The 1888 American Indian Chiefs N2 set was released by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. Here, we will talk about these non-sports trading cards, errors, values, checklist, key cards, and more.
About the Cards
The 1888 American Indian Chiefs set consisted of 50 trading cards. Each one had a size of 1-1/2″ x 2-3/4″ so it could fit in a cigarette box.
The front of each card featured beautiful full-colored artwork of each individual Native American featured in this set. At the bottom of the card, the chief’s name is listed, along with the tribe he led.
The back of each 1888 American Indian Chiefs card features the set title at the top which read, “Celebrated American Indian Chiefs, One packed in each box of ten cigarettes”. In the middle, was a list of all 50 chiefs included in the 50 card set. The bottom featured the logo for Allen & Ginter”.
Values for 1888 American Indian Chief Cards
Most of the ungraded 1888 American Indian Chief cards that you’ll find are probably worth between $10 and $18. Obviously, if they are in better condition (VG or better), they will be worth more. Geronimo and Sitting Bull are worth a bit more as well. You should be able to get your hands on a set for under $500.
There were 4 error cards. The image and names did not match up on these four cards. These are considered to be very rare. As you might guess, these are going to be worth a lot more and the prices are purely speculative. To give you an idea of what they might be worth, a complete set (with the 4 error cards) was sold on eBay for $999.99 on May 24, 2014.
- PSA 3 (VG): $15-25
- PSA 4 (VG-EX): $30-40
- PSA 5 (EX): $55-65
- PSA 6 (EX-MT): $100
- PSA 7 (NM): $160-180
Please keep in mind that this is a rare set and the higher you go in grade, the more volatile the pricing may be. Don’t be surprised if you have to pay double what the actual value of the card is.
1888 American Indian Chiefs Checklist
Below, you’ll find a checklist of the 1888 American Indian Chiefs trading cards. You’ll notice that there are no numbers. That is because this set had no numbers assigned to them.
- Agate Arrow Point
- Always Riding
- Arkikita
- Big Bear
- Big Chief
- Big Elk
- Big Razor
- Big Snake
- Black Eye
- Black Hawk (S.& F.)
- Black Hawk (Sioux)
- British
- Bull Head
- Cayatanita
- Chief Gall
- Chief Joseph
- Clam Fish
- Crow’s Breast
- Deer Ham
- Geronimo
- Great Bear
- Great War Chief
- Grey Eagle
- Hairy Bear
- Iron Bull
- John Grass
- John Yellow Flower
- Keokuk
- Keokuk’s Son
- King Of The Crows
- Lean Wolf
- Mad Bear Man And Chief
- Many Horns
- Noon Day
- Red Bird
- Red Cloud
- Red Shirt
- Red Thunder
- Rushing Bear
- Sitting Bull
- Spotted Tail
- Striker
- True Eagle
- War Captain
- Wetcunie
- White Shield
- White Swan
- Young Black Dog
- Young Whirlwind
Key Cards
The following 1888 American Indian Chiefs are some of the key cards from this set. These cards are either harder to find, have a lower population, or are tougher to get in higher grade conditions. They are going to pull a premium over the normal values because of the rarity.
- Agate Arrow Point Error
- Agate Arrow Point
- Big Bear
- Big Elk
- Black Eye
- British Error
- British
- Bull Head
- Chief Gall Error
- Chief Gall
- White Swan Error
- Young Whirlwind
What Now?
Hopefully you enjoyed learning about the 1888 Celebrated American Indian Chiefs N2 cards. If you did, you may also want to consider the 1959 Indian Trading Cards that were released by Fleer.
You may also find these sets interesting as well:
- 1909 Cowboy Series
- 1924 Leaders of Men
- 1933 Indian Gum Cards
Visit eBay if you’re looking to buy these cards. If you have any 1888 American Indian Chief cards to sell, please reach out to me, as I’d be interested in buying them.