, New York, which was located near Buffalo.

The card fronts showcased humorous poses, while the backs were used for store advertising. The cards were actually issued with blank backs, and different companies then would imprint their names on the card backs and then pass them out to customers.

Here’s an example. One of the cards shows a chunky baseball player sitting on the ground and cooling off with a hand-held fan. The caption reads, “The Hero of a Home Run. The Ladies’ Favorite.”

trade card

Here are the captions for the other four cards: “Struck Out,” “Something must be done ‘Put it there!’” “Bravo! The Pet of the Nine,” and “A close affair: Hugging the Bat.”

19th century Masters Gargling Oil Linament card

There are four versions of the Merchant’s Gargling Oil Linament sets (which have an H804-7 designation). Each has the same design on the card front, but vary in colors and by the company that printed them.

The first version (H804-7A) has red and tan color tones on the card front. They were printed by Clay & Richmond in Buffalo. This is the most common style of Gargling Oil cards.

A multi-color version with blue and yellow tones (H804-7B) is a little tougher to collect. These were printed by Courier Lithograph of Buffalo.

Trade card Masters Gargling Oil

The third version (H804-7C) looks very similar to the Clay & Richmond version, but was put out by Gies & Co. of Buffalo.

Probably the scarcest version is the fourth, or H804-7D. It has the same look as the Clay & Richmond cards, but there are punctuation differences. It was printed by a different company, too — Karle & Co. of Rochester, New York.

The Merchant’s Gargling Oil Linament set cannot be found in the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards. The set is listed, however, in the “Baseball Advertising Trade Cards” book by Frank Keetz (which is now out of print).

19th century Masters Linament trade card

The set is not hard to find, and many affordable versions can be found on eBay.

Baseball as a subject soon would make the transition from trade cards to tobacco cards. While cartoons were acceptable to the general public, the idea of cards showing actual photographs of players seemed undesirable to others.

In his book “Mint Condition,” Dave garglingbackJamieson tells the story of a New Orleans Daily Picayune reporter, who asked a young woman if she’d allow her photo to be taken for a “cigarette picture.” The woman’s response was emphatic.

 “What a horrid suggestion!  Only actresses, baseball players, and other dreadful people have such things taken,” she said.

Presumably, trade cards were acceptable.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

1878 Forbes Set Among Earliest Baseball Trade Cards Pre-War Baseball Card Holiday Gift Ideas for Any Budget The Wayback Collector: Early Old Judge Trade Card Advertised N173 Baseball Cabinets 1893 Arbuckle Coffee Card Set Mixes Early Sports and Legendary Artwork 1860 Brooklyn Atlantics CDV Set for Auction Christy Mathewson T206 portraitThe Wayback Collector: More Than a Century Later, Tobacco Cards Remain Popular A Look At Victorian Sports Trade Cards, Scraps and Die Cuts Authenticating Old Judges, Four Base Hits, Kalamazoo Bats and Other 19th Century Cards

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Old Baseball Card Sets, Sports Card News, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 19th century baseball cards, trade cards

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card Auctions
  • Graded Rookie Cards opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Hindman Sports Memorabilia & Cards Auction Ends June 26, 2023
  • Sterling Sports Auctions of Vintage Cards & More Auction – Ending June 22, 2023
  • PWCC Marketplace June Premier Auction Ends June 22, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window