Myers, Shortstop, Washington, from the Gold Coin series (N284) for Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco

Art Historical Context

This charming 1887 color lithograph depicts Myers, the shortstop for Washington’s baseball team, as part of the Gold Coin series issued by D. Buchner & Co. of New York to promote their chewing tobacco. Measuring just over three by one-and-three-quarter inches, the card was designed as an insert for tobacco packages, turning everyday purchases into miniature portraits of America’s growing sporting heroes. Produced through commercial lithography, the print captures the era’s enthusiasm for baseball, which had become a national pastime by the late nineteenth century. Such cards helped popularize players beyond the ballpark and reflect the close ties between emerging professional sports and consumer advertising. Today, this piece belongs to the Metropolitan Museum’s Burdick Collection of printed ephemera. It offers a vivid glimpse into how mass-produced imagery helped shape both sports culture and the early history of American collecting.

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...