Well here we are almost in October and still no offers of pantomime. Thank you for coming along, and for waiting patiently. This week we have gone all literary, but we still have time for tons of fun, and a few revelations. Its been great fun to write as well! And I am delighted to be able to include a few snippets from our early magazines, as well as to remember, fondly, one of my former friends.
Wait no longer, grasp your glasses, and read on .....
Anonymous "Butterflies [Girls Bodies]" medium size (1928) 25/50 - ZB07-150d : ZB6-13b : RB21/217-38
Today we celebrate the birth of F. Scott Fitzgerald, in 1896, writer of several novels and short stories that both invented and celebrated the 1920s as The Jazz Age. Probably his best known is The Great Gatsby, filmed several times, one of my favourites though it is strange that what seems very romantic when you first read it seems to alter as you age and seem very selfish. If you have not seen the most modern version, do, for it is closer to the original Alan Ladd version than it is the Robert Redford one.
Fitzgerald would, I think, have approved of the ethereal wistful beauty of this flapper girl butterfly and she is a clever metaphot for most of his work, where life, and love, comes close to being netted, but eventually wriggles away out of its grasp, and all it leaves behind is the knowledge that if you really try you could have a better chance tomorrow, or perhaps the day after that.
To read more about him, head to South Carolina University which holds the personal collection of one of his biographers, Matthew Bruccoli.
There are several versions of this set in the standard size including John Player, who also issued them in 1928, but they were also issued in this much more exciting medium size that measures 70 x 48 m/m. Most, including ours, were branches of British American Tobacco, including the branded "Cigarettes Albert", available from 1926 in Belgium and the Belgian Congo, and "Cigarillos Club", with the texts and titles in Spanish, those titles being "Mariposas".
Intriguingly the [Girls Bodies] part of the title was added some time after they were first recorded - did the original finder not realise the bodies were ladies? That sounds a very fun thought.
Another curious fact is that the titles are mostly in Latin, though some have English translations as well. However the card of The Purple Emperor is reported to only be in English. Is this still the case on the "Mariposas" set ?
Super Products Inc "The Bar - Pieces of the Past - Volume Two" (2017) card 279
This was a good week for writers for it was the birthday of William Faulkner today.
Like F. Scott Fitzgerald he joined the forces hoping to take part in the First World War, but never quite got there. Faulkner was in training for the Royal Air Force when the Armistice was signed. However he never lost his love of flying.
I don`t like many of his books, and freely admit that I prefer the probably less realistic and more romanticised Fitzgerald world. But I do like the film "The Long Hot Summer" which was rather loosely based on three of Faulkner`s works, and was released in 1958, starring Paul Newman.
Gallaher Ltd [tobacco : UK] "Fables and Morals Series 1" (1912) 18/100 - G075-155 : G12-18
Keeping with our literary theme, today in 1888 was the birthday of Thomas Stearns Eliot, usually known as just T. S. Eliot
Now despite being a very talented poet, today he is best known for being the inspiration behind the musical "Cats", by Andrew Lloyd Webber, for that was based on a book of verse called "Old Possum`s Book of Practical Cats", published in 1939.
In fact the title was a little nod to his friend, Ezra Pound, who called Eliot "Old Possum". And the verses were not even intended for publication they were just for his godchildren. But luckily someone saw them and thought they were worth collecting and publishing as a book of verse.
This set has several versions, but ours was the earliest, and it can be told from the later versions by the fact that it says "Series 1" and that the card numbers are in line with the captions.
In the 1950 London Cigarette Card Company catalogue of 1950 this version was retailed at between 3/- and 8/6d a card, or £40 a set.
The other versions were issued in March and November 1922. The difference between these two is in the numerals, for the earlier has thin numerals measuring over 2 m/m high, and the later has thick numerals under 2 m/m high. In early documentation there is reference to the earlier version being found on white card or yellow, but this seems not to be mentioned now. Anyone know whether this was just found to be tobacco damage and discounted?
