So here we have Norway, which everyone seems to think never scores any points (not true - that only happened four times) or they are always last (this is wrong as well, though they have finished there eleven times).
They actually won the entire contest three times, including one of my favourite songs ever - 2009`s winner "Fairytale" written and played by Alexander Rybak. It is on YouTube, if you have never heard it. And I seriously did not think of the "Fairytale" link until now, which is way exciting.
The Norwegians first took part in 1960, and have only missed it twice - once, rather thrillingly, they refused to take part because they did not agree with how the voting system worked - and once when they were not allowed to take place because they were one of the five countries with the fewest votes in the previous year. This was an attempt to reduce the number of entries. The other four were Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands and Poland.
Now one of the most interesting things about our card is that "Bigg" was indeed the Bigg of Edwards, Ringer and Bigg. W.O. Bigg were founded in 1805 and were based in Radcliffe Street, Bristol. They joined Ringer & Co in 1893 and the Imperial Tobacco Company in 1901, one of the first to do so.
The cards marked W.O. Bigg were, curiously, issued after all that, in 1904. And there is a very interesting if confusing statement is that "Cards issued under this name [W.O. Bigg] were sponsored by Edwards, Ringer and Bigg". Any idea what that means?
This set is described in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as being :
FLAGS OF ALL NATIONS. Sm. 67 x 36. Nd. (37). See H.37
A) Statue of Liberty back without series title. Also found with price "4d." altered to 4 1/2d." by hand and with "4 1/2d." red seal added.
B) New York Mixture back with series title.
This must have been a bit confusing for the handbook sets it out in a different way. That says :
A) Statue of Liberty back
a) 4d. oz
b) 4d altered
c) sealB) Panel design New York Mixture.
but it also continues with extra information, that being
...also issued by Edwards, Ringer & Bigg, as first series of 25 and second series of 12.
A) Globe and flags - un-numbered
B) Exmoor Hunt - numbered
i) 4 1/2d. per oz
ii) altered to 5d. by hand
iii) 5d. label
iv) 4 1/2d. label (thought to be in error)C) Stag
D) Upright titled black
[and by] Hudden, un-numbered, 1904.
There is a bit more information by looking in other books. The Edwards Ringer and Bigg version was issued in 1907, three years after the W.O. Bigg set. But the companies had been together a while, so it was not the case that Edwards Ringer and Bigg gained access to the artwork in with the merger. It also seems odd, and amusing, that both versions were subject to price rises within the lifespan of the issue. Or was the "altered by hand" done by shopkeepers whilst they waited for the official seals and labels? We will probably never know that. The Edwards Ringer and Bigg sets coded as A), B), and C) were all horizontal backs, like our card, but D) was vertical. We also know that "Stag" was actually "Exmoor Hunt". And the Hudden version, issued in 1904, contains cards that are subtitled "British Colonial Flags". Not sure if this subtitle appears on the Bigg or Edwards Ringer and Bigg sets. Maybe you do? If so, do please tell us.
Off to watch Eurovision now, hence slightly early posting!