Newsletter - 2022-10-29

Lets start with a very unusual day, #NationalHermitDay. Now you might be thinking how can I tweet something when I don`t know what it is, so lets have a quick chat about hermits. Originally there was a religious connotation which is why they so frequently appear in robes with cowl hoods. And to get in touch with their feelings they would meditate and commune with nature, seeking enlightenment, alone but not lonely, miles away from civilization, only going in when they needed something, or were requested to teach or share their knowledge to one in need. 

I have to say this all appeals to me very much and I am always delighted when ones comes up in my tarot readings - which happens an awful lot. They are not really hiding away, they just want to be free of un-necessary connections, and only touch the lives of those they really feel connected to. If you look at the Star Wars cards, from any series, those of Obi Wan Kenobi show him as a typical hermit, who has gone into seclusion to protect his knowledge. Not only that but he is dressed as one as well, with a brown robe that completely covers his form. 

Our card is much earlier than the Star Wars universe, but look at the similarity of the robe. This hermit does not live in a wasteland on a planet, he is able to live in touch with nature, look and you will see a bluebird perches on his finger, singing to him, and a deer looks on, unafraid.  He is a gentle-man in the truest sense, and he is also often visited by gnomes, who he allows to collect mushrooms whenever they need.

The title of the card is `Beim Einseidler`, which literally means "near, or at the hermit". However the actual set is not about the hermit, but about the Heinzelmannchen, the gnomes, and it is part of a story which is supposed to be true, that many years ago a group of them used to live out of sight in Cologne, and to thank the big people for leaving them alone they would come out at night and do any work left unfinished. That was until a woman set a trap to catch one, by leaving work deliberately, and scattering peas across the floor in between the door and the work. Unfortunately Her trick backfired, for not only did she not catch herself a gnome but  they did not appreciate the joke, and they left town forever. 

R. & J. Hill [tobacco : UK] "Historic Places from Dickens Classics" large (1926 and 1934) 47/50 - H554-530B : H46-47

Just before Hallowe`en why not set the scene by taking advantage of today`s special day "Visit a Cemetery Day". This is not as gloomy as it may appear for they show that love endures across the centuries; people still returning on a regular basis to leave floral tributes that their ancestors will hopefully get to see from above. Cemeteries are also great places to watch wildlife, in easy reach of the town but often away from the intrusive noise of shoppers and traffic. 

As it is Hallowe`en we have a bit of spookiness to this information because though Charles Dickens did know of St. Bartholemew`s Church in Tong in Shropshire (his grandmother worked at the castle there) it is never directly stated in `The Old Curiosity Shop` that this was the church at where Little Nell was buried. All it says is a Church in the West Midlands. However here we clearly have a picture of that Church. And Dickens fans flock there. And when they get there, they can see her grave in the Churchyard. Except that whilst she has a grave there, she is not inside it and has never been. In 1910 the verger of the time (who also ran the post office) dug the little grave, filled it in, gave her a marker, and put her name and dates in the Parish Register, though for some reason he wrote `Nell Gwyn` in that. Anyway it then got out into circulation that the true Little Nell was buried there, and the first tourists arrived, who were each charged the sum of one shilling to view the grave. Oddly there is no record of what happened to those shillings, and all the shillings that came after..... 

The issues of R. & J. Hill formed the subject of our second reference book, published in 1942, perhaps because the company was such an early manufacturer, being established at 175 Shoreditch High Street in 1775 - though cigarettes would not be made for a hundred and fifteen more years. In these early works there was no attempt at cataloguing the sets by number, perhaps because the book lists the sets in alphabetical order, and it was felt that as the issue of cigarette cards would resume after the war, any numbering would have to be altered.

The entry for our set is split into two groups, the first is the standard or small sized cards, which appear elsewhere on our website, being the card of the day for the 19th of February, 2023 - and the second is our larger sized ones, which reads as follows: 

1926  50 HISTORIC PLACES FROM DICKENS CLASSICS (titled series). Size 3 ¹/_{2  x} 2 ⁵/₈  x  inches. Numbered 1-50. Fronts printed in three colour letterpress from half-tone blocks, white margins. Backs, printed black only, with descriptions and "Issued by The Spinet House, R. & J. Hill Ltd., and Hy. Archer & Co. (see Henry Archer & Co.). Printed by Ripley & Co. London. This series can be found with nos 1-26 in small numerals as well as from 1-50 in larger numerals."

This series was re-issued January 1934 at the close of the coupon period.

I am rather excited to say that only today I have discovered a way of entering the fractions that were used in these early books, though it does make the lines slightly more spaced above and below. Also I am not sure how it looks on everyone`s computers or phones so if it gives you any problems just tell me and I will resort to the words again. I will also gauge the response before I go and change the rest!

Our original World Tobacco Issues Index has both versions together, under H46-57, simply saying : 

A) Small 65 x 37 m/m. Nd. (50)
B) Large 80 x 66 m/m 
     a) Nos 1/26 small numerals under 2 m/m high
     b) Nos 1/50 larger numerals over 2 m/m high.