John Player [tobacco : UK] "International Air Liners" Channel Islands printing (November 1936) 26/50 - P644-672b : P72-220b : RB.17/116
My hands were aching with all those literary connections, and my brain with all those words, so lets send ourself off on a flight of fancy with World Tourism Day, which is today. But do remember to fly eco-responsibly, even in your mind.
Our card shows an airliner from KLM, who are generally regarded as the first commercial airline. They were founded in October 1919 as Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, and this is still their name today, though it was decided to use KLM rather than make the aeroplanes large enough to carry the unabbreviated logo.
In 1919 there was still a lot of goings on to do with the First World War, demobilising of troops and closures of bases, so flights did not begin until May of the following year. It had originally been intended to fly from Amsterdam to Hounslow Heath, but that was closed in March 1920 and London`s airport became Croydon, hurriedly converted from the former military airfield that had been constructed in 1915, but with an additional delay to allow the RAF to pack up all their effects.
This is the rarer Channel Islands version of this card
United Dairies [trade : UK : milk] "The Story of Milk" (1966) 24/25 - UNI-250 : UNI-4 : D390 : HX3
Wow I was so happy to find this card, for it is the perfect image for what I always say, there is not a subject that is not on a card, if you really hunt. So here, on World School Milk Day, school children are drinking their "free milk at school". In fact giving schoolchildren milk as part of their day started much earlier than I thought, in 1921 - and free school meals started in 1906. However in 1968 it all changed, when free milk was only given in primary schools, not secondary schools - and then in 1971 the Education Secretary, one Margaret Thatcher, reduced it further, only allowing children aged under seven to receive free milk. This was slightly repealed in 1978 when children from some low income families were given free milk up to the age of twelve.
This card is another of those "alike" series, with several issuers -
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A.1 Dairies (1967?) AAA-090 : AAD-3 - the date is almost certainly wrong on this set as it was first mentioned in our Cartophilic Notes and News magazine Vol.1 issue 10, July-August 1966. The firm was actually called A.1 and Dollis Dairies, and their head office was 1411 High Road, Whetstone. It looks like they became part of Express Dairies
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Bishops Stortford Dairy Farmers Ltd (1966) BIS-160 : BIV-6 - this date could well be right because the set was reported in our Cartophilic Notes and News magazine Vol.2 issue 14, March April 1967. I have not been able to find any info - yet.
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Clover Dairies (1970?) CLO-110 : CMM-5 : this date is definitely wrong as the set was mentioned in the same section of the magazine as above. They started in Grimsby ijust after the end of the First World War, and grew steadily right across England, with sites in London, Gloucestershire and Kent. It looks like they became part of Northern Dairies in the mid 1970s
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Hitchmans Dairies Ltd (1965) HIT-140 : HIT-9 : It looks like this was the first set to be issued, it was reported in our Cartophilic Notes and News magazine Vol.1 issue 7, January February 1966, which would point to late 1965 as an issue date. Also it has the fullest write up, namely : "Series of 25. An excellent and well produced set showing the production of Milk from the cow to your doorstep. It is certainly surprising to read about all the various processes which are necessary before Milk can be used in the home. The cards are of standard size, coloured with white borders, backs being printed in black and numbered, titled, etc." However in the same block of New Issues are mentioned Home Counties and United Dairies, so it is likely all three were issued more or less at the same time. As to why the Hitchmans version got the full write up, it could have been the first to be sent in, but it is more likely that it was simply the first in line when the New Issues column was produced, as it was done in alphabetical order of issuer.
Hitchmans Dairies were based in London E4, and there is an excellent website on them at Queens Road Stories - and, by the way, do note that it was reported that these cards had been found with different colour backs, but they are printers material, trials and proofs. It would be quite hard to make up a set of a single colour variant from odds. -
Home Counties Dairies (1965?) HOM-230 : HKT-3 - I am struggling a bit here but I know they produced a magazine called "Milk Made", whether this was for staff or customers I am not sure. There is a rather interesting advertising brochure on Worthpoint which relates to our set! It also gives the address as Home Counties Dairies Limited, Cow & Gate House, London Road, Guildford.
