Hey, its another Saturday, and your next newsletter is here!
This week I have included two cards of which I know little, but hope you do, and, if so, that you will tell us all about them, the email, as always, being webmaster@card-world.co.uk
Thanks in advance.
By the way the index to the cards of the day is doing well. By the end of the weekend, unless I hit a double, I ought to be well inside July 2022. If I do find a double, or need to change any page, anywhere on the website, it is notified on the "What`s New" banner on the home page. At the moment that leads you to the replacement for one of the cards I featured twice - it was John Player "Footballers 1928-9" but is now Barratt "Famous Footballers 1937-8
Anyway, with time marching on, I will stop talking, and let the newsletter for this week speak for itself. And remember, all errors found, facts missing, or information extra is very welcome indeed
J. A. Pattreiouex [tobacco : UK] "Builders of the British Empire" (1929) 31/50 - P246-515 : P18-47
So this is not a brilliant card for today, which is Sarawak Day, or more correctly Sarawak Independence Day, which celebrates their independence from the past, and from British rule.
It was today in 1963 that independence, or rather self government, was granted, for there remain many ties and legalities that are difficult to sever - though it was not celebrated as a public holiday until 2016.
Rajah Brooke, or Mr. James Brooke, was born on the 29th of April 1803 in Bengal., and seems to have been a complex and fascinating character. This card is rather matter of fact and, probably deliberately, glosses over some of his more colourful exploits and interests.
Some sources quote he was born in England, but this seems to have come from the fact that he was sent home to study when still young. His father was English, but he was in India serving as a judge. School was not too successful, education wise, and he soon joined the Indian Army. However he was wounded quite badly five years later, and again returned to England to heal. This he did, and he returned to India, but not in time to rejoin his unit. Annoyed, he left the Army and returned home, stopping off in China.
He thought he would be able to support himself there but could not. However before he gave up he had a stroke of luck and inherited rather a lot of money. This would have supported him for some time but instead he bought a boat and sailed it it Borneo, where there was a bit of a battle going on. He joined in, and ended up vanquishing the invaders, as well as becoming very close to the rulers of Borneo, who rewarded him by giving him the chance to govern Sarawak, which he accepted. He died in office in 1868.
Sadly the description for this set in our World Tobacco Issues Index is rather short, just "BUILDERS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE Sm. Nd. (50)" However the header does tell us that all these "Coloured Series" were issued between 1924-35, that the small size measures 68 x 36 m/m unless stated, and that they are all non photographic apart from one set, which is a small sized set of hand-coloured "Views".
Nu-Cards [trade : O/S : U.S.A.] "Baseball Scoops" (1961) card 414
Now today marks not the birthday of Orvon Grover Autry, which unbelievably was in 1907, but the first episode of the Gene Autry Show to appear on the American Television Network CBS.
Gene Autry did a bit of everything, he was an actor, and a rodeo rider, which set him up for his most famous role as the Singing Cowboy. In fact he wrote over two hundred songs.
Spotted by none other than Will Rogers, his fame started in 1934, with his first film "In Old Santa Fe". If you look at the billing you will see that it starred "Tarzan" but this is not the Edgar Rice Burroughs character, it is Ken Maynard`s horse. In fact Edgar Rice Burroughs sued Ken Maynard for stealing his name, and, of all things, giving it to a horse. In the end the case was settled out of court, though Tarzan remained Tarzan, with a suffix of "The Wonder Horse". This was later adopted by Gene Autry, for his own "Champion the Wonder Horse". I did think that the horse may have been Tarzan, renamed, but Gene Autry`s horse was actually previously owned by Tom Mix.
In the 1950s Gene Autry moved into television. He also owned a television station, and a number of radio stations too. However this card shows yet another facet of his life, for from 1961 he owned the Los Angeles Angels, also known as the California Angels. And he remained with them until 1997, a year before his death.
Despite the number on this card the set was only eighty cards long. They measure 2-1/2" by 3-1/2”. and were designed to mimic a newspaper headline, reinforced by the use of the word "Scoops" as part of the set title. Maybe they were influenced by the 1954 Topps set, which was called just "Scoops"? Many collectors believe so, but those were headlines of all subjects and this set is only baseball.
Ogden`s Ltd [tobacco : UK] "Greyhound Racing" Second Series (1928) card 24 - O100-526.2 : O/2-152.2 : O/101 (RB.15/101)
Today in 1926 saw greyhound racing come to this, "The Manchester Track", or more correctly, as it also states on the card, "The Greyhound Racing Associations Track at Belle Vue, Manchester [which] was the first to be opened in England..."
Now if you look at the text I said there was an error, four lines from the bottom which reads "track, situate immediately to" - because the grammar is surely wrong and it ought to be "situated". And I asked if this was ever spotted and corrected? Well I had a reply from reader Malcolm Thompson, who said that he certainly used the word in his school mastering days, and on checking in his Oxford dictionary the reference stated - "sit'uated, sit'uate (arch.) aa In a specified situation (situated on the top of the hill)". In view of this he did not think the card was a misprint - just that this archaic form of the word was quite likely more commonly used in 1928.
