Graded an SGC 20 this 1888 Old Judge Cigarettes N173 cabinet card of William “California” Brown with a brown mount represents an extreme scarcity within one of the period’s most fabled sets. Old Judge issued these cabinet cards of baseball players as premiums to their cigarette brand; a smoker could send 20 coupons and in exchange receive a large-format card of his favorite player. While all N173 Old Judge cards are certainly scarce this particular card is of importance due the dark brown color of its border. N173s are typically found on tan/yellowish mounts except for a limited population that Old Judge produced with colored mounts – dark brown being amongst the most prominent color differences. This card presents extremely nicely and shows wear that is typical to the issue slightly rounded corners a slightly faded photo and a few holes in the card’s corners. Additionally the card’s front exhibits a few stains and a small tear to the actual mounted photo in the upper right portion of the card. Like the front of the card the reverse is quite nice and exhibits normal wear including a few scrapes and scratches that are highlighted due to the dark color of the mount. Overall this N173 of Brown is a fantastic card and a scarcity within an already scarce and coveted set.