Adding to my 1800s Original Allen & Ginter Collections!

Earlier this year, I mentioned that I would be trying to collect two new sets this year - both from the 1800s!  

The first is the 1887 Allen & Ginter Flags of All Nations set.  Thanks to eBay, I was able to grab two more cards for my set build (I have a long, long ways to go on this one):  

Both cards are in super rough shape - but that's the price I was willing to pay for 100+ year old cards that I can actually afford.  At least the colors are still (mostly) vibrant - the San Domingo card seems to have some coloration issues at the bottom of the card but overall I'm satisfied.  There's something kind of charming about super old cards in rough shape..."the stories these cards could tell if only they could talk" kind of thing!

The other set that I decided to chase after is the 1888 Allen & Ginter City Flags set.  The same seller had some of those available for decent prices so I jumped on them too:  

Of the three that I bought, I think my favorite is the card of Naples - love the little beachside scene at the bottom of the card (plus Naples' flag is the most interesting of the three city flags I grabbed).

 Overall, I think the City Flags cards were in better shape - but as you can see from the scan below it's the backs of each card that really drove down the overall value (good for me though since I'm not fussy about condition)!  

I greatly enjoy building sets and there's something so timeless about the original Allen & Ginter sets that I really enjoy.  I know the non-baseball stuff isn't for everyone, but sets like this are definitely for me!  Hopefully, I'll find some more cheap cards to help fill out my sets in the coming months...I'm still nowhere near completing either of them at this point in time!