C. Colombos [tobacco : OS ; Malta] "The Life of Nelson" (1914) 40/70 - C675-450 : C108-7
Now today in 1758 Horatio Nelson was born in Norfolk. But we are off to Malta where this set of seventy photographic cards were issued just at the start of the First World War. In fact three sets were issued in that year, the other two being seventy cards on The Life of Wellington and a hundred cards of The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Colombos seem to have specialised in these photographic sets, though some were hand coloured. Our cards measure 66 x 44 m/m and were black and white, though they have toned a bit over the years. They are now centenarians and a bit! There is a variation which perhaps denotes two printings, and that is the back, which can either be found as (a) rectangular dotted framelines - or as (b), like ours, with fancy framelines.
Millhoff [tobacco : UK] "Antique Pottery" (1927) 33/54 - M699-110 : M108:11
Now to close here is a little plug for World Coffee Morning Day to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer. There will be one near you, in a hall, or a library, or in a private home, and do go, buy a slice of cake and a cup of coffee, and support Macmillan, who go out of their way to look after those with cancer, and to bring them peace and comfort in their final days, and never get offered even a sniff at a banker`s bonus. So on this one day a year, the very least we can do to show that we value them and what they do is to go along and buy a single coffee and a little bit of cake. Or more, if you can.
This set was available in the standard size, as shown here, and as medium sized cards measuring 74 x 50 m/m. They are listed as hand coloured but there seems to be very little evidence of that remaining, however I have to say that pottery is not really a very inspiring subject for painting, most of it is clay coloured and not very vibrant, and even the backgrounds chosen here are plain and bland.
There is a curious fact, for the medium sized set might say "A Series of 54" but there are 56 cards. What the two extra are, I do not know. Do you? If so do tell us and we can list them here.
This week's Cards of the Day...
... covered Shetland Wool Week, which, after two years absence, returned between September 24th and October 2nd.
Wool is a natural fibre continually produced by sheep, and best of all it can be removed without having to kill them. It is also eco friendly in many ways, for it does not use as much water or energy to produce a garment as many other fabrics - and in fact you can not only make woollen clothing using just your hands, two rods, and the yarn, but you can unpick it to make an entirely different item of clothing.
However it is not all good news on the ecology front, because farmers are clearing forests to allow more sheep to graze, and sheep, like cows and goats, produce alarming amounts of methane gas.
I guess you must examine the evidence for yourself, and make your own decision...
Saturday, 17th September 2022
This set is a curious one. It says "Footballers 1928-9 Second Series" but does not really explain that the first series was "Footballers 1928". However it does then say "51-75", so it is possible to work it out with the aid of your trusty catalogue. Our World Indexes are set up that the pair are listed under "Footballers" but without that it does take some working out. As to why there was a need for a second set, or why it was only twenty-five cards, over to our footballing fans - we are waiting to hear from you...
The connection to wool on this card might have been that football jerseys are traditionally of wool, though these days they are more likely to be of a mixture including cotton and synthetic fibres. Some say that this was for warmth, as football is the winter game, with cricket being the summer pursuit.
However the real clue was Bradford, which is popularly known as Wool City, or even Woolopolis, and has been the centre of the wool industry for centuries. In 1864, its grandest building, the Wool Exchange, actually saw the British Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, traveling up and laying the foundation stone. And before the outbreak of the First World War it was widely believed to be one of the wealthiest cities in the world, more than even London. Another link is that Bradford City has had several nicknames, but one of them was "The Woolwinders". And in fact when the two football teams of Bradford City and Bradford Park Avenue play each other it is called "The Wool Derby" to this very day!
But are there any other Bradford City or Bradford Park Avenue cards which mention wool ? Over to you.
Our footballer is Albert E. Partridge, who was actually born in Birmingham in 1901. He played for Sheffield United, Bradford City and Northampton Town. I have not yet found many other cards of him, so please tell us if you know of any. But he does appear on Barratt & Co "Football Team Folders" (1932-1933) BAR-195 : BAR-46.2 as part of the card showing Bradford City.
