John PLAYER [tobacco : UK - Nottingham] "Nature Series" - small size (March/June 1909) 27/50 - P644-092.A : P72-41.A : P/138.A [RB.17/138.a]
This set seems to have a difference of opinion as to when it was issued - the 1950 London Cigarette Card catalogue for 1950 having it as June 1908 and our original John Player Reference Book, RB.17, published in 1950, having it as March 1909. In any event, we have selected it because in June the bat breeding season suddenly results in flocks of females coming in to roost in all manner of buildings, even under bridges and motorways, where their pups will be born, at the end of June or at the beginning of July. Once these pups are born, the females have to forage, so this becomes the most likely time of the year to see them flying.
This set is part of a group, including two larger sized sets, but their dates do not really help clear up the confusion. Anyway, the book lists the group as :
- 136. NATURE SERIES. Fronts in colour. Backs in blue, with descriptive text. Home issues.
A. 50 Small cards. Issued March 1909. Some colour varieties seen.
B. 12 Extra Large cards – Birds. Thick board. Issued October 1908.
C. 12 Extra Large cards – Animals. Thinner board. Issued October 1913.
We featured the extra large sized set of Birds as our Card of the Day for the 13th of March, 2025, where we display a list of all the cards included in both large sets, along with their numbers in the smaller version. And we also discuss a suggestion that a third large sized set was intended to be issued, but it was shelved by the First World War.
The description in our original World Tobacco Issues Index is shorter, and appears as :
- NATURE SERIES. Nd.... P72-41
A. Small (50)
B. Extra-large (20) –
(1) Animals Nd. 1/10
(2) Birds. Nd. 1/10
This actually is the right text, there are only ten extra large cards in each set, so the original John Player book was wrong by saying twelve.
And in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index the sets appear as :
- NATURE SERIES. Nd.... P644-092
A. Small (50)
B. Extra-large (20) – (1) Animals Nd. 1/10 (2) Birds. Nd. 1/10