Another week, and we are almost half way through May now. Another year, rocketing past. Almost twenty five years have gone since some of us thought the world would end at midnight, and yet here we are, still.
This week I started earlier and hence will be able to upload this at the right time. And I have watched both the heats of the Eurovision Song Contest, the same night they were on. So a good, and entertaining, week. But also I did not have to search too long for suitable subjects for our diary dates, and they were pretty much all on the date I had found first, there was only one that changed.
Now remember that if anyone has a specialist subject that is about to celebrate its anniversary, and would like to supply front and back scans of cards for the Cards of the Day, you are very welcome. Text too, if you like.
This year the centenary of cards sends us back to 1923, which was right in the heart of the inter war years, the Golden Age of Cartophily. This month, May 1923, I know of only one set, and that is W.D. and H.O. Wills` "Arms of Universities", which you can read all about by clicking the bold link.
If anyone knows of any sets that were issued in June 1923, do let us know.
And if I get time I will take the centenary right back to the start of this year, and maybe beyond.
So lets on with the motley, and have a chat about things that arose this week in times past, our regular leaf through the diary of dates...
Geo. Bassett & Co. Ltd (Barratt Division) [trade : confectionery : UK] “Living Creatures of Our World” (1979) 11/50 – BAS-32
Today, in America, perhaps only in America, it is "Frog Jumping Day". This all stems from a story originally called "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" which was written by Mark Twain, about an inveterate gambler who would even take bets on how far his pet frog could jump, and lets hope it was with encouragement and not cruelty, for frogs, like all living things, ought to be treated with kindness and respect.
The text on our card is intriguing for the title is “JARVAN Gliding Frog” but the wording says “This tree-living frog is found in Java…” so is that “R” in jaRvan incorrect? And was a corrected card ever issued?
If you look up Java Frog it only takes you to how to make an animation in the computer language Java, but you get better results with the scientific name of Rhacophorus Reinwardtii, which tells us it is not only in Java, but also in many parts of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
Again, it is suffering badly from the destruction of the rainforests , both by man and through climate change.
Apparently these frogs almost fly, which is the biggest jump of all. They leap in the air and their toe webs open out to allow them to sail through the air to a remote branch. When they strike it, their fingers and toes have kind of sticky pads on and they hold fast to the landing zone.
Tree frogs live in other countries too, and a Central American one can be seen on John Player `Grandee` branded "Disappearing Rain Forest" (1991) 19/30.
For trade card collectors, check out Brooke Bond`s "Wildlife in Danger" (1963) 48/50 and "Natural Neighbours" (1992) 32/40, or the earliest one we have so far discovered, Horniman`s Tea "Pets" (1960) 35/50.
Unless you know any earlier?
W. D. & H.O. Wills [tobacco : UK] “Flowering Shrubs” (February 1935) 17/30 – W675-175 : W62-137 : W/218
Today is "Lilac Sunday". It is also Mother`s Day, in America, though we have already had ours. Lilacs have many meanings in the language of flowers, depending on their hue. The whiter they are they stand for innocence, whilst the blue is for happiness, and the mauve for love.
However it does have a slightly more exciting back story for the Greek God Pan was attracted by a beautiful nymph . She knew he had many loves and would cast her aside when he had used her, as he had all the rest, and one day as he gave chase to her she used all her powers and turned herself into a bush so that he would run past. Sadly she did not know how to turn herself back.
One version of the story continues that when Pan realised what she had done he vowed to play with her anyway, and he broke off one of her branches to make himself a pipe to make sweet music, and turn his setback into delight. The Greek word for pipe is Syrinx, and Syringa vulgaris is the scientific name for the common lilac.
