Who says cartophilists have no fun? Definitely not me, especially regarding this card.
A rather lengthy preamble but the first ever copy of "Cigarette Card News" was issued by the then London Cigarette Card Company in October 1933. And its ninetieth birthday seems to be as good a time as any to start the gleaning of my library.
As to why we have this card is that it was the first set of cards ever mentioned by name, except it was not. The text in question, about half way down page one, of number one, of volume one, reads :
Since we first announced the forthcoming publication of the " Cigarette Card News" we have been encouraged in the task by a large number of commendatory letters received from collectors. Many have been kind enough to declare that we are filling a long-felt want. So we are, but only if our contents pass the standards which must be applied to any specialist journal, and which it must maintain if it is to live
In our belief, the principal tests are accuracy, readability and informativeness; everything published should be of interest and service to either the specialist or general collector. Now, the heaven-sent writer on specialized subjects is not easy to find anywhere. In the case of our hobby, where the written word has up to now been singularly lacking, he (or she) is about as rare a bird as a complete set of Wills' 1895 Cricketers.
However, as some of you may already be squealing, there never was a set of Wills` 1895 Cricketers, only the set we show, which was issued in 1896.
So was this an error in typesetting, not picked up in the proof reading (for a 6 is very similar to a 5) ? Or was it Colonel Bagnall making a really technical joke for collectors in the know to laugh at extra hard? Sadly we will never know. But as the error or joke revolved around this set, here it is.
This set was described in our original Wills reference book, and given the number of W/7 though it is actually the eleventh set catalogued in the book. Making life even more complex, it was the third set to be issued after the advertisement cards - first being the 1895-7 "Soldiers of the World", and second being the twenty-five card issue of "Ships"
Most of the description in the book is occupied by a list of all the cricketers shown, two of which were later corrected, in the Wills book part II - these being Hewett, H. T., M.C.C. (which originally read H.J.) - and - Key K. J. SURREY (which originally read T.J.)
However above that list there is a very useful note about the set, which reads :
CRICKETERS
Series of fifty. Size 2-5/8 ins. x 1-3/8 ins. thick card. Unnumbered.
Fronts in full colour, without frame lines, and without "Wills` Cigarettes". Head and shoulders studies of prominent players, titled at base of card thus :- SHREWSBURY, Notts. Cards have a tinted appearance on fronts. Some cards have initials before the name, others behind it. Cricketers will know this used to denote amateur or professional status.
Backs printed in GREY with Star and Circle ornamental design, with "Ld." in the circle.
Issue date 1895.
Printed by Meissner & Buch, Leipzig.
Practically none of this information was carried forward to the World Tobacco Issues Indexes, and the Wills books were long out of print by the first one. All it says is "CRICKETERS, 1896" (A). Sm. Grey scroll backs. Unnd. (50) See W/7"
Now our man, Norman Frank Druce, got my nod because I liked the look of him, especially his hat, and the fact that he does not look like a cricketer from his clothing.
He was seldom known as Norman, and played as Frank. He was born on the first of January 1875, and played in his first test match in 1897, playing in four more by the end of 1898, and then no more. However he lived until 1954. Some say that he was not very good, which I cannot believe or he would not have been selected for even one test. And it is revealed that Wisden rated him very highly, choosing him amongst the 1898 Cricketers of the Year. But then there are mutterings that he was only selected through his performance in the University team in 1895, when he scored almost eight hundred runs in seventeen innings. That sounds jolly good to me. And he played for Surrey as well during the times when he was on the test match squad. However he was a bit of a good weather specialist, wonderful in the sun on dry going, but not so fond of the claggy soil and the dampness.