This means that these cards were slightly larger, for some reason, than the usual Hill issues of the time (1922-1930) which were 79 x 66-67 m/m. 

Much of the above text is repeated in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, but the code is of course different. And it once more mentions that the set was re-issued in 1934, by which it means it was the remainders rather than a new printing which would have led to a new entry in our references. However, and thrillingly, we also get brand new information, that there was a "Special album issued entitled "The Dickens Album". So are there any of those in your collection that you can educate us about and share some scans? 

Co-Operative Wholesale Society / C.W.S [tobacco : UK] "How To Do It" (1924) 11/25 - C792-260B : C130-13B

The suffix means that there are different brands on these cards, which are A - Anglian, B -Equity, C - Jaycee, and D - Raydex. But they are done in a very odd way, with cards 1-15 having any of the above and cards 16-25 being a maximum of two possible brands. That sounds like one day there may be a list in here! 

Anyway the reason for our card is that today it is National Doorbell Day. And strangely it is also National Knock Knock Joke Day today.

Now if you live in an older house you may well have a bell like the one we feature, or you might see one at an antique market.  And if you do, this card tells you how to bring it back to life.

The story of the bell starts very simply, by a bell being hung on a string or rope outside a front door.In rural areas this was often a cow bell. The basic premise is to make it easier to hear a caller when you are not standing right behind the door. 

The first mechanical or wireless doorbell was installed in 1817 at the home of William Murdoch, a Scottish Inventor. It was not a bell hung up, it was a button on the outside of the door and the noise was projected through pipes with compressed air. It was rather unwieldy, as well as very loud. Within about twenty years later the pipes were gone, though some bells do retain pipes which make a more tuneful chime, and an electric wire was the means of projecting the noise.

Then nothing much happened in the way of invention, it was just that the idea of wanting and needing a doorbell spread as more and more houses crowded in to the growing towns and the noise of the traffic grew steadily louder. The first battery operated doorbell came along in the 1970s, and this is when the musical chimes took off, with a range of different sounds to suit every taste and season! And by 2015 the doorbell was fitted with a video feature that allowed you to not only know someone was at the door but see who it was.

Typhoo [trade : tea : UK] "Common Objects Highly Magnified" (1925) 14/25 - TYP-220 : SUM-32

Another unusual date, National Vinegar Day, though after seeing our card you may never want to add vinegar to anything again! For here we have the dark side of vinegar, wriggling creatures which Typhoo proudly proclaim to "...resemble great eels, in size and energy...". Actually, these are really tiny, though they are indeed called Vinegar Eels; apparently they are not harmful in any way, and after a few days swimming about inside of you they just  swim out of your body like any other waste product. Aren`t you glad we did Vinegar Day now!

Now if you are reading this in America, you dont need to worry because reportedly, though I have no idea how, these eels are not permitted to be in any form of vinegar destined for the American market.

It is not all bad though, because the humble vinegar has several amazing uses - many of which were known of and appreciated by the Romans. Not only does it give a marching army strength, and nutrition, it kills several kinds of germs and bacteria, treats many common infections, and preserves food. The most healthful is apple-cider vinegar, or simply cider vinegar, which is indeed made from apples. And you can use it in cooking too, as well as in boiling eggs, for, as Gallaher "How To Do It" tells us, if you find a cracked egg, do not discard it, for by simply adding a little vinegar to the cooking water it will boil without bursting. On which note, if you hunt on most commercial auction sites, or search engines, you will quite quickly find many early trade cards for vinegar, especially from America. And you can even use the empty jar to make a barometer - check out Wills "Household Hints" 1/50

Major Drapkin [tobacco : UK] "Optical Illusions" (June 1926) 12/25 - D800-700B : D64-32B 

Now here is something that will provide a whole day`s entertainment, as it is Look for Circles Day. And it also gives us a chance to show the standard size of a card we used earlier in the week. Todays is the B version, for export, where the panel at the bottom measures 26 x 10 m/m. Some time we will add the A version which is the home issue, with the slightly smaller panel.

Now if you look closely at this image there are other optical illusions - the lady in the yellow and white striped dress has odd shoes - the lady in the red dress on the other side has a waist that surely not even the tightest corset could produce - and the man right at the edge beside her has one foot and one hand on the floor whilst still managing to hold the rope with both hands. It does not mention why these are there, but maybe it was a little joke by the artist. Sadly there seems to be no record of who this was, but he is very talented and also very typical of his era. 

Now the idea of this day is not just to look at circles where they are plainly visible, but to see them in the sky, and in nature, or as one of the many stone circles and incised circles that sprang from what we dismiss as simply prehistoric minds. Or they may be on the surface of a road, like a petrol stain making patterns, or moss on the pavement. Once you start looking who knows what you will discover. And get your children and grandchildren looking as well.....

Brooke Bond [trade : tea : UK] "Incredible Creatures" (1986) 12/40 - BRM-50

Here we have a more modern card that shows a life form as old as time. It has but one cartophilic code, but not from our newest British Trade Index, for that covers cards only up to 1970. So this code comes from our original four volume set. 