You may not realise this but the lilac is related to the olive. It originates in the Balkans, and was spread through Europe by seeds brought back by plant hunters, or by people who found it attractive or maybe just its aroma, and wished to grow their own in their own estates. Often if you see one in the countryside it is a sign that the area was once part of a large house and garden long since disappeared or parcelled off, for it is very long lived. However it stays relatively small, about ten feet at maximum, (though the Oriental varieties have a tendency to skyrocket if not tended), so is not so much of a problem as other brought in species like bamboo.
If you have one, it likes full sun best, and also this increases its scent.
In our original reference book to the issues of W.D. & H.O. Wills, part four, issued in 1950, this set is described as being ;
218. 30 FLOWERING SHRUBS. Large cards, size 79 x 62 m/m. Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Backs in grey, with descriptive text. Home issue 1935.
However once again this is reduced to a rather scant description in both our original and our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, simply "FLOWERING SHRUBS. Lg. Nd. (30)"
We do know that it was a rather short run, and followed in April 1935 by a very topical set “The Reign of King George V”, which was issued to mark his Jubilee.
The only other card showing lilac that I have tracked down is Gallaher "Woodland Tree Series" (1912) 91/100
But maybe you know more?
Peter Jackson [tobacco : UK] “Famous Films” (1934) 21/27 – J110-280 : J4-4
Today we celebrate Constance Cummings. She was born Constance Halverstadt, today in 1910, in Seattle Washington.
Constance was eighteen when she first set foot on a Broadway stage, but she had been around theatres all her life, for she grew up in a family that knew show business and show people, for her mother was a famous soprano.
Two years later she found herself in Hollywood, thanks to being spotted by Samuel Goldwyn, but she never found it to her liking,and she often recalled how the theatre was a friendly place but the movies were just people who came together once and drifted apart.
W.D. & H.O. Wills "Famous Film Stars" (1933) tells us that "Her first appearance on the screen was in the talkie The Criminal Code." This film was released in 1931, and starred Walter Huston.
In the same year this set was issued, she moved to England, though this was partially also caused by the fact that she married in July 1933, to "Benn Levy, British playwright and producer" who is actually mentioned on the reverse of Carreras Film Stars ovals (1934) 28/72. However Gallaher "Signed Portraits of Famous Stars" (1935) 39/48 throws in the fact that "More recently she came to England to feature in the B.I.P. Film "Heads We Go". That was released in 1933, but I cannot find her husband on the credits, as I suspected I might.
She much preferred filming in England, and she also appeared on stage, but her name was never really known in America and few of her films made any impact there. She had two children and her marriage was very successful, lasting for forty years and only ending with her husband`s death in December 1973. A year later she was awarded the CBE for her contribution to British film. She died in November 2005, still living in Oxfordshire.
The heading tells us that the Home business was sold to Gallaher Ltd. in 1934. Peter Jackson only issued cards after that happened. Most of those Home issues were available in either small size (63-4 x 37-8 m/m) or medium size (77 x 52 m/m). Our set was one of only three only issued in the small size – and they were the first three sets issued - the others being “Famous Film Stars” (1935) and “Stars in Famous Films” – also issued in 1934
Anonymous / The United Tobacco Companies (South) Ltd. [tobacco : South Africa] “Aeroplanes of Today” – “Box 78” address (1936) 36/50 – U560-320 : U14-11.a
Our Centenary of this week revolves around Amelia Mary Earhart, who on this day in 1923 became the fifteenth female flier to be awarded a pilots licence by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.
In case you are wondering, the first ever lady license holder was Raymonde de Laroche and she was given hers on the 8th of March, 1910.
Amelia Earhart actually flew a Lockheed 5B Vega, painted lipstick red, firstly solo across the Atlantic, and secondly coast to coast across America. She bought it in 1930, two years earlier, and christened it her Little Red Bus. She said it was lucky, and that it had saved her life when it crashed nose first. The accident ruined the fuselage, but that was also a stroke of luck, for it gave the idea of adding extra storage for fuel, which brought the need for a larger engine, and these two facts combined led to the idea of her making longer, experimental, and record breaking flights.
