I think, but stand to be corrected, that this is the only set of cigarette cards with the word "Science" in the title.
It is also interesting because we think that sports and science have only recently been linked, however here we are, with a card of over a hundred years ago, connecting science and sport. But in fact the Ancient Greek physician Galen knew about it too, writing many texts about health and fitness, realising that the more people exercised the better their muscular development was and the less injuries and ailments they suffered. And he even connected the food people ate with the way their bodies behaved.
Sadly there was never a Reference Book devoted to the issues of Carreras, though one was in the pipeline, and its name even appears in print on the back of some of the volumes. It was also intended that the book would cover the issues of Alexander Boguslavsky. However, there could have been a reason for the inclusion of Boguslavsky and also for the book being eventually shelved, and that was the fact that during the production of our original series of reference books it was known that between 1888 and 1919, Carreras issued few sets. namely
- Black Cat Library (1913)
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The Science of Boxing (1914)
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Flags of the Allies (1915)
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The Handy English/French Dictionary (1915)
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Raemakers War Cartoons (1916)
- Women on War Work (1916)
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Types of London (1919)
And at that time, although we listed new issues in our magazine, a great many collectors were keener on these earlier, pre-war cards than they were on the inter-war ones that were issued between 1920 and 1940. This is shown even in the fact that the 1950 London Cigarette Card Catalogue is split into two sections at those dates. However, tellingly, they did not even include all of the sets above - only our set, the flags, Raemakers, Types of London and Women on War Work
Our set is listed in that catalogue as being :
A) "Black Cat Cigarettes" - retailed at between 1/- and 3/6 a card for odds and £8 a set.
B) "Carreras Limited" - at 2/- to 6/- a card for odds and £15 a set.
And six years later, in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, we still only list the 1914 - 1920 output of Carreras Limited as.our set, Raemakers, Types of London and Women on War Work. Our set is listed as:
The Science of Boxing Series. Sm. Nd. (50)
A) Back in brown, headed "Black Cat Cigarettes"
B) Back in a) brown b) reddish brown, headed "Carreras Limited".
I have to say that it would take keener eyes than mine to tell brown from reddish brown, so I await to hear if it is easier than I think to spot the difference.
In our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, issued to mark the millennium, the text of our set is exactly the same as above. But we do now include a new section 1B for Miscellaneous Issues, which are the Black Cat Library, Flags of the Allies, and the Handy French/English Dictionary.