Auction #19 - February 23, 2025

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This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2025

Louis Prang was an American printer, lithographer and publisher. He's sometimes known as "father of the American Christmas card". Among all the lithographing work that he did in the 1850's until his death in 1909, he issued a number of cards that are typically sized 2-1/2" Wide by 4" High. Prang cards are cataloged in the American Card Catalog in the W1-W70 range and represent a number of sets of varying topics. They're often termed CDV "Album fillers" as they were, in some cases, found in CDV photo albums of the time.

The W50 Prang Presidents, Generals and Wives set is comprised of 50+ trade cards with the L.Prang lithographer tagline on the front. Most are Civil War generals but also other luminaries of the time and their wives are in the set. There are 3-4 different formats of the cards on the front--with and without frames and a light beige background--and the backs of the cards are blank.

This single W50 Prang Presidents, Generals and Wives Abraham Lincoln (With Frame) has been graded SGC4 VGEX. This is the single SGC4 with the next highest graded SGC card a SGC2.5 Good+. The PSA Population Report is unavailable but a PSA6 was recently sold at Heritage Auctions for $18,000. That card was the "no frame" version believed to have been issued after the framed Lincoln in this auction. Prangs are not plentiful by any means--especially given they were issued in the 1860's versus the more popular and plentiful tobacco cards of the late 1880's. High grade Prang trade cards are rarely found above a 2 or 2.5 as witnessed by the POP reports. There are (11) total Prang Lincolns that have been graded by SGC. Nine are the no frame version and the framed version has but two graded. This W50 framed Lincoln, at SGC4 VGEX, is the highest graded of all the SGC copies. With this being an earlier version of the card and the second highest graded Prang Lincoln, there aren't any real comps on this card. It's being offered at a very fair $2500 minimum and we will let the market determine the worth of this gorgeous card.