In 1933 she upgraded to a 5C and sold this aeroplane to a museum in Philadelphia. They sold it to the Smithsonian in 1966.
The text on our card mentions her 1935 flight across the Pacific and also tells us that this Vega was a Vega Gull, and it was the very one piloted by Wiley Post.
For other cards showing Amelia Earhart`s actual aeroplane, check out The Trading Card Database / Amelia Earhart
However this is also one of our missing cards, for it is the South African version of John Player`s Aeroplanes (Civil) - and as you can see this is different again from the anonymous British American Tobacco issue we featured before.
Both our original and our updated World Tobacco Issues Index lists this in U.T.C. section 2, the inter war issues 1918-1943 and sub section 2A, cards in English only. The description is identical in both :
AEROPLANES OF TO-DAY. Sm. 68 x 36. Nd. (50) Back inscribed (a) “Box 78” (b) “Box 1006”, without firm`s name. Special album issued. See RB21/362.
I could not find it as 362 but it is in RB.21 with the John Player issues as 217/6.D.1. described as
D. U.T.C. Issue – titled “Aeroplanes of To-Day”.
1. Back inscribed “For an album send 6d. to Box 78, Cape Town
2. Back inscribed “For an album send 6d. to Box 1006, Cape Town
Abdulla [tobacco : UK] “Beauties of Today” (1938) 28/50 – : A5-11
Now if I could make a noise like Tarzan, perhaps the star of today would answer. For she is Maureen O`Sullivan, and, some years before she was Jane, she was born, today, in 1911.
She was fixated on the movies for as long as she could remember but she came from a strict military family, and they were not keen on her making that into a career. However one day the film industry came to her, when she ran into the famous American film director Frank Borzage, filming in Dublin. He sent her to get some photographs and come back for a test in front of the cameras. This was a great success and she ended up in Hollywood.
In 1932 she was paired with the Olympic star, Johnny Weissmuller, who was making a film about a young heir being lost in the jungle and raised by the apes. It sounded bad, but it was a hit, and several other Tarzan films came afterwards, the last being released in 1942.
During her time with Tarzan, she got married, to a writer, John Farrow. The couple had seven children, one of whom, Maria, or Mia, became a famous star in her own right. She retired in the early 1940s because he was newly back from the war and suffering with typhoid. But she did still make a few movies, from time to time, if they were interesting enough. Her husband died in 1963 and she died in 1998.
Now this card is a stopgap because (a) we have used this set before, and (b) we know that Maureen O`Sullivan appears on a card as Jane with Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan in the film “Tarzan and his Mate”, though the card is titled only “Johnny Weismuller”. It is Carreras “Famous Film Stars” 91/100. However we already used that set for another person so a bit of judicious shuffling is taking place. When that is done this Abdulla set will be used elsewhere as Lana Turner, and the descriptions combined.
There is one really neat fact about this set though, 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 :
BEAUTIES OF TO-DAY. Sm. 68 x 35. Black and white. Nd. (50).
However it then continues with “See Ha.514” in the original, or “See RB.113/18” in the updated version. The RB.113 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 is described as
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.
John Player `Doncella` brand [tobacco : UK] “Napoleonic Uniforms (1980) 4/24 – P644-386
Today in 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed Emperor of the French.
This card does actually show Napoleon, and the text tells a little of his story. The card is based on a painting by Steube which shows Napoleon reacquainting himself with his troops on his return from exile in Elba. Apparently he set off with his men, many of whom were protesting the monarchy, and headed for Paris. A short way further he ran into another regiment, sent by and faithful to the King. But as soon as they saw Napoleon they pled to him their allegiance. He must have been a very charismatic fellow.
Too late for our original World Tobacco Issues Index, so the only code comes from the updated version of the year 2000, under John Player section 3. Issues 1965 onwards, and sub section 3A, which contains “Doncella” Series. Md. 89 x 52.
