So here we have something that the groundsman is not so pleased to see, Mr. Mole, who comes along and raises his mighty earthworks right slap bang in the middle of the formerly level and green playing surface.
This is a lovely little mole, and a super card. There are also several variations of the set, which I never realised. Our original John Player Reference Book, published in 1950, lists these as :
136. NATURE SERIES. Fronts in colour. Backs in blue, with descriptive text. Home issues.
A. 50 Small cards. Issued March 1909. Some colour varieties seen.
B. 12 Extra Large cards – Birds. Thick board. Issued October 1908.
C. 12 Extra Large cards – Animals. Thinner board. Issued October 1913.
Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes list them, oddly, as :
NATURE SERIES. Nd.
A. Small (50)
B. Extra-large (20) – (1) Animals Nd. 1/10
(2) Birds. Nd. 1/10
I had a quick look at eBay. Or not, because I was sidetracked by certain non cartophilic things which I foolishly looked at last, so they were waiting for me. I did however find an extra large card of a very nimble ferret, and that does indeed say it is from a set of ten. So the original John Player book was wrong by saying twelve.
It also tells us that it was issued with "Country Life" Cigarettes.
Now the large cards are numbered but it is quite hard to spot it for it is buried in the wreathing. We also know that the numbers are all different to their counterparts in the standard sized set, so those numbers are listed below (in brackets)
The cards are :
ANIMALS :
3. The Hare (42)
4. The Ferret (33)
5. The Red Deer (26)
6. Chillingham Cattle (47)
10. The Weasel (37)BIRDS :
5. The Golden Pheasant (22)
6. The Many-Coloured Parakeet (3)
10. The Amherst Pheasant (13)
If you know any of the rest do let me know!