In
addition to the N172 Old Judge set, tobacco manufacturer Goodwin &
Co. of New York also produced Gypsy Queen Cigarettes, inserting cards of
baseball players in packages of Gypsy Queen Straight Cut Cigarettes.
Similar
to an N172 Old Judge in design, these N175 cards contain advertising for
Goodwin's Gypsy Queen brand, issued in two different sizes (with
identical images) that bear the same ACC designation. The small format
cards are virtually identical to N172 cards save for the advertisement
outside the arched border at the top. Although this set mirrors its N172 counterpart in the images used, it
stands on its own in regard to rarity. The
cards are rare enough that the checklist - currently numbering
approximately 140 cards - is considered incomplete.
Presented here is one of the most
desirable of all the Gypsy Queen Hall of Famers, that of Charles Comiskey. A quick examination of the card quickly reveals it is heavily altered, the image of Comiskey heavily trimmed from its original card, remounted inside the borders of another card, and carefully re-backed. The end result is a card that looks clean and is obviously a Gypsy Queen Comiskey, but one that has undergone quite a bit of surgery.
Unquestionably, an all-original, authentic N175 Comiskey would sell for tens of thousands at auction today. Presented here is the next-best thing: a more affordable Hall of Famer from a very rare and very valuable set.