NAPOLEONIC UNIFORMS. Nd. (24). and unnumbered Set Completion Offer card, offer expiring 31st December 1980
Actually the date on the bottom of the actual cards says that the album offer closes on the 31 December 1981. The album cost 35p and actually opened out to form a wall chart. But it was “only available to smokers 18 or over”.
One curious fact is that the bottom line of this card says “Issued by John Player & Sons, Imperial Tobacco Ltd., in conjunction with Prescott-Pickup & Co. Ltd.”
Can anyone out there explain this link?
Some Doncella sets can be found also issued by Grandee. This set was not.
A very unusual card that collectors of Napoleon-ana may not know about appears in the anonymous R. & J. Hill 1937 issued set entitled “Crystal Palace” (ZA05-200 : ZA-5.2) – in which he appears on card 16/40, shown standing on one of the decorative balconies. This shows and tells of Emperor Napoleon and Empress Eugenie`s visit to the Palace on April 20th, 1855, how the crowds lined the roads, and how is reported to have said “What a place for a fete… It is superb”. The card also tells us that “On this visit to England the Emperor received the Order of the Garter from Queen Victoria. French and English at this time were allies in the Crimean War.”
There was also an entire set of 25 cards entitled “Napoleon” which was issued by John Player between 1915 and 1916 – the earliest date given being September 1915. This is first catalogued as P/133 (RB.17/133) and it is described as
133. NAPOLEON. Small cards. Fronts in colour. Backs with descriptive text
A. Backs in brown. Home issue, February 1916
B. Backs in black. See introduction. “Series with black backs”
After searching the introduction it is there, under “Series with black backs”, and it reads :
In the case of Items 65, 133, 155 and 200, printings of the series are found with black backs.
No concrete information is known as to the origin of these printings, and the cards may be unissued proofs. As all the series bear the I.T.C. Clause, they would if issued regularly have been used for circulation in the United Kingdom. The quantities found, however, appear to point against issue at home. Most of the cards seen are not machine cut and many can be traced back to the printers.
In the absence of definite information as to issue, the printings have been cross referenced in the text to this paragraph, and appear in the summary under “F – Miscellaneous”
Section F is reserved for “Non insert material, Unissued series and Miscellaneous items.”
By the way the other sets cited above are : 65 Cries of London second series : 133 Napoleon : 155 Products of the World, scenes only, not maps : 200 Wonders of the Deep.
J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. [trade : cocoa : UK] “Tricks and Puzzles” untitled (1926) 52/100 – LYO-510 : LYO-1
Today a most curious event, which is simply recorded as "New England`s Dark Day". But was it the natural phenomenon most believe, or did it involve an unknown change to the spinning of our planetary home, or, even, was it caused by extra terrestrials?
It began today in 1780, when the daytime sky fell dark at about midday, throughout New England up to Maine, and down to New Jersey, and across to Canada.
But in Vermont the sun never rose at all that morning.
Whilst afterwards it became known that across New England the sun had been recorded for some days prior as being mistaken for a planet due to its redness, and the moon of a similar hue once night fell.
The birds and both wild and tame animals became confused, and the only way to carry on was by means of lighting candles. It stayed dark as night all through to the next evening, and then when morning came the light came back with it.
Today it is believed that smoke from a forest fire had caused it, which seems unlikely given the size of the area which was affected, though ash is reported to have fallen in New Hampshire, and thick smoke smelt in Massachusetts. Other theories are a sudden fog, or low cloud.
So here we have one of these candles, and a trick that is supposed to be humorous, though in my empathetic state I can only think that if you put a lighted candle on someone’s head the result can only be a burn. I like the image though, and the tin on the back of the card.
