Meyers, Catcher, Indianapolis, from the Gold Coin series (N284) for Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco

Art Historical Context

This charming 1887 color lithograph captures catcher Meyers of the Indianapolis team, part of the Gold Coin series issued by D. Buchner & Co. of New York to promote their chewing tobacco. Measuring just three by one-and-three-quarter inches, the card was designed to be slipped into tobacco packages, turning everyday purchases into collectible souvenirs. At a time when professional baseball was rapidly becoming America’s national pastime, such images helped fans connect with their favorite players and fueled the early hobby of card collecting. Produced as a commercial lithograph reproducing a drawing, the print uses bright, flat colors typical of late-nineteenth-century advertising graphics. The modest format and mass-production technique reflect the era’s growing consumer culture, where manufacturers used colorful imagery to build brand loyalty. Though created as ephemera, these cards preserve vivid glimpses of 1880s uniforms, poses, and equipment. Today, the work resides in the Metropolitan Museum’s Burdick Collection, reminding visitors that even the humblest promotional items can become treasured records of both sporting history and graphic design.

About the Artist

D. Buchner & Co., New York · 1850–1900

D. Buchner & Co. was a New York-based tobacco manufacturer prominent in the American market during the 1880s, best known today for its Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco brand and the vivid trade cards the company inserted into its product packaging to drive consumer loyalty. The firm was one of numerous tobacco companies that, during the boom years of American commercial printing, recognized the marketing...