Card of the Day - 2022-03-17

Not the “Clowns” set that most cartophilists think of, but this trade set is important social history because it has some things the more valuable set does not, these being the actual name of the clown depicted, and the circus they performed with. So our clown, the beginning card in the set, is Lou Jacobs, who, the card tells us, was “born in Germany” and was with “Ringling Barnum Circus”. This is not too detailed, but it is enough to allow for an online search, and there is a lot more about him at the fascinating Circopedia website, which has everything you ever wanted to know about the circus world

A lot of collectors think this Marlow refers to the place on the Thames, but it does not; the issuer of these cards is a company, based in Hinckley in Leicestershire, which specialised in block paving. And according to our research, it would have been forty years old next Wednesday, a bit of a spooky coincidence, though sadly the company is no more. 

The one thing I wonder is why they issued a set on clowns, but I guess we will never know now. Unless someone from the company is still out there, finds this, and lets us know. 

One thing to bear in mind is that this set looks like it was issued as a complete set, for there are few if any dealers selling it as singles, so if you like the set, be prepared to buy it whole. Some odds are listed online, but it may be quite a task for you to find every one.