This one gave us the first picture of "Polo", but rather thrillingly, it was not revealed until the back went on at 8pm.
This card brings up an interesting point though, and that is why there was no Indian team at the Olympics, because India is considered to be the birthplace of the modern version of the game. And it spread from India, picked up by the soldiers stationed there, back to England, and thence to other areas of the globe. More about that later in the week, though we must mention that a thirteenth century Sultan of Delhi met his untimely end by being killed during a game of polo, when his horse took an unexpected fall, and he was impaled on the high front of his saddle.
This set first appears in our original Ogden`s reference book, RB.15, issued in 1949, as :
32. 50 BEST DOGS OF THEIR BREED. (adopted title). Size 63 x 35 m/m. Numbered on fronts and backs. Fronts lithographed in colour, pictures of dogs on white background. Backs with illustration of "Polo" packet, two issues.
A. Backs in red
B. Backs in blue
Issued in the East, between 1910-1915. Similar series issued by Wills.
Moving swiftly on to our original World Tobacco Issues Index, and ignoring the Wills bit just for a moment, our set is listed in Ogden`s section 5.C, which are the "Polo" brand issues. The text for this set reads :
BEST DOGS OF THEIR BREED (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Nd. (50). See RB.21/200-48.D ... O/2-205
(a) back in pinkish red
(b) back in blue
That gives us a link to an earlier volume, RB.21, which is the British American Tobacco reference book, issued in 1952, and also suggests, especially with the "D" suffix, that there were more issuers besides Wills. The full text there is :
200-48. BEST DOGS OF THEIR BREED. The small card printings of this series are recorded in W/48 and RB.15/32. There are also large size silk fronted printings, and all are summarised below :-
A. Wills` Havelock issue. Small cards.
B. Wills` Specialities issue. Small cards.
C. Anonymous issue, with letterpress on back. Small cards.
D. Ogden`s Polo issue. Small cards with backs in (a) red (b) blue
E. Anonymous issue, with letterpress on backs. Large paper-backed silks, size about 82 x 55 m/m (variable). Blue printed backs, much variation in shade. Three printings, the difference being apparent from the depth of the lower part of text, i.e., the words "This is one of .... Cigarettes....
1. Australian issue, numbered back only. Lower part of text about 35 m/m deep. Back on dullish white board.
2. Maltese issue, numbered back only. Lower part of text as in (i) but back printed on dull brownish board.
3. South African issue, numbered (i) on back and front (ii) on back only. Lower part of text about 40m/m deep. Back on dull brownish board.Printings A-C and E have backs with brief details of dog, and bear the series title. Printing D does not bear the series title, and has backs without details of dog.
The two sets, A and B, issued by W.D. & H.O. Wills, "Havelock" and "Wills` Specialities" were issued in Australia in 1914. Set C was issued in Malta and India in 1928. Set D, our set, was also issued in India, in 1916. The silks seem to have all been issued in 1913, which actually makes them first of all.
Now I have found a collector who has kindly shown me a card with the additional information about the dog on the reverse, which reads : "BREED: Pointer. CH. MALLWYD POLLY - Lune Monarch Her Majesty. Owner Mr. T. Steadman. WINNER OF SEVERAL CHAMPION-SHIPS AND NUMEROUS FIRST AND SPECIAL PRIZES ".
From that I have discovered that Mallwyd Polly was bred by J.T. Egglestone, and born on the 28th of March 1908, in the same litter as "Tom Speedy", who ended up in New York City. Mr. Egglestone`s son, Arthur, was also a keen dog handler, and he holds the honour of winning Best of of Show at Crufts, in 1935, with a Pointer - "Pennine Prima Donna", this being the first time the breed won the title.
Lune Monarch was actually also at Crufts in 1908, and he was owned by a Lieutenant R. Horner. Not sure where the "Her Majesty" fits into his name yet though.