Now here we have a medal awarded for a March, which took place towards the end of The Second Anglo Afghan War. And you can read about that at GarenEwing/March. This medal is actually known not as Roberts March Medal, but as The Kabul to Kandahar Star, (though you may come across it listed as the Roberts Star, or the Kandahar Bronze Star), and it was awarded to all participants of the three hundred and twenty mile march, which took twenty-two days. as well as those who joined en route and "only" walked the last ninety miles.
The Richmond Cavendish Co. Ltd were based in Liverpool. They were founded in 1861 but most of their product was destined for overseas export. And they were a founder member of the Imperial Tobacco Company. And yet few collectors seem to know of them, nor their cards.
This very attractive set is much more curious than I thought. It is described in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as
Medals (A) Sm. 71 x 33. Un`nd (40). See H.200. Inscribed at base of text "Pioneer Cigarettes". Cards also found with this inscription cut off.
And the same text appears in our updated version.
H.200, the handbook, gives a list of all forty cards, but also something very intriguing as it says the set was also issued by Hignett. And looking this second set up, in both versions of the World Tobacco Issues Index, says the same thing, that the cards were also found with the lower bar, within the border, the one which says "Butterfly Cigarettes", being cut off.
Now if you look at the various internet auctions you will sometimes find the Hignett and the Richmond Cavendish cards with two bars and with one, and you might think that this is done more recently to cover up damage, etc.
However, there is a secret which is only revealed in the London Cigarette Card Company Catalogue for 1950 and only then under Hignett. This gives a date of issue of 1901-1902, and two prices - (A) being "Butterfly Cigarettes", and B) saying "officially cut for use with other brands".
So it seems likely that these Richmond Cavendish cards were also cut by them to remove the "Pioneer Cigarettes" identification. Though it does seem odd that Hignett issued several brands, but Richmond Cavendish seem only to have had Pioneer.