So you may have noticed that this lady is not the same one as we started with. I got the wrong set, but fear not, her second series that had the all too brief outing will appear later, elsewhere. Nothing is wasted.
I did not notice, but was told by a reader, for which many thanks. Though I may have noticed when I wrote it up, for the two sets are pictured in our original reference book to "The Cigarette Card Issues of W.D. & H.O. Wills Parts I to IV (revised) and Part V" (RB.19, published in 1951). I am not sure how well it will reproduce though.
Anyway the listing, of both, as we do not appear to have featured either before, reads :
CHINESE BEAUTIES (adopted title). Unnumbered. Fronts lithographed in colour. Backs in green, with illustration of closed "Pirate" packet. 50 subjects illustrated in Figs. 102 and 103. "Pirate" issues.
- 362. 1st Series of 25. Issued December, 1907. Nos. 1-25 in Fig.102.
A. Vertical back format, see Fig.100.A ("Dot" in "C", "10 Cigarettes" top to bottom)
B. Vertical back format, see Fig.100.B ("Dot" in "C", "Bristol and London" off centre to right. "10 Cigarettes" bottom to top)
C. Vertical back format, see Fig.100.C (No "Dot" in "C")
D. Horizontal back format, small "Pirate" packet on left, Chinese characters in line on right.
Similar issues by B.A.T. with "Eagle Bird" Cigarettes (both vertical and horizontal back format) and Murai ("Peacock" Cigarettes)
- 363. 25. 2nd Series of 25. Issued April 1909. Nos. 26-50 in Fig.103.
The illustration is made up from cards without framelines, but there is a series WITH FRAMELINES under B. below.
A. Vertical back format, see Fig.100.A ("Dot" in "C", "10 Cigarettes" top to bottom
B. Vertical back format, see Fig.100.B ("Dot" in "C", "Bristol and London" off centre to right. "10 Cigarettes" bottom to top)
I. Fronts without framelines (as illustrated in Fig.97)
II. Fronts WITH framelines
Similar series issued by B.A.T. with "Eagle Bird" Cigarettes (vertical back format only)
If you thought that confusing, here is the entry from our reference book to the issues of the British American Tobacco Company (RB.21, published in 1952.
- 200-362 . CHINESE BEAUTIES. The recordings in W/362 and W/363 are summarised and extended below -
I. 1st Series of 25, illustrated in W/362, Fig.102 (Nos.1/25)
Wills` Pirate Issues:
A. Back in vertical format, see Fig.100.A of RB.19
B. Back in vertical format, see Fig.100.B of RB.19
C. Back in vertical format, see Fig.100.C of RB.19
D. Back in horizontal format, small "Pirate" packet on left
Eagle Bird Issues :
E. Back in vertical format, see Fig.200-17.G.
F. Back in horizontal format, small "Eagle Bird" packet on left
Murai Issues
G. Back in vertical format, with open "Peacock" packet
II. 2nd Series of 25, illustrated in W/363, Fig.103 (Nos.26/50)
Wills` Pirate Issues:
A. Front without framelines, back as Fig.100.A of RB.19
B. Front without framelines, back as Fig.100.B of RB.19
C. Front with framelines, back as Fig.100.B of RB.19
Eagle Bird Issues :
D. Front without framelines
E. Front with framelines
III. 3rd Series of 25, illustrated at Fig.200-362.III (Nos.1/25)
A. B.C.C. [British Cigarette Company] issue. Red back, pearl bordered design, see Fig. 200-17.F
III. 4th Series of 25, illustrated at Fig.200-362.IV (Nos. 76-100)
A. Atlas issue. Green back, with illustration of "Atlas" packet
Now by the time of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, this has been altered, dramatically, to simply read :
- CHINESE BEAUTIES (A). Sm. 63 x 36, Unnd. (50). See W/362-3 and RB21/200-362. ... W62-315
A. Back with closed packet, "10 Cigarettes" reading top to bottom. Subjects 1/50.
B. Back with closed packet, "10 Cigarettes" reading bottom to top. Dot in "C" of "Cigarettes". Subjects 1/25 fronts without framelines, 26/50 fronts (a) with (b) without framelines.
C. Back with closed packet. As (B) but without dot. Subjects 1/25
D. Back in horizontal format, closed packet on left, Chinese characters on right. Subjects 1/25
This is identical in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, save the card code, which is now W675-452
Now I am indebted to our "Wills Specialist", who has taken the time and trouble to scan all the fronts, split into cards 1-25 and 26-50. And here they are :
Cards 1-25
Cards 26-50