Sunday, 18th September 2022
Our clue was that Lana Turner was known as "The Sweater Girl", not because she encouraged men to perspire, but because her curves were accentuated by the close embrace of a woollen sweater. However here she is shown as a brunette, rather than with the blonde hair which would make her famous. She had quite a life, to say the least, and was married eight times. I will divert you to one of the most fascinating biographies, which avoids most of the more lurid aspects of her life, and that can be found at the International Movie Database.
There is one really neat fact about this set, and that is that in most dealer`s catalogues this is the very first set listed in them !
The best description of this Abdulla set comes in our original reference book RB.5, to the issues of Abdulla, Adkin and Anstie. That tells us it is :
1938 50 BEAUTIES OF TODAY (titled series). Size 2 13/16 x 1 3/8. Numbered 1-50. Fronts, printed black only, letterpress – black and white, from screen blocks. Subjects titled : white margins. Varnished to give glossy appearance. Backs, printed in black, no descriptions. Similar to Godfrey Phillips` set but NOT coloured. Printed by Wass, Pritchard & Co. Ltd., London
Both our original and our updated World Tobacco Issues Index lists this in Abdulla section 2, English Language issues 1918-1943 and sub section 2A, export issues. About 1933-39. The description is identical in both, but has been shortened to : "BEAUTIES OF TO-DAY. Sm. 68 x 35. Black and white. Nd. (50)." It then continues with “See Ha.514” in the original, or “See RB.113/18” in the updated version - which is the updated Godfrey Phillips book.
Ha.514 says
BEAUTIES OF TO-DAY. (titled series). Numbered series of 50.
Abdulla – Front in black and white
Phillips – Front in light colour. See RB.13/18
For other series with this title see RB.13/17 and RB.13/19-29
RB.13/18 adds :
18. 50 “A series of 50 now being issued with these Cigarettes.” Fronts printed by offset process in colour. Backs in grey-black, some cards bear brief descriptive text. Home issue, 1938.
Abdulla & Co. Ltd were founded in London in 1902. Recorded as "cigarette specialists", they offered exotic blends of Virginian, Turkish, and Egyptian tobacco. By 1904 they were at 9 New Bond Street ; in 1929 they had moved to number 173, premises formerly occupied by Faberge. They also had a Berlin and a Netherlands Branch, and some arrangement in Shanghai which was overseen by agents Adolph Frankau & Co. Ltd, who had dealings of their own, importing and manufacturing pipes and tobacco paraphernalia. Their advertising played on their exoticism, you can see some of it at the Stanford University SRITA website ,
However, although this set says it was issued by Abdulla, that company had been part of Godfrey Phillips for three years, from 1926, and by the time this set was issued the Abdulla holdings in Berlin had also been "liquidated", an odd choice of words - that happened in 1934. I don`t know anything about the closing circumstances so maybe someone out there can tell me.
Now this set was also issued by Godfrey Phillips, as one of many sub series of "Beauties of To-Day" in various sizes. The codes on that are P521-408.2 and P-50-91.2 - the RB and Ha numbers remain the same, and all they do is tell us that the set was issued by both these makers. I am not sure why Phillips decided to issue this one batch with Abdulla on though - it cannot have been a success either, as they would have continued to issue the rest of the sub series.
Lastly in the curiosity department, if you look the Abdulla version of this set up in my old faithful London Cigarette Card Catalogue for 1950, there are no prices, just the kind of lines which usually denote out of stock. Does mean that it was hard to come by, or that it was just too popular? Any ideas?
Monday, 19th September 2022
Here we have just one of the versions of this most attractive export set. The card is a cut out, if you look along the pony`s outline you will spot the little perforations, and this allows you to push the background away and let him stand up in a three dimensional manner. I am not sure why they did not allow him to have the tree too, but never mind.
