Before we look at his column, let us look at Nelson himself. He was born on September 29th, 1758, at Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk, England, joined the Navy at the age of twelve, sailed the NorthWest Passage only two years later, and was in command of HMS Hinchinbroke aged just twenty. He was such a great sailor that he was chosen to escort the future King (WIlliam IV) to the West Indies.
In 1787 he married, a widow with a young son. In 1793 he was given a warship, HMS Agamemnon, and despatched to the Mediterranean. He was brave and fearless, but lost the sight in his right eye from being hit in the face by a French cannon ball, and then, in 1797, he lost his right arm too. He continued to fight, and also to take ever more daring chances, once even going across with his men and taking over an opponent`s vessel. He also fell in love, with Lady Emma Hamilton, the British ambassador`s to Naples` wife. Then his fated luck ran out, and during the Battle of Trafalgar, in 1805, he was hit by a musket ball, and died, on board his beloved ship, HMS Victory.
His daughter with Emma Hamilton, called Horatia Nelson, was just four years old.
So to the card chat. Let`s start with Jefferson Burdick`s "American Card Catalogue". He starts with the header
Kinney Issues
New York. N.Y. Brands - Special Favors, Sweet Caporal, New York Standard, Sporting Extra, Special Straight Cut, Latest English, Full Dress, Cleopatra, Egyptian Flowers, etc. A "Memorandum Card" (Calendar 1890-91) was probably an insert. (Value 20c.)....
He values the cards at .15 each - and describes the set as :
222. Leaders (25)
May be collected in two widths. 1 1/2 in. and 1 3/8 in.
Now our original World Tobacco Issues Index adds a bit more to the Kinney story, with the header of
Kinney Bros., or Kinney Tobacco Co., New York, U.S.A.
Founder member of American Tobacco Co., 1890. Includes brand issues inscribed "Sweet Caporal Cigarettes". None of the cards bear the A.T.C. name, and most series were issued in the 1884-90 period. The "Sweet Caporal" brand issues and issues outside the U.S.A. probably mostly date after 1890.
The updated version of this work adds, under the heading for Kinney, that "Kinney`s name and Sweet Caporal appear on Ogden`s set O100-980." That card code is the very last entry in the Odgens section, under 6. "Miscellaneous", and the description is "STEAMER POSTCARDS WITH TOBACCO ADVERTISEMENTS. (A). Ex. Lg 139 x 89. Unnd. (6) Six different advertisements known, probably multi-fronted. Note - one of the advertisements is inscribed "Kinney`s Sweet Caporal" without mention of Ogden."
Now the set is listed in both the original and updated World Tobacco Issues Index as : "LEADERS. Sm. 70 x 38, and cut to about 70 x 35. Bkld. (25). Ref. USA/222" . This mention of "cut" confuses things, at least for me, and I am not sure if the "cut" was officially done by Kinney, or if it was done by collectors, to match other cards, or to fit in an album. Anyone have any answers, or theories?
By the way, there is a checklist of all the cards, and images, at The Trading Card Database/KinneyLeaders. The same site has an image of the album, and to see that just click on "packaging" which appears amongst the side links.