The description for this set in our original British Trade Index part 1 is : "TRICKS AND PUZZLES (A) Sm. 50 x 37. Nd. 100 "
However our updated version is slightly different and says :
TRICKS AND PUZZLES (A) 1922. 50 x 37. Nd. (100). Backgrounds a) light and/or dark grey, dotted stippled effect b) plain grey. There are also many minor differences in colour
This week's Cards of the Day...
celebrated the Eurovision Song Contest. For as fellow fans know, the heats took place this week and the main event is tonight. I would prefer everyone to be allowed to take part in the actual event, but spread it over two days, and the points added together at the end would just count everyone in to find out who had been chosen as the winner.
I do not know why I enjoy it so much but it does include many things I enjoy, music, and spectacle, and amazing costumes and the ability to wear whatever you like, irrespective of gender.
They are definitely the most exciting elections ever, the countries all get along so well, and sometimes they vote with their hearts, which makes it all the more special.
What`s not to love?
Saturday, 6th May 2023
The first clue may have been one of the teams pictured, France - for several reasons.
1. France is one of the most frequent winners, with five victories, starting in 1958 with film star Andre Claveau
2. Andre Claveau was the oldest winner, at forty six years old. And he would remain the oldest winner until Toto Cutugno won for Italy in 1990 aged forty seven.
3. The first winning song was sung in French, by the Swiss Lys Assia.
However we would have accepted the team of Youri Djorkaeff, pictured, Inter Milan of Italy because Italy was also in at the start of the event, and has won three times, starting with Gigliola Cinquetti in 1964.
This set does not appear in any of our British Trade Indexes, and it is definitely too late to be included in our updated British Trade Index, because that stops at 1970. However I have worked out that there is enough space in the coding system of our original British Trade Index part four to give it a number. This was not so easy as I had thought because there were two sets issued in the same year, the other being the black backed version of Pyramid Power. However we already have BRM-76 (The Diary of Kevin Tipps) in the British Trade Index, so the chart I have come up with is :
-
BRM-77 : 40 Years of the Chimps (1996)
-
BRM-78 : Pyramid Power red back (1996)
-
BRM-79 : The Wonderful World of Kevin Tipps (1997)
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BRM-80 : International Soccer Stars (1980)
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BRM-81 : Pyramid Power black back (1980)
Unless anyone has another suggestion, of course?
The cards are large in size, at 89 x 63 m/m and the backs are printed in green.
The two cards that are most sought after are card 17, David Beckham and card 20, Zinedine Zidane.
There is also an error card to keep an eye out for, that is number 5 which shows Brian Laudrup of Denmark, and you can find this card showing him either wearing white shorts or red ones. I am not sure which pair is right, so please enlighten me if you know.
As for storage, there was an album and a wallchart available for this set, which you could obtain by sending a £2 cheque directly to Brooke Bond.
Sunday, 7th May 2023
Our second clue was the picture, which shows Lugano, in Switzerland, because that was the venue of the first ever Eurovision Song Contest, at the Teatro Kursaal.
It was held on May 24, 1956, and there were just seven entrants, from Belgium. France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It was to have been more but two countries failed to enter in time (Austria and Denmark) and the United Kingdom , very strangely, are said not to have competed because they were having a contest of their own. However I have been unable to track this down yet.
The contestants were all solo singers, there were no groups. They were not allowed until much later (and we will talk about them later in the week. Each singer sang twice, with two different songs.
That first contest was actually broadcast over the radio. It was filmed, with the hope of encouraging more television viewing, or probably more television buying.
This set is described at the back of the book in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, as being :
HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE. Sm. Black and white photos. Nd. (52). See RB.21/308A.
a) Back "A Series of 52 Real Photographs"
b) Back "A Series of 52 Real Stereoscopic Photographs". Issued in South Africa.
You will find it listed under the Anonymous "Z" issues, in section 1, cards with letterpress on the back, and in sub sections 2. English Language Issues - without references to tobacco - 2C. Issues 1919-40, and then b. Overseas issues through B.A.T.
Though following the codes might be easier!
There is a bit more about the set in RB.21, which is our original British American Tobacco reference book :
308. HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE. Small cards. Size 68 x 38 m/m. Fronts glossy photographs. Backs in black. Numbered series of 52.
