This is an interesting 19th Century card game in which players take turns offering one of their goods for auction. The other players then secretly bid for the card, with all bids revealed simultaneously. The winner pays for the card, and then starts the next auction. Each player starts with 12 bidding tokens, and the goal is to collect two sets of cards. If, by the end of the game, no player has collected two sets, the player who is closest wins.

F.G. & Co. published a reprint of the game in 2004 with the subtitle A Nineteenth Century Game of Commerce.

The Game of Ship’s Cargo rules

1. Deal out the cards (face downwards, excepting the Ship Card, which is placed before the Dealer face upwards. If the cards will not go round in equal numbers, throw out the incomplete round, so they are not seen during the game. Each Player is to have 12 counters.
2. The Players look at their cards, and each tries in the following way to obtain complete sets of cargoes, the names of all of which are to commence with the same letters, thus “Apples,Apricots,Almonds”, for example..
3. The Dealer starts by selecting one of his cards that he does not want and places it face upwards with the Ship Card, saying, “ I have a cargo of…….....to dispose of; will the Players please tender?”
4. The method of tendering is for players to place in their right hands secretly the number of counters they intend offering, closing their hands and all simultaneously placing them on the table. When the seller says, “Open hands”, they open together and the seller selects the highest, and the Ship and Cargo are passed to him in exchange for the number of counters offered. This causes much fun, as the Players can offer as many as they please, or they need not put any counters in their hands if they do not wish. The seller is thus quite ignorant of what he is to receive.
5. The Buyer has the turn then to offer a cargo, as the Ship is always with the last purchaser, and thus if you want to sell you must buy to get the Ship.
6. The game is won by obtaining two sets of cards, or, one set and part of another set, the nearest numerically to the two sets winning.
Example.—A hand of 5 D.’s, 3 A.’s and 1 T. will beat a hand of 5 P.’s, 2 O.’s and 2 I.’s.
7. As soon as a player has obtained one set of cards, he may try and win the game by “declaring,” this is, showing his cards and challenging the other players to show a stronger hand. If the player who declares has the strongest hand, he receives three counters from all the other players If he is beaten, he pays a forfeit of one to each of the other players, and the player who beats him. takes the three counters from each (including the declarer). If any tie with the winner they divide the counters. After declaration, the cards are reshuffled and another round commenced.