Here is another of Rolls Royce`s embraces with spookiness, for here we have a Phantom. If that were not enough there was a Spirit, a Wraith, and in the pipeline there is a new all electric vehicle called the Spectre ! I have hunted, and still there seems to be no clear story of why these names were chosen. Perhaps the cars were meant to haunt you? Or maybe a ghost whispered the thought into the ear of the original designer and they could not forget the gentle sibilance when they were prompted for a name.
The Phantom I slid gracefully into view, maybe even out of the mists, in 1925, replacing the Silver Ghost, and it was produced until 1931. It was not superseded entirely by the Phantom II either, it ran in tandem with it for a stretch of five years. In fact only one other Phantom did a similar thing, and that was when the Drophead Coupe version was introduced as an alternative to the Phantom VII, from 2007 to 2016. The Phantom VII actually outlived the Drophead as well.
A very unusual set indeed, but lets start with a trip to the premises of Teofani & Co. Ltd and the production of what was planned to be a three part issue called "Past and Present". The first twenty-four cards of this set were issued in 1938, had blue backs and were titled "The Army". Next up, later in the same year, came "Weapons of War", numbered as following on, cards 25-48, with black backs. Then in 1939, was supposed to have been the next group, entitled "Transport", and numbered from 49 - 100. However, and for whatever reason, something went wrong. Just four of those cards were issued, these being numbers 55 to 58 inclusive.
The rest seem to have been printed, by someone, maybe even the original printers, re-titled to "Transport - Then and Now", and issued as a set of 48 cards. Intriguingly the panel on the reverse still mentions tobacco.
Apparently there is more information in the contemporary Cigarette Card Newses, so I will have a hunt tomorrow, been a bit too hectic here today!
By the way this set is quoted as being Handbook No.646 but this is incorrect, it is H679.