EDWARDS, Ringer & Bigg [tobacco : UK - Bristol] "Life on board a Man of War" (July 1905) 40/50 - E265-400 : E14-18 : H.38
This set is catalogued first in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as :
- LIFE ON BOARD A MAN OF WAR. Sm. Nd. (50). See H.38 ... E14-18
And this is the same wording in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, save a new card code, of E265-400
As far as H.38, that`s in the handbook, and the entry reads :
- H.38. LIFE ON BOARD A MAN OF WAR or BRITISH MAN OF WAR SERIES (titled series). Fronts in colour. Numbered (except Player), but order differs from listing below. Series of 50.
Pre-1919
Bigg - Titled "Life on Board a Man of War"
Edwards, Ringer & Bigg - Titled "Life on Board a Man of War"
Player - Titled "Life on Board a Man of War in 1805 and 1905", unnumbered
Overseas
Anonymous - Titled "British Man of War Series of 50". Plain back. Recorded in Burdick under C.49, page 41, as issued by Imperial Tobacco Co. of Canada
There then follows a list, but only of the unnumbered Player set so I have changed it to allow for the inclusion of the Bigg and the Edwards, Ringer and Bigg numbered versions.The Player set is also split into twenty-four subjects showing life in 1805 and twenty-six showing it in 1905, which is rather unwieldy, so I have chosen to list them all in alphabetical order and just give the date from the Player`s set.
| Bigg/ERB | title on card [of Player`s un-numbered set] |
| No. 49 - | - 6 Inch Gun in Action [1905] |
| No. 15 | - A Boarding Party [1805] |
| No. 13 | - A Court Martial [1805] |
| No. 21 | - A Night Attack [1805] |
| No. 18 | - A Powder Monkey [1805] |
| No. 26 | - A Quiet Game of Cards [1905] |
| No. 5 | - At The Wheel [1805] |
| No. 16 | - Between Decks during a Fight [1805] |
| No. 34 | - Cleaning up after Coaling [1905] |
| No. 10 | - Crossing the Line [1805] |
| No. 11 | - "Fiddlers Green" [1805] |
| No. 39 | - Firing 9.2 Q.F [1905] |
| No. 23 | - Firing a Gun [1805] |
| No. 41 | - Firing Exercise [1905] |
| No. 6 | - Fore-Castle Yarns [1805] |
| No. 36 | - Gymnastics, Whale Island [1905] |
| No. 32 | - Hauling a Rope [1905] |
| No. 19 | - Heaving the Lead [1805] |
| No. 28 | - Heaving the Lead [1905] |
| No. 2 | - Heaving the Log [1805] |
| No. 1 | - Hoisting Signals [1805] |
| No. 20 | - In the Mizzen Top [1805] |
| No. 40 | - Landing Big Guns [1905] |
| No. 47 | - Light Gun Drill [1905] |
| No. 4 | - Manning the Yards [1805] |
| No. 24 | - Man-O`War Cook [1805] |
| No. 44 | - Marines at Rifle Drill [1905] |
| No. 37 | - Maxim Gun [1905] |
| No. 38 | - Maxim Practise [1905] |
| No. 8 | - Paying Off Pennant [1805] |
| No. 22 | - Poop Lights of Three-Decker [1805] |
| No. 39 | - Prepare to Ram [1905] |
| No. 3 | - Press-Gang at Work [1805] |
| No. 7 | - Prize-Money [1805] |
| No. 42 | - Ready to Salute [1905] |
| No. 14 | - Receiving the Swords of Vanquished Foes [1805] |
| No. 12 | - Reeling the Sail [1805] |
| No. 30 | - Sail Makers [1905] |
| No. 43 | - Serving out Rum [1905] |
| No. 9 | - Ship`s Belfry [1805] |
| No. 46 | - Signalling [1905] |
| No. 29 | - Single-Stick Drill [1905] |
| No. 50 | - Smoke Head-Gear [1905] |
| No. 17 | - Swivel in Man-of-War`s Top [1805] |
| No. 48 | - The After-Barbette [1905] |
| No. 33 | - The Bugler [1905] |
| No. 35 | - The Ship`s Barbers [1905] |
| No. 45 | - The Wounded Man [1905] |
| No. 27 | - Using Sewing Machines [1905] |
| No. 31 | - Working a Nordenfelt Gun [1905] |
Now if we look at the London Cigarette Card catalogue for the same year as the handbook, we find the following :
- W.O. Bigg - odds from 8/6 to 25/-, sets at £60
- Edwards, Ringer and Bigg - odds from 6/6 to 20/-, sets at £50 - and this is where we get the issue date, of July 1905
- John Player - odds from 1/6 to 4/-, sets at £10 - and this is where we get their issue date, of October 1905
So that destroys the oft held belief that Player`s issued their set first and Edwards, Ringer and Bigg copied it...The only thing we don`t know is when W.O. Bigg issued theirs.