The cards are also incredible for they went through several changes of address - they started out in 1985 with the bottom panel on the reverse saying "Brooke Bond Oxo Ltd, Dept I.C., Parkway House, Sheen Lane, London, SW14 8LG"  - Dept. I.C.being for "Incredible Creatures.  Then in 1986 the address changed to "Brooke Bond Oxo Ltd, Picture Card Dept, P. O. Box 86, Walton-On-Thames, Surrey KT12 1AB". The third version is our set which is "Brooke Bond Oxo Ltd, Dept I.C., P. O. Box 86, Walton-On-Thames, Surrey KT12 1AB"". Now the fourth version, printed in 1987,  looks exactly like ours, and the address is the same too, but the cards are slightly thicker, and if you have the knack, you can slide your finger nail into an almost invisible place where the backing and the fronting is not fixed, and this reveals the front to be a sticker. (Now you know why our version so often has burred edges!) That is it for the standard sized cards, apart from one scarce printing with a green back that was issued in Ireland.

At about this time the machinery was changed at the Brooke Bond printery and it could not cope with single cards, so the cards started to be produced in pairs, measuring 69 x 74 m/m. Many were cut down unofficially by collectors, but some paired cards do remain, and they are a set of twenty cards each with double fronts and double backs. But it is not the case that these follow all the single issues, for they were actually first printed in 1985, with the Sheen Lane address. Then they follow the pattern as above,  Walton-On-Thames "Picture Card Dept" coming second and Walton-On-Thames "Dept. I.C." coming third. Do note that there are no stickers in the double format. 

Enough about the maker, for today is Jellyfish day. Jellyfish are 95% water, and eat only plankton. Though some can sting, they usually do so because we get in their way not with venomous intent, as they do not think that way - or think at all, for they have no brain, They also have no heart, and only mucus runs through their body, not blood.

These curious and fascinating creatures appear on other cards too, three times in Wills "Wonders of the Sea" (1928), where cards 22/50 and 23/50 show its development from a free swimming egg to a multi-part creature of several upturned basins stuck to a rock. Then the miracle of life kicks in and each of those parts gently drift away, getting ever bigger, until they are each fully formed jellyfish, ready to create new life all over again. Then on card 24 we learn that once each one is full grown they often adopt smaller creatures, allowing them to shelter within its fronds if predators come nearby. 

Then there is Wills "The Sea-Shore" (1938) 42/50 which features the common purple ringed jellyfish.

And coming up to date John Player`s Grandee Cigars "The Living Ocean" 4/30 shows the Compass Jellyfish.

Percy E. Cadle & Co [tobacco : UK] "Actresses BLARM" (1900) Un/20 - C031-075 : C4-1 

So now we must close, with a very unusual manufacturer that we have not featured before. Most of the little that we do know comes off the back of his cards, his town, Cardiff, and three of his brands, Sweet Lips, Straight Cut, and Pecco with mouthpieces. Apparently they had premises at 36 St. Mary`s Square in Cardiff, which is now an Oxfam bookshop, and there is a rumour that they started out in Gloucester. So if you collect Cadle cards, and have a potted biography of them, send it along and we can publish it here for you - anonymously, or given the literary credit it deserves!

By the way this same picture appears on Ogdens  "General Interest B" series of Tabs cards, as card 161 - but with a different title "Mdlle Otero" (Mademoiselle, or Miss Otero)

Now the card is here because today, in 1868, one of the most famous beauties of all time, and our pin-up, La Belle Otero was born Agustina del Carmen Otero Iglesias in a tiny village in Spain.  Her mother was very poor, and had six other children to feed and look after. Agustina was sent off to become a maid when she was just ten years old and was attacked by a stranger whilst out walking. She ran away, keeping herself alive with her wits, and with her body, and then in 1882, in Barcelona, she met a dancer. He mentored her, took care of her, became her lover, and, best of all, he taught her to dance in a way that would bring audiences, especially men, flocking from miles away. It almost worked, but he fell in love with her and became jealous. She did not want to be trapped, and so she ran away, with a theatre manager, changing her name to La Belle Otero. That was how she ended up in Paris in the late 1880s.

Within ten years she was performing in New York. But again her desire to make money, and the way she made it, alienated her partner. He left, and she travelled on, reaching Paris in 1892. It was here that she made her first Royal acquaintance, the Prince of Monaco. He was not her last, and at one time she shared an apartment with him and with the Prince of Montenegro! She was also involved with King Edward VII, and three Russian members of the nobility.

It seems that few men could resist her charms, and she knew it. Some flung themselves to their death for love of her, and simply because she was not interested in them. However there was one exception, the strongman Eugene Sandow; she fell for him at first sight, and thought he was the very epitome of male beauty, but despite all her efforts, and several invites to her room on all manner of pretexts, he was just not interested in her at all. The truth is all efforts would have been in vain for she was not his type.

After all these adventures she was still only in her late thirties. She drifted for a bit, and spent most of her fortune in the casinos of Monaco. She appeared in a few early motion pictures or very short duration. She was forty three when she played Carmen in the opera of the same name, proving she could also sing. I think this is the role pictured on Actresses PILPI II by Richmond Cavendish and others.