Our second card was for one of the best known bicycles of today, Pashley, but I wonder how many of you know that they were founded, in 1926, by a Mr. Pashley, who knew all about bikes from his wartime service as a despatch rider.
We may have misled you slightly with our card, as at that time the company was based in Birmingham. They made all kinds of bicycles then, including tandems for pleasure, and shop delivery bikes for work. They only moved to Stratford-on-Avon in the 1960s, when Mr. Pashley retired and gave the handlebars to his son.
In fact Pashley is one of the few makers which are wholly or even primarily based in England, for many who claim of this fact really only assemble parts that are produced elsewhere around the globe.
This card is just one of the variations of this fascinating set, which are dealt with more fully in our blog "B for Borough Arms". That tells the differences in all the sets, and one day will include a sample back and front of every one.
This particular card we feature today is from Group 5 - Numbered set of 50, 101-150, numbered on the backs, and entirely new subjects on the fronts. Fronts printed in full colour, no frame lines, with "Wills`s Cigarettes" across fronts of cards. Backs in grey, with descriptive texts, plus an I.T.C. clause and an album offer down the sides of the reverse, both being printed in red. Marked "3rd Series"
This is the only sub set of Borough Arms which has the red side inscriptions. I have to wonder why this was done, and also why it was not continued, though to add another colour would have been more expensive.