This is the last unusual card of the week, and it is also an unusual size at 70 x 35 m/m. They are rectangular as usual, but have the addition of two inverted triangular cut outs. The reason for those is that if you got all the cards in this series, put them together as a brick of cards, wound a rubber band around it at those triangles, and flicked through the cards with your fingers, it would give the impression that the golfer was actually striking the ball.
Yes, younger readers, this is the 1930s version of VR.
John Cotton Ltd were founded in the 1770s but only started to make cigarettes in 1920. They are stated to have been based at 172 Easter Road in Edinburgh, but that address, at least the yard, was in use from 1890 to 1920 by a T. J. Meldrum, a sculptor who also made cement and artificial stone. Not sure how these two would have co-existed. Or was it that John Cotton were elsewhere first, and moved into these premises, in 1920, where they started making cigarettes? That sounds more likely. So we just need to find out where they were first.
The company were still trading in 1956, when our original World Tobacco Issues Index was published, but in 1962 they were taken over by Gallaher.
Their brands were "Carolina", "Charter" and "Golden Virginia".
They only issued two sets, the other being "Bridge Hands Folders", issued in 1934, and measuring 82 x 66 m/m.
In our original World Tobacco Issues Index this set was known to be one of three -
1. as ours, with A on one side and B on the other (1936) - 2. C and D (1937) - and - 3. E and F (1938)
And it was later discovered that there were two more sets, which are very rare -
4. G and H (1939) - and - 5. I and J (1939)
With that knowledge, lets head over to Pre War Cards / John Cotton for a secret I bet hardly any of you know, because I didnt either.
Our subject, Archie Compston, or more correctly Archibald Edward Wones Compston, was born in 1893 in Wolverhampton. I am not sure why he was chosen as the model, but he was a very proficient golfer who played in the U.S. Open twice, the first ever Ryder Cup, and in a seventy-two hole special match against Walter Hagen, which was played at the supremely magnificent course at Moor Park. Compston won. However it could well be the single fact that he was the golfing coach of Edward, Prince of Wales, later to become, briefly, Edward VIII, and his brother George VI, later to inherit the vacant throne.