Actually there seems to be some confusion about what today celebrates. Some say it was the opening of the stadium, whilst others say the first greyhound race in England, and yet more claim it to have been the date of the first race in Britain around a specially created oval track. Now a brief fossick has shown that chasing actual rabbits with sighthounds is centuries old, but that the first greyhound race in England to use a mechanical hare was at Hendon, in 1925. Belle Vue was indeed the first stadium to be built specifically for greyhound racing though, and the first meeting there was today, in 1926.
Now this stadium, in Kirkmanshulme Lane, is indeed the same one that was used, in 1928, for Speedway. But the following year the Belle Vue Speedway relocated to a new stadium, specifically designed for them and their sport. This was in Hyde Road, and they stayed there until 1987, but then the stadium was sold. The next year, rather amusingly, saw them back home at the greyhound stadium, and they remained there until 2015. However the next year they took the keys for the brand new National Speedway Stadium, built right next door...
This set is catalogued in our original Ogden`s Reference Book, RB.15, published in 1949, as :
50 GREYHOUND RACING. Fronts printed by letterpress in brown. Backs in grey, with descriptive text. Home issues, 1927-8.
100. 1st Series of 25. Numbered 1-25. Issued 1927-8
101. 2nd Series of 25. Numbered 1-25. Issued 1928
This is somewhat reduced in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, to just "Sm. Dark brown. Nd.
Anonymous (B.A.T.) [tobacco : O/S : Malta] "Beauties" - 2nd Series (1926) 8/50 - ZA08-080.2.A : ZA8-1.2.A : RB.21/232.A.1.a
So here is birthday girl for today, Lila Lee, or Augusta Wilhelmina Frederika Appel, born in... well, we do not know, you can find every year from 1901 to 1905, but as a child star it seems likely that the date was altered in order to prolong such a thing.
She started in vaudeville, where she was known as "Cuddles", this being her childhood nickname. He first film is said to have been in 1918, but this seems odd because she got star billing and was featured in the papers. The only explanation for this overnight success must be a really top notch promotional effort by Jesse L. Lasky, who brought her to Hollywood, for most actors and actresses have to "start somewhere" and it is generally the unbilled bottom, not the starring top.
She had a rather interesting off screen life, marrying in 1923, the film director James Kirkwood, and having a son. However this marriage ended in divorce in 1931. It had not been an entirely happy one, and she claimed to having been forced into it. This is one of the marriages which is often quoted as the inspiration for "A Star is Born". However James Kirkwood was a successful actor and matinee idol, and was involved with many famous movie stars including Mary Pickfprd and Mary Miles Minter. He was one of the top choices to play "The Sheik", but Rudolph Valentino got the nod. And he was still acting successfully well into the 1950s, making over two hundred films in total.
After him, she re-married, for less than a year. And finally, after a break, she married a third time, which lasted five years, but again ended in divorce. Her son, James Kirkwood Junior, was also involved with acting, and he was a writer on the film "A Chorus Line,
This set appears in our original British American Tobacco Reference Book (RB.21) issued in 1952, as :
BEAUTIES - 2nd Series. Size 63 x 41 m/m. Front in black and white (a), some printings hand-coloured (b). Back in black. Numbered series of 50. The numbering in A1 and B (Player Overseas Issue) are similar, [whilst] in A2 [the same set as this but hand coloured] the numbering has been re-arranged [our card is no.17 there]. A few cards only have been seen in C [which is a Wills overseas issue]
The reference to Malta appears in the front of RB.21, in the "Index by Firms".
Our World Tobacco Issues Index sends them to the back of the book, and the Z codes. However the description is slightly different as a variant printing has been found -
BEAUTIES. Sm. Black and white photos.
2. 2nd Series. See RB.21/232.A Nd. (50)
(A) Back headed : "2nd Series of "Beauties". Size 63 x 41. Inscribed "This Real Photograph...". Front (a) uncoloured, with numerals 1 1/2 m/m high (b) hand coloured with numerals 2 m/m high.
Rather a curious day but if we have any collectors who are also Aunts or Aunties, today is your day, Aunties Day.
We have gone off on a real tangent with this one, but it was sent in a while ago, after we had done Robert Louis Stevenson, by a reader who wanted to know more about it. The problem is that we do not have a listing of American trade cards in our library, and I am sure it must be in Jefferson Burdick`s catalogue, but I cannot spot it.
These cards are quite scarce in this unpainted condtion, for it is a very good child who cannot resist dashing to the sink and applying water to make the card colourful. This also creates another problem though, because in their haste, not going over the edge is quite impossible.
Anyway if anyone out there knows about Aunt Martha`s Bread, do educate the owner of this card, and all of us at the same time.
Gallaher [tobacco : UK] "The Great War Series Victoria Cross Heroes" - fourth series (1916) card 89 - G075-160.4 : G12-20.4 : X1/Ha.492.3.A
Sh! Do you hear that? Coming over the hills, the swirling of the bagpipes?
