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This is a rare late-1800s Lion Coffee advertising and educational card set consisting of 26 original cards from a matching issue. These cards were produced as promotional trade and educational pieces and were commonly distributed with Lion Coffee at the turn of the century for family games, classroom use, and general collecting.
Each card features period educational content covering major U.S. rivers, cities, historical events, national figures, and geographic topics, paired with the iconic Lion Coffee advertising back displaying the bold “DRINK LION COFFEE” sunburst design. This format reflects the peak era of American brand promotion and parlor education during the late Victorian period.
All cards remain in honest antique condition with expected age toning, edge wear, and handling marks from over a century of use and storage. Three cards have one clipped corner, a common period alteration that does not affect the display or historical integrity of the set. No modern replacements are present and the group remains a cohesive, original survivor.
Large matching groups of Lion Coffee cards are increasingly difficult to assemble, and this set offers strong appeal across multiple collector markets including antique advertising, coffee memorabilia, educational ephemera, and early American card games.
A visually striking and historically authentic example of late-19th-century American advertising culture.
