Once the carriage has completed its circuit, it heads for the Royal Box, the interior of which is shown on this card.
This also tells us who is shown, unlike the Gallaher card we featured yesterday – from right to left being the Duchess of York (the future Queen Consort, and Queen Mother), her mother in law Queen Mary, King George V, and his son, the Duke of York (the future King George VI). I am not sure who the man is at the far left, perhaps the Steward of the Royal Box, or a trainer. Maybe someone knows and can give him back his name?
The card also tells us that “His Majesty has not been a very frequent visitor to other racecourses in the past, but was present at this year's Grand National, with the Queen, and celebrated the opening of his reign by winning his first flat race under Jockey Club rules with the Colt Jubilee in the Molyneux Stakes.”
At the bottom of the card it also tells us that this set was issued for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. And I know we have used it before, but karma may have seen to it that I used the non overseas version then, and if not, well there are more cards of William the Conqueror than the Royal Box at Ascot !
This is one of those odd sets where it is made up of differently sized cards. There are also two printings listed in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as follows :
THE PAGEANT OF KINGSHIP. Sm. 67 x 39 (90) and Lg. 76 x 56 (60). Nd.
A) Inscribed “Issued by Peter Jackson”
B) Inscribed “Issued by Peter Jackson (Overseas) Ltd.
This information is repeated in the updated version but there has been a discovery, and item B now reads “on board or thin paper.” However I found this thickness difference in the London Cigarette Card Company catalogue for 1955, so maybe I missed it in the original Tobacco Issues World Index? At that time the paper version was being sold at 3d a card and the thicker board version at 1/6d each.
There is also a curious item that accompanies this set. This is a circular card, with a gold border, and on the front it shows a book with a white cover and the words "The Pageant of Kingship". Flanking this are two paragraphs, "You can obtain this book free" and "for full details see overleaf". On the other side it describes the book and then at the bottom it says "This beautiful souvenir of the Coronation can be obtained FREE i exchange for five of these slips from John LIttle & Co. Ltd. Singapore". But I have been told that there are other addresses? Is that so and if so, please let us know what they are.