Now there seems to be some confusion about this Millbank issue. In our original World Tobacco Issues Index the set has a B. prefixed code, and they are listed as part of British American Tobacco, where it says that these were "Millbank Cigarettes, brand issue, without name of firm. Issued in Canada 1922-23, probably through Imperial Tobacco of Canada." For the description, they have :
ANIMALS. Sm. 66 x 35. Cut-outs. Nd. (60). See X.21/200-37F. Ref USA/C40.
a) Base of back inscribed "1516" (A) with (B) without the words "Printed in England"
b) Base of back inscribed "3971 - Printed in England.
If we go to the back of the book where the X numbers are, it says "ANIMALS - "CUT-OUTS" - The "F" Printing, brand issue inscribed MILLBANK - THE QUALITY CIGARETTE"
However in our updated version of the World Tobacco Index these cards have been moved to the Imperial Tobacco of Canada and re-coded with an I number.
Mr. Park has been amazingly helpful with this set, and also tells us that there are colour differences associated with the 1516 printing, so that you can find the "printed in England" in three colours which are (A) red (B) bluey grey (C) black - and that it also appears in the Burdick Catalogue as C40, where it is valued at just five cents a card. He also supplied the image of this card when I found out the index contained two of these cards, and both were by Wills.
It was also issued by other tobacco manufacturers, and the full list, extracted from RB.21, the British American Tobacco Reference Book, is :
A. Wills` "Havelock" export brand issue
B. Wills` "Specialities, Capstan, Vice Regal and Ribbon Cuts" export brand issue (26 February 2022)
C. Ogden`s "Ruler" export brand issue
D.i. Ogden`s "Tabs" export brand issue - with caption
D.ii. Ogden`s "Tabs" export brand issue - without caption
E.i. Ogden`s unbranded plain back Issue - with caption
E.ii. Ogden`s unbranded plain back issue - without caption
F.i.a. Millbank issue, numbered 1516 at bottom of front - "Printed in England" in red (this version)
F.i.b. Millbank issue, numbered 1516 at bottom of front - "Printed in England" in bluey-grey
F.i.c. Millbank issue, numbered 1516 at bottom of front - "Printed in England" in black
F.ii. Millbank issue, numbered 3971 at bottom of front
G. Kong Beng brand issue
It also tells us that printings A. B., and F. are numbered with series title and descriptive text. However printings C,., D., E., and G. are unnumbered, without series title or descriptive text.
As we feature these cards on our website we will bold the text, and add a link, the clicking on which will let you go off and see them. So far only one has been done though!
By the way RB.15-17 gives the titles of all the cards, though it is known that they vary between the Ogdens, Wills and B.A.T. versions. So here is a list. And look at the ones which have dots before them, because they are ones I cannot track down, and if you have them let us know so I can extract the info..
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Armadillo - ? - listed in RB.21 listing - possibly "Giant Armadillo" ?
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Australian Bear - ? - listed in RB.21 listing - possibly "Native Bear" ?
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Australian Cat - ? - listed in RB.21 listing - possibly "Native Cat" ?
Ass - (Wills Specialities : 27/60)
Badger - Meles Taxus - (Wills Specialities : 46/60)
Beaver - Castor Fiber - (Wills Specialities : 49/60)
Borzoi - or Russian Wolfhound - (Wills Specialities : 1/60)
Brown Bear - Ursus Arctos - (Wills Specialities : 16/60)
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Camel - ? - listed in RB.21 listing - anyone got one of these?
Cheetah - Cynaelurus Jubatus - (Wills Specialities : 12/60)
Common Hamster - Cricetus Frumentarius - (Wills Specialities : 24/60)
Crested Porcupine - Hystrix Cristata - does not appear in RB.21 listing - (Wills Specialities : 37/60)
Dachshund - (Wills Havelock : 38/60)- (Wills Specialities : 38/60)
Dingo - Mountain Variety - Canis Dingo - (Wills Specialities : 51/60)
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Dromedary - ? - listed in RB.21 listing - anyone got one of these?