A) Anonymous Series with letterpress on back. Titled "Here, There and Everywhere".
1. Inscribed "A Series of 52 Real Photographs". Fronts with caption and number,
2. Inscribed "A Series of 52 Real Stereoscopic Photographs". Front two small parallel photographs, without caption or number.B) Anonymous issue, with Icelandic back. Titled "Ur Ollum Attum" with text in Icelandic. Front with caption and number.
The front index tells us that version A1, our set, was issued in Malta in 1929. Then version A2 appeared in South Africa and in the Channel Islands, in 1930. Version B was issued in Iceland in 1930. However I would not have connected that version to ours without having RB.21, for it is in a different section of the World Tobacco Issues Indexes altogether and there is no cross referencing link.
Putting the Icelandic title in a translation website does not really help, for all you get is "from all events" which seems to make no sense to me at all. However I did find that in 1919 an Icelandic author called Gudmundur Fridionsson wrote a book of eight short fictional stories called "Ur Ollum Attum" and when I translated that page it told me the title meant "From all directions".
By the way the stereoscopic set is the same size as a standard card but it has two pictures, one beside or above the other, and the pictures are square. There is also another difference because the non stereoscopic set says "A Series Of / 52 / Real Photographs" and the stereoscopic set says "A Series of 52 / Real Stereoscopic / Photographs", each in three line.
Only missing info is that I do not know if the pictures are the same and in the same order?
Monday, 8th May 2023
The third clue was the picture of this card, which shows Dublin. For the most successful entrant ever is Ireland, with seven wins, even though their first appearance was rather late - it was in 1965.
Their first winner was Dana, in 1970.
In addition all but one of the contests they hosted as part of their prize have been staged in Dublin, which makes them the record holder as to the most number of Eurovision Song Contests to be hosted in one place.
They also hold another record, because they won three events in a block, 1993, 1994 and 1995.
Sadly they last appeared in the top five in 1997. And their most recent top ten placing was in 2011, when they were represented by Jedward.
This is quite a scarce set, mainly because it was only issued within Ireland. You will find it listed first in our Wills Reference Books, as W/244 and that has the fullest description of :
25 IRISH HOLIDAY RESORTS. Fronts printed in letterpress in colour. Back in green with descriptive text. Irish issue. 1930.
Now usually the month of issue appears in our combined volume of all the Wills booklets when they were reprinted under a hard cover. However this set is not there, it falls in the gap from June 1929 until March 1934. I do not know why this gap is there, it only affects the overseas dates lists. But I imagine they were not printed in the Wills Works magazine for some reason and so have been lost in the mists of time. And because this was an overseas issue to all intents and purposes it does not appear in my London Cigarette Card Company catalogues which sometimes come up with dates I am short of
In the World Tobacco Issues Indexes the text has been truncated and is simply "IRISH HOLIDAY RESORTS. Sm. Nd. (25) Irish Issue."
And as for the reason we have this card this week, check out our "Theme of the Week" Solution at
Tuesday, 9th May 2023
So here we have Norway, which everyone seems to think never scores any points (not true - that only happened four times) or they are always last (this is wrong as well, though they have finished there eleven times).
They actually won the entire contest three times, including one of my favourite songs ever - 2009`s winner "Fairytale" written and played by Alexander Rybak. It is on YouTube, if you have never heard it. And I seriously did not think of the "Fairytale" link until now, which is way exciting.
The Norwegians first took part in 1960, and have only missed it twice - once, rather thrillingly, they refused to take part because they did not agree with how the voting system worked - and once when they were not allowed to take place because they were one of the five countries with the fewest votes in the previous year. This was an attempt to reduce the number of entries. The other four were Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands and Poland.
