So here we have the star sign for the first week in August, which just happens to be Leo, the Lion. And before we get ahead of ourselves, there are fifty two cards because there is one card for each week of the year, which also means that there are more than one card for each star sign. The cards are very striking with those solid fronts and large orange symbol on the front, which is the zodiac symbol - and the star shapes form its constellation. It also tells of lucky numbers and gemstones and then on the back is a horoscope for the year ahead, which applies to anyone born in the week listed on the card, and a very short chat about that star sign and its characteristics.
The set is described in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as "HOROSCOPES. Sm. Nd. 66 x 34. Unnd (52) See Ha.587". And it was listed for sale in the London Cigarette Card Company catalogue of about the same year at 2d. a card or 10/- a set. However in Ha.587 is a much larger description, which is :
HOROSCOPES (titled series) Front in orange and white on blue background. Issued by A. Lewis & Co. (Westminster) Ltd. Un-numbered series of 52 - one card for each week of the year starting January 2 - 8 (No.1) and concluding week Dec 29 - Jan 1 (No.52).
I have no idea why this is in the handbook, which is usually to collect together series also issued by other firms, or to list the titles of unnumbered cards. You may say, ah, but this set is unnumbered - but even so the usual precedent is to list those cards, and here they do not.
Anyway though these cards may indeed be attractive, the most fascinating thing about them is the story of the company, for it is usually said that they operated kiosks, at stations etc, rather than having a brick and mortar shop. However, there was a shop, and a lawsuit, brought by someone called Bell, in 1940. And our Directory of British Issuers reference book says that their premises are at Rochester Road, London, SW1 - except I cannot find this, I can find Rochester Row SW1, or Rochester Road NW1.
Another common belief is that their entire cartophilic output was this set, issued with Lewis Medium Navy Cut Cigarettes. This is also wrong, because in 1915 they were one of the many tobacconists and trade issuers who joined in to produce a set of fifty "War Portraits". However this is strangely only listed in our original World Tobacco Issues index, not in the updated version - though that updated version adds another, third, set, kind of. This is known as "Horse Race Game", even though it is more of a walk over, because only one card has so far been found. Now the card is untitled, which perhaps suggests that the set could have comprised other sports, and the only card found just happens to be of horse racing. So just in case you have any curious sporting cards in your box of odds, this is medium size, measuring 78 x 57 m/m, and it is described as "Sepia photo, revealed when front moistened. Even worse it is unnumbered, so if you have one, or more, do please let us know! And we could start a list.....