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European Mink - Mustela Lutreola - does not appear in the RB.21 listing - (Wills Specialities : 36/60)
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European Musk - ? - listed in RB.21 but possibly the above card mis-described?
Flying Fox - Pteropus Poliocephalus - (Wills Specialities : 52/60)
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Fox - ? - anyone got one of these?
French Poodle - (Wills Specialities : 41/60)
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Gemsbok Antelope - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these?
Giant Armadillo - Priodon Gigas - listed as simply "Armadillo" in reference books - (Wills Specialities : 47/60)
Giraffe - Giraffa Camelopardis - (Wills Specialities : 23/60)
Gorilla - Anthropopithechus Gorilla - (Wills Specialities : 18/60)
Great Ant Eater - Myrmecophaga Jubata - - (Wills Specialities : 15/60)
Great Dane - (Wills Specialities : 11/60)
Guinea Pig - (Wills Specialities : 50/60)
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Hare - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
Hedgehog - Erinaceus Europaeus - (Wills Specialities : 30/60)
Hippopotamus - Hippopotamus Amphibious - (Wills Havelock : 8/60)
Hyaena - Hyaena Striata - (Wills Specialities : 2/60)
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Indian Elephant - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
Kangaroo - (Micropus Giganteus - (Wills Specialities : 45/60)
Leopard - Felis Pardus - (Wills Specialities : 13/60)
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Lion - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
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Moose - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
Mule - back says "The Mule" - (Wills Specialities : 29/60)
Mountain Zebra - Equus Zebra - (Wills Specialities : 25/60)
Native Bear - Phascolarctus Cinereus - (Wills Specialities : 57/60)
Native Cat - Dasyurus Viverrinus - (Wills Havelock : 54/60) - (Wills Specialities : 54/60)
Opossum - Trichosurus Vulpecula - (Wills Specialities : 60/60)
Orang-Utan - Simia Satyrus - (Wills Havelock : 17/60)
Otter - Lutra Vulgaris - (Wills Specialities : 39/60)
Polar Bear - Ursus Maritimus - (Wills Specialities : 14/60)
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Porcupine - listed in RB.21 - possibly "Crested Porcupine" ?
Prairie Dog - Cynomys Ludovicianus - (Wills Specialities : 22/60)
Rabbit Bandicoot - Peragale Lagotis - (Wills Specialities : 55/60)
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Racehorse - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
Red Deer - Cervus Elaphus - (Wills Specialities : 9/60)
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Retriever - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
Rhinoceros - Rhinoceros Unicornis - (Wills Specialities : 7/60)
Roe Deer - Capreolus Caproea - (Wills Specialities : 19/60)
Seal - Phoca Vitulina - (Wills Specialities : 32/60)
Shetland Pony - (Millbank : 10/60) - (Wills Specialities : 10/60)
Squirrel - Sciurus Vulgaris - (Wills Specialities : 28/60)
Tasmanian Devil - Sarcophilus Ursinus - (Wills Specialities : 53/60)
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Tasmanian Wolf - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
Tiger - Felis Tigris - crouching - (Wills Specialities : 43/60)
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Tiger - roaring - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
Wallaby - Macropus Greyi - (Wills Specialities : 59/60)
White Rabbit - (Wills Specialities : 35/60)
Wild Cat - Felis Catus - (Wills Specialities : 33/60)
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Wolf - ? - listed in RB.21 - anyone got one of these ?
Wombat - Phascolomys Mitchelli - (Wills Specialities : 58/60)
Tuesday, 20th September 2022
Here we have a sheep from which wool is derived. It is also one of the very few cards in this rather non-animal-friendly set which do not involve eating or skinning, lethally. Cards of this set do vary in size, 62/63 x 37x38 mm. There is something curious about it because our two sets of World Tobacco Issues Indexes just list it as a single set. However, what follows is extracted from the 1944 Gallaher Reference Checklist Book RB.4, and it makes it plain that there are five different printings - the two different boards on the original set - the two reprints - and the plain back version.
