This set was issued in several different formats, and there is often confusion, not only because the borders of this set vary, in colour, but also with another set, listed by Jefferson Burdick as T.43, also called "Bird Series", and also issued by American Tobacco, with the "Mecca" brand only, as a "group issue". However the difference is pretty easy to spot, for that other set, T.43, has a very decorative gold frame.
Actually the Jefferson Burdick description of this set is :
T.42 - Bird Series (100).
Type 1 - white border (50). Type 2 - gold border (50). Mecca, Sw.Caporal, Cycle, Emblem, Sovereign, Old Mill, Am.Beauty, Piedmont.
He only valued them at five cents a card though.
In our original World Tobacco Issues Index this was sorted out into a slightly different way, as :
BIRD SERIES - BURDICK T.42. Sm. 66 x 36. Unnd. Series of 100, half with white, half with gold borders. Brand issues, some brands with white or gold borders only. See ABC/T.42. Ref. USA/T.42 ... A54-26
A. "American Beauty". White borders only known. (50)
B. "Cycle". Gold borders only known (50)
C. "Emblem". White borders only known (50)
D. "Mecca". White and gold borders (100)
E. "Old Mill". White and gold borders (100)
F. "Piedmont". White and gold borders (100)
G. "Sovereign". White borders only known (50)
H. "Sweet Caporal". White and gold borders known (100).
The only change to this listing in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index is the addition of the Factory codes, our set, "D" now being out of F.30 and 649, set "F" adding "Gold only F.25, 42 altered to 25, and 42", and "H" adding F25 and 42. We know the location of these factories, too -
- F.25 - 2nd District, Richmond, Virginia
- F.30 - 2nd District, New York City
- F.42 - Liggett & Myers Factory, in Durham, North Carolina
- F.649 - 1st District, New York