RB.15 Ogden

RB.15 Ogden

This booklet, "Cartophilic Reference Book - No.15 : The Cigarette Card Issues of Ogden`s Ltd Part I - All issues excluding “Guinea Gold” series - An Official Checklist Compiled by A Committee of the Cartophilic Society of Great Britain Limited" (or RB.15), was edited by Edward Wharton-Tigar, and signed off in July 1948.

It was then printed, by Collins & Wilson Ltd, London E.C.1., as a booklet of one hundred and four pages, and sixty-eight illustrations - and published as a limited edition of five hundred copies, in 1949, to be retailed, to Society members, at seventeen shillings and sixpence.

Like all our individual reference booklets, it was superseded by The World Tobacco Issues Index (RB.21), which was issued in 1956.

However we know that after that time these books still remained in stock as when the Cameric Club merged with the Cartophilic Society, this was amongst the books listed as part of a half price offer, so that former Camericans, and new members, could buy one. By that time the normal retail price had risen to eighteen shillings and sixpence, but the offer reduced it to nine shillings and three pence.  


The first curiosity here is that the title concludes with : "All issues excluding "Guinea Gold" series”. 

In fact, after having done a bit more research, according to a long list in the inside back cover of RB.9, our guide to Lambert and Butler, issued in 1948, the Ogdens “book” was actually planned to be a trio. 

The first of these works was to cover the standard Ogden`s cards. This was earmarked to be published during 1948, along with Phillips, Taddy, and Wills Part II. Taddy and Wills were indeed published in that year, but the Ogden was delayed and did not appear until 1949.

Part Two was to contain the "Guinea Gold" issues. This volume is actually listed amongst the “Proposed 1949 Programme” from the back of RB.11 (Wills Part II), and it was "Proposed" for some time. Then, on the back cover of RB.14 (Wills Part III) it has even moved to being “In Preparation” . However after that it discreetly disappears. However, it was finally published - as RB24 - though not until 1959, a decade on.! Then, in 1978 it was reprinted, combined with "Part One" as a hardback volume.

And these were both superseded in 2015 by our very grand and informative book on Ogdens and Guinea Gold, which you can buy from our bookshop.

As for Part Three, this was to contain the "Tabs" cards, and it never appeared in this form, simply because the Tabs issues were “so closely interlocked with other issues that segregation was found impracticable in a work which includes Ogden`s overseas issues” - many of which referred to “Tab” in their title.