Wednesday, 21st September 2022
A very unusual card today, this is one of a so called Presentation Set of twelve extra large cards which was given to "tobacconists etc" at Christmas to thank them for their custom and to ensure the same would happen the next year. So your first question is who were the "etc" - does anyone out there know? If so do tell us please.
It measures 133 x 101 m/m, the fronts are letterpress in colour and the backs are grey with descriptive text. Now in our original World Tobacco Issues Index this set, and the others, was listed under section 6F of the Wills Section, however it is now 7F, as we discovered some sets that were prepared but never issued and they squeezed in.
There are actually four sets listed as "Presentation Issues", these being as follows - and if anyone would like to supply the identities of any of the missing cards, check and amend our list, or send us a scan of one of the cards as a sample front and back, we will add them in the text.
"The British Empire" (W675-802 : W62-551 : W/158) was presented at Christmas 1928. The cards here are 1. Australia (Gold Flake) - 2. British Guiana (Cut Golden Bar Tobacco) - 3. The British West Indies (E.G. Mixture and Fireside Flake) - 4. Canada (Gold Flake) - 5. The East African Dependencies (Bulwark Cut Plug) - 6. The Federated Malay States (Cut Golden Bar Tobacco) - 7. India (Flag Cigarettes) - 8. Newfoundland (Flag Cigarettes) - 9. New Zealand (Capstan Navy Cut Medium Cigarettes) - 10. Nigeria (Bulwark Cut Plug) - 11. Sarawak (E.G. Mixture and Fireside Flake) - 12. The Union of South Africa (Capstan Navy Cut Medium Cigarettes)
"Cities Of Britain" (W675-804 : W62-552 : W/174) was presented at Christmas 1929. The cards here are :
1. Birmingham (Gold Flake Cigarettes) - 2. Bristol (Cut Golden Bar Tobacco) - 3. Cardiff (E.G Tobaccos) - 4. Chester (Gold Flake) - 5. Edinburgh (Bulwark Cut Plug) - 6. Glasgow (Cut Golden Bar Tobacco) - 7. Leeds (Flag Cigarettes) - 8. Liverpool (Flag Cigarettes) - 9. London (Capstan Navy Cut Medium Cigarettes) - 10. Manchester (Bulwark Cut Plug) - 11. Sheffield (E.G. Tobaccos) - 12. York (Star Cigarettes)
Our set "Industries of Britain" (W675-808 : W62-554 : W/241) was presented at Christmas 1930. There are several brands shown on the reverse, and some of the titles differ back and front, hence the two titles separated by the forward slash symbol. If you have any cards different to this list do let us know. And just to not confuse you, the card of Rayon actually has "(Artificial Silk)" on the front and the back. Anyway the list of cards in this set are :
1. Chemicals / The Chemical Industry (Gold Flake Cigarettes) - 2. Coal / Coal Mining (Cut Golden Bar Tobacco) - 3. Cotton / The Cotton Industry (E.G. Tobaccos) - 4. Motor Cars / Automobile Engineering (Capstan Navy Cut Cigarettes) - 5. Electrical Engineering (Wild Woodbine Cigarettes) - 6. Iron and Steel (Capstan Curly Cut Tobacco) - 7. Leather (Star Cigarettes) - 8. Railway Engineering (Capstan Navy Cut Cigarettes) - 9. Rayon (Artificial Silk) (Bulwark Cut Plug) - 10. Shipbuilding (Three Castles Medium Cigarettes) - 11. Tobacco / The Tobacco Industry (Gold Flake Cigarettes) - 12. Wool / The Woollen Industry (Star Cigarettes)
Finally "The British Empire" (W675-802 : W62-551 : W/158) was presented again for Christmas 1931, not sure why, nor how well a duplicate set would have been received.
The other set under Presentation Issues does not really fit well with the above, for that trio is a matched set. However, it is entirely possible that due to its nature this fourth set was indeed presented to tobacconists and so it qualifies on a technicality. It also contains thirty-two cards, and measures 91 x 63 m/m. And it is an untitled set, though it was fairly easy to find it one and call it "Happy Families" (W/374 : W62-553 : W675-806) for it was indeed based on the popular playing card game with the four members of the family (Miss, Master, Mr, Mrs) making up a complete group.