Now one of the most interesting things about our card is that "Bigg" was indeed the Bigg of Edwards, Ringer and Bigg. W.O. Bigg were founded in 1805 and were based in Radcliffe Street, Bristol. They joined Ringer & Co in 1893 and the Imperial Tobacco Company in 1901, one of the first to do so.
The cards marked W.O. Bigg were, curiously, issued after all that, in 1904. And there is a very interesting if confusing statement is that "Cards issued under this name [W.O. Bigg] were sponsored by Edwards, Ringer and Bigg". Any idea what that means?
This set is described in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as being :
FLAGS OF ALL NATIONS. Sm. 67 x 36. Nd. (37). See H.37
A) Statue of Liberty back without series title. Also found with price "4d." altered to 4 1/2d." by hand and with "4 1/2d." red seal added.
B) New York Mixture back with series title.
This must have been a bit confusing for the handbook sets it out in a different way. That says :
A) Statue of Liberty back
a) 4d. oz
b) 4d altered
c) sealB) Panel design New York Mixture.
but it also continues with extra information, that being
...also issued by Edwards, Ringer & Bigg, as first series of 25 and second series of 12.
A) Globe and flags - un-numbered
B) Exmoor Hunt - numbered
i) 4 1/2d. per oz
ii) altered to 5d. by hand
iii) 5d. label
iv) 4 1/2d. label (thought to be in error)C) Stag
D) Upright titled black
[and by] Hudden, un-numbered, 1904.
There is a bit more information by looking in other books. The Edwards Ringer and Bigg version was issued in 1907, three years after the W.O. Bigg set. But the companies had been together a while, so it was not the case that Edwards Ringer and Bigg gained access to the artwork in with the merger. It also seems odd, and amusing, that both versions were subject to price rises within the lifespan of the issue. Or was the "altered by hand" done by shopkeepers whilst they waited for the official seals and labels? We will probably never know that. The Edwards Ringer and Bigg sets coded as A), B), and C) were all horizontal backs, like our card, but D) was vertical. We also know that "Stag" was actually "Exmoor Hunt". And the Hudden version, issued in 1904, contains cards that are subtitled "British Colonial Flags". Not sure if this subtitle appears on the Bigg or Edwards Ringer and Bigg sets. Maybe you do? If so, do please tell us.
Off to watch Eurovision now, hence slightly early posting!
Wednesday, 10th May 2023
So here we have Abba, probably the most successful competitors to appear in the Eurovision Song Contest. They were not, however, formed for that show, they had started two years earlier, and were already well known across Europe, with a succession of hits.
However when they appeared to represent Sweden in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, with a catchy little number called "Waterloo", and won, it made their flight to fame even more spectacular. Even today, they are still performing, and their new hologram show, in which they appear as avatars, is extraordinarily popular. And their music formed the basis for a musical and two major motion pictures, "Mamma Mia" and "Here We Go Again".
At one time they were two married couples, but they split up in the late 1970s and early 80s. All remarried, with varying degrees of success.
The 1974 Eurovision Song Contest was held at the Brighton Dome, in Sussex. Luxembourg had won the previous competition, two years running, but could not afford to host, so the UK agreed to do that for them.
Eighteen countries signed up to take part, including a newcomer, Greece, but France withdrew quite late when the President of France died. Such a small number of entries must seem very odd to people who were not alive then.
The Trading Card Database / Abba tells us that there are seventy four cards of Abba but they do not list this set, nor the two sets which were issued in the mid 1970s by Allen and by Scanlens in Australia, with either pink or blue borders. I have found a checklist of those Antipodean sets though.
Monty Gum sounds American, and perhaps that was their intention, but they actually come from Holland, from the city of Leiden. Their first cards were issued overseas in the 1950s, whilst their first English issue was a football set, "International Football Teams", which included twelve teams from England. The cards do not say Monty Gum at all, and are in Dutch, but the packet, at least the packet produced for the United Kingdom, says "Monty Bubble Gum" just below the middle, straight across.
