Now I thought that the patron saint of archers was St. Sebastian, but it turns out that St. Nicholas is as well. In fact there is a contest in archery called The St. Nicholas, and it involves shooting four dozen arrows at forty yards, plus three dozen at thirty yards, on a target which is 122 c/m across. The top score ever, which has been equalled but not beaten, was 84 arrows in the gold section.
And we did not touch on his patronage of brewers, children, merchants, pawnbrokers, repentant thieves, unwed people, and students from Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Slovakia...
But that may be useful info for next year!
Now this is another version of a card we featured previously, but branded by Hignett. You will find that one as our Card of the Day for September 18th 2023 - which was the last version to be issued in this country, eight years after the Mitchell version, and fifteen years after the Wills ones, though it was again issued, two years later still, by John Player, overseas!
That was a home issue, issued here in the United Kingdom, but this version of this set was only distributed overseas. In fact none of the W.D. & H.O. Wills versions of this set were issued in this country; in Australia they were branded for "Capstan", "Havelock" and "Vice Regal", all of which made their debut in the same month, November 1910, whilst in the Channel Islands, and other areas where British Garrisons were located, they were issued the month after, but with yet another brand, that being "United Service".
Our original Wills reference book part III describes all their sets as :
38. 50. ARMS & ARMOUR. Fronts lithographed in colour; backs with descriptive text. Issued 1910.
AUSTRALIAN ISSUES :- backs in blue :-
A. With "Capstan" advertisement (a) "Capstan Navy Cut. For pipe smokers is unequalled" (b) "Capstan Navy Cut. Also obtainable in Plug Form."
B. With "Havelock" advertisement
C. With "Vice Regal" advertisement
D. No brand advertised (anonymous issue)
"UNITED SERVICE" issue :-
E. Backs in brown.
Similar series issued by Hignett, Mitchell and Player.
Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes lists these Wills sets slightly differently, and it must be said, still quite lengthily. The header (which is section 3 in the original WTII, and section 4 in the updated version) also tells us that these were "AUSTRALIAN ISSUES. Without I.T.C. Clause. Issued through B.A.T. Small size 67-68 x 36 m/m, unless stated".
It catalogues them as :
ARMS & ARMOUR. Sm. Nd. (50). See W/38.
A. "Capstan" back (a) with (b) without "Also obtainable in plug form" at base.
B. "Havelock" back. Brand Issue.
C. "Vice Regal" back.
The only change in the updated version is another cross reference, following the W/38, that directs the reader to H.273. However that merely lists the other issuers.