The families here are :
Bulwark Cut Plug Tobacco - Capstan Navy Cut Cigarettes - Wills Cut Golden Bar Tobacco - Gold Flake Cigarettes - Wills Legation Navy Cut - Star Cigarettes - Wills Viceroy Tobacco - and - Wild Woodbine Cigarettes. You can see them all online at the World Of Playing Cards website, where they state that they were produced by Mardon [Son and Hall], and I would agree.
Thursday, 22nd September 2022
This is one of the many "Alike" Series which were issued by several related and unrelated businesses in the 1960s, and they are listed under the D and HX sections of our original Trade Index set and our more modern volumes.
Intriguingly, this was the only set of cards ever issued by Preston Dairies. There is some variation as to the date, of this set and the alikes. Murray Catalogue of Values says 1966 on this set, but in our Cartophilic Notes and News magazine (Vol.1 No..5 - September October 1965) it says this set is "an alike series similar to the set issued by Armitage Bros Ltd" It was reported as a new issue by Mr. W Smart, who I knew very well as Bill Smart, one of the most prolific collectors of tea related material.
Armitage Bros Ltd were not issuers of tea, but of pet foods, and they did issue other sets. Their version of this set is stated to have been issued in either 1964 or 1966, but as the snippet above from our magazine proves it cannot have been 1966 for it was being referred to as an alike series to that of Preston Dairies in the Autumn of 1965. The Armitage Bros cards can be found in more than one printing, but I think a bit of assistance from you may be required - under ARB-2 in our original four Trade Indexes it states that (a) is with address and (b) is without. However in our Cartophilic Notes and News magazine (Vol.1 No.9 - May June 1966) there is a reference to the fact that the address is either (a) Armitage Bros. Ltd, Colwick, Nottingham or (b) Armitage Bros. Ltd, 29/31 Castle Gate, Nottingham. Is this a relocation? If so that might help us with the dating. Version (b) also has an error card, which seems not to be recorded anywhere else, namely card no. 2, which has been changed title and text, giving two different printings - (a) Guernsey Cows - Similar in conformation to Jersey Cows - and - (b) Cows - Cows perhaps more than any other farm animals.
So has anyone got the Armitage Bros Ltd version without an address? If so let us know.
The other issuer of this set was Home Counties Dairies, with tea. This was supposed to have been issued in 1964, and they also issued at least one other set (which is shorthand for I cant read my notes) . However it was not reported until our Cartophilic Notes and News magazine (Vol.1 No.7 - January February 1966), and it was not mentioned along with Armitage Bros in the earlier magazine, so I think this discounts the 1964 date, for someone would have written in and claimed the kudos of well actually I have it in another printing!
Friday, 23rd September 2022
A lovely set, and how thrilling to have the date of issue to the very day! It is actually printed on the back as "773. 11/6/27, but do let me know if this should be the 6th of November and I will amend.
The cards are unnumbered, and there is a list in both versions of our Trade Indexes, but it is hard to scan as neither book will lay flat enough. But it will eventually appear as I believe you can get anything to happen if you keep working away at it for enough time.
They are indeed cut-outs, and if you look closely around the outline between the blue and the figure you may glimpse the perforations with which you could push the figure forwards and bend back the blue.
They were originally reported as measuring 112 x 36 m/m in our original British Trade Index volume 1 of 1962, but later altered to 102 x 36 m/m in British Trade Index volume 3.
By the way there are three cards showing sheep in this series, but this is actually a Shetland Shepherd and his collie, which closes our tribute to Shetland Wool week very suitably. And some time I will upload the back below here so it is readable the right way up....
Well we made it again, just in the nick of time. I did think I would have to work through the night but I rallied towards the end, with an extra coffee.
Thanks for tuning in, and I hope you enjoyed it . Remember these newsletters are just starting points, awaiting any additional info that you can supply