You can read the story of Monty Gum at http://www.montyplaatjes.nl/ - it is in Dutch but if you go through google it does offer you a translation.
These cards are often confused in listings with a set of round or otherwise shaped stickers that also feature, and are also called "Pop Stars". However I have been unable to track any cards like this down that do not show Abba. I am certain there are some other stars in the set though, or it would not have been graced with the title of "Pop Stars", it would have been called something like Abba cards. So do lend a hand if you are a Monty collector or if you just happen to know any other names that appear on cards of this design.
Thursday, 11th May 2023
Our card for tonight takes us back to the start of it all, for it shows the winner of the first ever Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.
She was born Rosa Mina Scharer, in Switzerland, in 1924, but she performed as Lys Assia, the name which appears on this card. Strangely she started out as a dancer, which she preferred to singing, but at one performance she was asked to take the stage when a singer could not appear, and somehow singing took over her life. Her appearance in the first ever Eurovision Song Contest saw her sing two songs, one in Swiss (The Old Carousel) and once in French (Refrain) which was judged to be the winning song.
She also represented Switzerland in 1957, and in 1958, when she was judged to have come second. losing out by just three points. Both these events were single songs only. She found the events thrilling and loved meeting people, and she retained a life long affinity with the contest, as a song writer, performer, special guest and audience member. She always hoped to compete again, as late as 2013, and she was still attending events in her nineties.
She died in 2018
This card was issued in the Netherlands and falls under the classification of "Dutch Gum". The story of gum in Holland really all came about because of the Second World War, when American troops gave their gum to children and created both a remembrance of their kindness and a nostalgia for those times.Issuing Many of the companies remain unknown, for they did not add their names to the cards, and they often just issued them with plain back rather than any advertising.
This set is known as "The PA Set" because the numbers are prefixed with those letters. It is thought the issuer was Swedish, and research, based on the stars pictured, points to the cards being issued in the mid 1950s
Friday, 12th May 2023
So to close out our joyful week of Eurovision excitement we have Sandie Shaw, who was actually born Sandra Ann Goodrich in Dagenham in February 1947.
Her claim to Eurovision fame was being the first winner for the United Kingdom, in 1967, with Puppet on a String. This is possibly why in many pictures, like our one, you will see her posing with a doll, in rather a case of mistaken identity as "Poupee" is strictly French for doll, not puppet. The French for puppet is "Fantoche" though this is also a derivative from the Italian "Fantoccio"
However she was a known star already, and had her first number one in 1964, with a song that is usually called "Always Something There to Remind Me", though in actuality it was called "There`s Always Something There to Remind Me", and it had already been a hit, for Dionne Warwick, and for Lou Johnson. It also had impeccable breeding, as it was created by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
This card is often cited as being by Monty Gum, but we have reason to believe it was actually by Maple Leaf. This set does appear, on several internet auctions, as "Cars", but that title ignores the fact that there are pop stars on the back, or maybe on the front, since surely the colour side is the "A" side as it were. And the date comes from the cars date, all of which seem to be from 1966.
Now we have started a list, so if anyone can fill in the blanks please do.
3. Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders - Buick Skylark Hardtop 1966
4. Moody Blues - Ford Mustang Coupe 1966
7. Sandie Shaw - Alfa Romeo 1966
11. Dave Clark Five - Plymouth Barracuda 1966
14. The Supremes - Oldsmobile Cutlass Berline 1966
16. P.J. Proby - Pontiac Tempest Cabriolet 1966
26. The Beatles - Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ 1966
32. The Animals - Chevrolet Caprice Custom Sedan 1966
37. Liesbeth List - Volvo P1800 1966
39. Peter and Gordon - Ford Mustang `Fastback` 1966
And there we must bring our rambling to a close for another week. I hope you enjoy the reading as much as I do the writing. Finding fascinating facts is fun. And it does distract me very ably from the disasters at hand in the real world.
See you all next week, and thanks for tuning in!