So here we have J. Easson and he played for Portsmouth. And H.M.S. Dreadnought was launched at Portsmouth, on the 10th of February 1906, by His Majesty the King (Edward the Seventh). It had been a very quick build, just four months long, then there were trials, for speed and for performance. But on passing these, she became the flagship of the Home Fleet in April 1907.
Now when I mentioned this set to someone I was told it was an interesting one, but it turns out that it is actually one third of what is more correctly an interesting group of sets.
First to be issued was a set called "Famous Footballers", that is a set of fifty cards with grey brown backs which have the top title box as a white line drawing of a goal mouth, and the bottom box as a white line drawing of a football, crossed pennants behind the F.A. Cup (I think it is the F.A. Cup) and a pair of football boots. The thing that is most unusual is that there is not a word on the card about the set being issued by Godfrey Phillips, and therefore it ended up at the back of the World Tobacco Issues Index under ZB5-3
Next up came our set, "International Caps", and that is virtually the same as the above, except for the back design - and four cards -
19 (FF - H. Carter of Sunderland / IC - A Geldard Everton)
21 (FF - A Young of Huddersfield / IC - E Hart Leeds United)
31 (FF - E J Drake of Arsenal / IC - W Alsford Tottenham)
34 (FF - R Barclay of Sheffield United / IC - T Cooper of Liverpool).
Presumably the first names listed from the Famous Footballers set were not international players, and so they had to be subsituted. However is there anyone out there who can confirm this? And if anyone has the entire pair of sets, can you confirm that all the other subjects are the same, and the texts are identical? Many thanks.
Lastly, and not issued until 1937, came a set called "Soccer Stars" and that is again based on the two sets above, but there are lots more changes, cards -
2 (F/I - B. Williams of Everton / SC - Walter Boyes of West Bromwich Albion)
3 (F/I - T Griffith of Aston Villa / SC - Jack Bowers of Derby County)
5 (F/I - C Jones of Birmingham / SC - Joe Bambrick of Chelsea)
8 (F/I - J. Bray of Manchester City / SC - Fred Worrall of Portsmouth)
10 (F/I - R John of Arsenal / SC - Tommy Walker of Heart of Midlothian)
11 (F/I - F. Keenor, Tunbridge Wells Rangers / SC - Ralph Birkett, Middlesborough)
12 (F/I - L Jones of Coventry City / SC - Peter Doherty of Manchester City)
13 (F/I - C Britton of Everton / SC - Harry Hanford of Sheffield Wednesday)
17 (F/I - T Mills of Leicester City - SC - Ted Sagar of Everton)
20 (F/I - Crayston of Arsenal / SC - Jimmy Simpson of Rangers)
23 (F/I - W. Evans of Tottenham Hotspur / SC - Bob Mc Phail of Rangers)
26 (F/I - R. Westwood of Bolton Wanderers / SC - Alex Massie of Aston Villa)
30 (F/I - D. Duncan of Derby County / SC - Jimmy Connor of Sunderland)
32 (F/I - S. Lawrence of Swansea Town - SC - Jimmy McGrory of Celtic)
39 (F/I - E. Bowden of Arsenal / SC - Willis Edwards of Leeds United)
41 (F/I - J Jackson of Chelsea / SC - William Richardson of West Bromwich Albion)
42 (F/I - T Waring of Burnley / SC - Tom Cooper of Liverpool)
46 (F/I - J . Allen of Aston Villa / SC - Ellis Rimmer of Sheffield Wednesday)
47 (F/I - P Gallacher of Sunderland / SC - Lewis Stoker of Birmingham City)
48 (F/I - A James of Arsenal / SC - Charlie Napier of Derby County)
49 (F/I - N. Dewar, Sheffield Wednesday / SC - Harold Hobbis, Charlton Athletic)
That was quite a "tackle" but I am delighted to say there were several throw ins, for which many thanks.