Card of the Day - 2022-03-28

And so to the first bridge on the course, Hammersmith. This bridge was not one of the original London bridges, it was built because of the considerable distance involved in detouring to Putney or to Kew, and building started in 1825, after which it took two years to build. It lasted until the 1870s, when, of all things, the sight of crowds amassing to view the Boat Race passing directly below and then changing sides all at once to see it emerging on the other side, led to a decision to build a stronger bridge. This was opened in 1887, and still exists, but it is no longer allowed that cars and trucks can cross it, only cycles and pedestrians. Whether this is a permanent move remains to be seen, though it seems unlikely that motor vehicles will be ever again be granted access. 

The crews have usually been rowing for between six and seven minutes by this point on the course, and if you look at the card, the Boat Race is passing by, perhaps, for there are certainly eight rowers and a cox, plus the attendant boats watching the progress and waiting to step in should there be incident.

I am not sure as to the month this set was issued, so I cannot tell if this is the 1902 or 1903 race, however Cambridge won both of these events. The 1902 race was run on the 22nd of March, and it is recorded that it was the first time swivelling rowlocks were used, on the Oxford boat, though they cannot have been that good because Cambridge won. The 1903 race was the sixtieth, and it took place on April the 1st. Some people still say that Cambridge won this one by default as the starting pistol misfired, in the hands of a former Cambridge Blue called Frederick Islay Pitman. 

The cards are numbered from 1-25 on fronts, and those fronts are lithographed in colour, whilst the backs are in olive green with an advertisement for "Myrtle Grove" rather than text. 

The earliest code of T/34 relates to our original checklist of Taddy cards, reference book RB12, written by Mr.  Edward Wharton-Tigar, who was now writing our reference books, having taken over from Eric Gurd. This volume was published in 1948.

Therein, this set is described as

25 Thames Series (titled) Size 36 x 68 m/m. Numbered 1-25 on fronts. Fronts lithographed in colour. Backs in olive green with advert for "Myrtle Grove" Tobacco & Cigarettes. No text"   

Two years later, in 1950 this set was being retailed by the London Cigarette Card Company at between 12/6 and 30/- each, or £35 a set. 

Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes all say very scant details, namely "Thames Series. Sm. Nd. (25)" But that is why those little early reference books are so sought after by collectors!