Lets start with the fact that the date of issue oft quoted for today`s card, of 1916, is definitely wrong, though it might refer to the issue date of the first series, because that has no card of Rudolph Valentino. As to why I am so certain about the date, it is the fact that he is named Rudolph Valentino - because although he started his film career in 1914 he was not in the billing of either of the two films he briefly appeared in during that year, or for some the years after - indeed as late as 1917 he still had not seen his name in the on screen credits, which was not entirely worrisome to him as he was still in the process of choosing a name, and that is proven by his first appearance in a cast list, in 1918, where he was billed as Rudolpho de Valentina. In fact, as late as 1920 he was refining this, using various forenames and surnames on a similar theme. And it was only in April 1921, in a film called "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" that he revealed the final version, Rudolph Valentino. But this card cannot be from 1921 either, as if you look at the list of films on the card, it mentions "Blood and Sand" and that was not released until November 1922.
In our original World Tobacco Issues Index this set falls under section 2. Issues in Canada. The description is :
T46-10. Movie Stars (A) Lg. 83 x 63. Black and white. Mixed series of named stars and unnamed Mack Sennett girls, each [found] both numbered and unnumbered. For subjects known see X2/T836. Ref USA/C142-3.
1. Back without series number. Address 38 Cathcart Street Montreal.
2. Back inscribed “Series No.3” with address (a) 240 Craig Street East Montreal (b) 300 Atlantic Avenue Montreal (c) Hamilton Canada.
3. Back inscribed “Series No.5” and “Hamilton Ontario” (a) without (b) with “Printed in U.S.A.”
Any idea what happened to “Series 2” and “Series 4”?
Our updated World Tobacco Issues Index adds that section 1 are head and shoulders studies. It also says that section 2 are 31/50 Mack Sennett Girls, which, after much pondering, probably means that 1-30 are movie stars, and this is supported by the fact that our card is number 17. I am not sure if that means this set is of fifty cards, hence the 50? In the top card code line.
The set was also issued by Schinasi Bros. of New York. I have yet to research them.