Here we have the badge and cap of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, and this was sent in by a reader because it mentions some of the facts we spoke of with our Card of the Day on Monday the 30th of September - namely their being founded in 1871, tying with Nottinghamshire for the Championship in 1873, and being champions outright in 1876 and 1877. It also mentions Hammond, the man on that card, and describes him as “one of the best batsmen and fielders of the Century”.
The set is quite fascinating for cricket collectors. It starts with the Marylebone Cricket Club, and their very unusual red and yellow hooped cap. Their touring cap is quite different, and that is card number three. In between is the cap of England, the one which all players hope to one day wear with pride. I think these cards are in the wrong order, because cards four and five are Australia and South Africa, which would have better followed England.
Cards six to twenty-two are the County teams - which are, in numerical order, Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Sussex, Surrey (these two being slightly out of order), Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Yorkshire.
Then come the two teams of Cambridge and Oxford Universities.
Last of all comes I Zingari, which is described on the reverse as follows : "One of the greatest honours that cricket can offer is to be made a member of the brotherhood of I Zingari. I Zingari was formed in 1845 by a number of Cambridge sportsmen, who, in their leisure hours, indulged in cricket and theatricals. There is no entrance fee or annual subscription. The famous black, red and gold - "Out of darkness, through fire, into light" has ever stood for all that is good in Cricket, while the three Zingaric principles are famous - "Keep your promise, Keep your temper, Keep your wicket up."
In our original Churchman booklet (RB.10, issued in 1948) the entry for this set reads :
50. MAY 1928. 25 FAMOUS CRICKET COLOURS (titled series). Size 2-11/16 x 1-7/16 or 67 x 36 m/m. Numbered 1-25. Fronts printed by letterpress, 4-colour half tone process. Backs in dark green, with descriptions. Printed by Mardon, Son and Hall.
This is much reduced in our original World \Tobacco Issues Index, to
FAMOUS CRICKET COLOURS. Sm. Nd. (25) ... C82-46
This text remains the same in our updated volume but the code has changed.
Now hold on to your hats, because I have been sent a scan of something quite amazing for tomorrow.