Lets close our week by looking at two of the most basic skills of numeracy, and also the two most valuable. For it does not matter, to most people, about fractions and calculus and things like that; the most important things are being able to tell the time so that they arrive where they are going at the right moment, more or less, they do not miss their favourite television show, and their cooking is neither under nor overdone - and that they are able to cope with working out their money, so that they are not short-changed in shops, or online, and so that they can check their bank balance, income, and outgoings.
This set is, therefore, the perfect closure. It was first catalogued in our original Wills reference book part III as :
104. 50. TIME AND MONEY in Different Countries. Fronts lithographed in colour; backs in grey with descriptive text. Issued 1908. ... W/104
HOME ISSUE :-
A. With I.T.C. and Album Clause
AUSTRALIAN ISSUES :-
B. With "Capstan" advertisement, without Album Clause on backs.
C. With "Havelock" advertisement, with Album Clause on backs.
D. With "Vice-Regal" advertisement, without Album Clause on backs.
Similar series issued by Smith, and Fry (Trade).
The key in identification is that these export cards do not have an I.T.C. Clause. But there is another way to spot them, before turning them over, that being the fact that there is no Wills` name at the top of the front - our version, and the "Vice-Regal" sets are blank, whilst the other reads "Havelock Cigarettes".
Now we know, thanks to Wills` own records, that the Home Issue of this set was released in April, 1908. Of the Australian versions, though, there is no record, and this is thought to be because the lists are only of sets that were printed in London, either to be issued here, or to be exported - sets which were printed overseas do not appear, and it seems very likely that this was the case here, though there is a slight problem in that there is a home issue, and that it was issued also by Smith and Fry, using the same artwork. This means that either all the Wills sets, home and export, were printed at the same time, or that the artwork was sent overseas for use and was then amended, being given new backs and having the front wording removed. Either of these possibilities are not easy.
I have now done a bit more research, and it now appears the Wills export issues came first, in 1907, followed by the home issue in May 1908. The Fry issue was also in 1908, though we do not know whether it was before or after the Wills home issue. Lastly came the Smith version, a long time after too, in October 1923 - and, by the way, don`t waste time looking for this title in the Smith`s records, because they called it "Nations of the World".
In our World Tobacco Issues Indexes the set is split, with the home issue in section 2A and the Australian issues either under 2.B in the original version, or 4.B in the updated version. In both, the set is catalogued more succinctly under the home issue as :
TIME AND MONEY IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. Sm. Nd. (50).
and then the Australian section continues this with
Brand issues. See W/104 and H.454
A. "Capstan" back
B. "Havelock" back
C. "Vice-Regal" back. (a) with (b) without album clause.
This means that it must have been some time between the publication of Wills book III and that of the World Tobacco Issues Index that the album-clause`d version of the "Vice-Regal" printing had been discovered.
There was another find in between then and the publication of the updated World Tobacco Issues Index too, and that was a second version of the home issue. This revolves around the album clause, which is either the usual size of 34 m/m long, (type A) or just 30 m/m long (type B). Type B is also noted to use different typefaces, and it is thought to be an overseas issue, of selected numbers only, presumably some kind of replacement, for whatever reason. If anyone can shed a bit of light on this, please do. It would be interesting to compare the texts to see whether there are any changes to that, because that may be the reason for the reprinting.
As for the text from H.454, which is the handbook, it reads as follows :
H.454. TIME AND MONEY IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES or NATIONS OF THE WORLD (titled series). Fronts in colour. Numbered series of 50.
Pre-1919 Wills – Titled “Time and Money…” – with I.T.C. Clause
A. Album clause on back normal size, 34 mm long.
B. Album clause 30 mm long, with many other typefaces changed. Possibly an overseas issue, with selected numbers only.
Post-1920 Smith – Titled “Nations of the World”
Overseas Wills – Titled “Time and Money…” – without I.T.C. Clause
A. “Capstan” back
B. “Havelock” back
C. “Vice-Regal” back
(i) With Album Clause
(ii) Without Album Clause
Trade Fry - Titled “Time and Money…”