Hooray I found it, though it took a while. In fact I unearthed it listed under anonymous in the original World Tobacco Issues Index first, then worked back where it led me - this being to the American Tobacco Co. Group Issues, where it was there, but I missed it, purely because I did not think it was a package design.
That listing, and I will include the heading, is :
4. PACKAGE DESIGNS. As originally issued, these cards formed part of the actual package, the cards now found are usually cut by hand from the packages. Except for Set A-54-114 [Orders ans Military Medals] the series were printed on the inner flaps of "Sweet Caporal", two designs per package. The size varies according to how the cards were cut.
NATIONAL FLAG ON DOMINO (A). Sm. Unnd. (28). Anonymous, plain back. See X2/T.177. Ref USA T.177
That X2 reference leads to the back of the book. Here it is described as :
X2/T.177 NATIONAL FLAG ON DOMINO (A). Front per Fig. X2/T.177 [which shows Cuba, front only]. A.T.C. Group Issue, printed on flaps of "Sweet Caporal" cartons. When cut off, cards are small size and anonymous, with plain back. Unnumbered series of 28, listed in A.B.C. (Set of dominoes to double six)
The only difference to the listings above in the updated World Tobacco Issues Index is that it no longer links to the X2 code, only to the A.B.C., which, in case you do not know, is the "American Book of Checklists".by Charles Bray.
Not sure how many of you own this volume, but the flags are as follows :
- Argentine Republic
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- China
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- England
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Nicaragua
- Peru
- Portugal
- Russia
- Siam
- Spain
- Sweden
- Turkey
- United States
- U.S. of Colombia
Jefferson Burdick describes these as
T.177 – National Flag on Domino (28)
Set inscribed Abdul Cigarettes. Probably unissued essays
He values them at just 5 cents each.
Now Abdul Cigarettes appear in the original World Tobacco Issues Index as
ABDUL CIGARETTES. Cards dated 1881. Probably unissued proofs, prepared but not issued in U.S.A. Brand issues.
Three sets are listed below this header, none of which are ours, and all of which are known to be parts of other sets, namely
- “Animals of The World” (T.180 – part of Allen & Ginter`s “Quadrupeds”)
- “Races of Mankind” (T.181 – part of Allen & Ginter`s set of the same name)
- “Military Uniforms and Caps” (T.182 – part of American Tobacco`s “Military Uniforms”)
As an aside, in the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art our dominoes are attributed to Kinney, but this is a link that seems to go nowhere, for I cannot find a trace of them under Kinney issues in any of my reference books