Today you might, for it is Bagpipe Appreciation Day. But before you think of Scotland`s mists and moors, the bagpipe is not originally from those parts, or even from our isles - they come from the Middle East, definitely from Mesopotamia, and probably from Egypt. They are also recorded as being used in ancient Asia. The Romans also used them, and the Greeks adopted them as the Romans marched through their lands. We too got them from the Romans, as they invaded us.
These were not as complex as they are today, for the bag is thought to have been a sheep`s stomach, or some other unfortunate creature, and the pipes just reeds from the river bank.
It seems that they have always been associated with battle and warfare, and there are many tales and legends of tired, downhearted forces being rallied by a tuneful piper. There is also the certain knowledge that they were of such noise to be heard above the battles, at least the early ones before heavy artillery, as a call to return to base, if you were not too wounded.
This card shows a very famous piper, Daniel Laidlaw, the Piper of Loos. And that link uses this very card as one of the illustrations. There is also a video link to see and hear him, for he survived both World Wars, and died in 1950. I said that this seemed to be his only cigarette card immortalisation, unless you knew otherwise and I did receive a reply that said he was also on And we have also been informed that Daniel Laidlaw, our bagpipe hero, also has a card in the W.D. & H.O. & Wills series of "VC's (Overseas issue - New Zealand)" - as card number 35. Not yet been able to find that card to discuss it with you though
Now this set is huge, eight series each of twenty five cards, two hundred in all, and some collectors consider that it ought to be considered as a part of "The Great War Series", another two hundred cards, or two sets of a hundred each. There is a strong point for accepting this as well, because the first "Great War Series" was issued in 1915, the same year as the first three series of "The Great War Victoria Cross Heroes", and then in 1916 came the second part of "The Great War Series", plus parts four and five of our set, with parts six and seven following in 1917, and closing in 1918 with series eight. However we do not know yet whether the printer was the same.
Our set appears in our original Gallaher Reference Book RB.4 issued in 1944, right in the heart of another World War. The group is described as
1915. 25. THE GREAT WAR VICTORIA CROSS HEROES (titled series) Size 2 1/2" x 1 1/2" approx. Numbered. Fronts printed in colour by letterpress from half-tone blocks, blue marginal lines, white margins and titles inset in white panels(head and shoulder studies showing V.C.s) Backs printed in violet with descriptions and "Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Belfast & London."
Cards can be collected with the backs printed in various shades of purple, mauve and violet.
A.W. Allen [trade : confectionery : O/S : Australia] "Fighting Planes Series" (1943) 26/36 - AL2-15
And so we close, by taking off and flying into the clouds, as, today, in 1935, did the first ever B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. Actually this four engined heavy bomber was built by Boeing, specifically for the United States Army Air Corps. Now in 1935 there were a few years to go before the outbreak of the Second World War, but the political climate in Europe meant that it was suspected that sooner or later there would be another war, though not perhaps how far it would spread or how many it would affect.
This aircraft remains one of the best known of all American bombers, and this is mainly because it was based and used in Europe. Most of those which were based here were in Central and Eastern England, particularly East Anglia. And some do survive, though not many are still airworthy. You can see a list of those at Airplanes Online B-17
Now this is another curious trade card from foreign parts, but thanks to our original Australian & New Zealand Index (RB.30), issued in 1983, I can tell you all about it :
FIGHTING PLANES SERIES. 65 x 40. Nd. (36). Vari-backed, four advertisements, B. I. Q. S. Issued 1943
The header for Allen tells us that they issued cards as both "A.W. Allen" and "Allen`s". Also that they were : "Founded by Alfred W. Allen, who commenced the manufacture of confectionery in 1891 in Fitzroy. By 1909, A. W. Allen claimed to be the third largest confectionery company in Victoria. In 1917, A. W. Allen, Pty. Ltd. was forned, which in 1922 became A. W. Allen Ltd., and later Allen`s Confectionery Ltd"
As for the vari-backs, this means that these cards can be found with different advertisements, namely :
B. - "Butter Menthol"
I. - "Irish Moss Gum Jubes"
Q. - "Q.T Fruit Drops"
S. - "Steam Rollers"
Oh please tell me what a "steam roller" was, it sounds amazing!
This week's Cards of the Day...
saw the start of South Asian Heritage Month - and that is the date, in 1947, that George V agreed to the Indian Independence Act - and the month closes on the 17th August, when the new border between India, West Pakistan and what was then East Pakistan was ratified.
So hopefully you may be tempted to look a bit closer at cards from this area.
Saturday, 15th July 2023
So here we have clue number one to this week`s theme - and, depending on which way you approach it, this could be the beginning or the end.
This was a bit of a stretch for our theme, but this Chinese set was just supposed to suggest Asia, though technically The People's Republic of China is in East Asia, not South. However it is pretty massive, spanning five time zones and having almost 1.5 billion inhabitants. So it is easy to see why when asked to name an Asian country most people would pick China first.
And why we said "depending on which way you approach it, this could be the beginning or the end" was because the regions we are going to deal with pretty much fall in between India and China.
Now in RB.21, our British-American Tobacco Company booklet, published in 1952, this set is listed as
217-112. HINTS ON ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL. The series was issued as follows :-
A. Player Home issue. Size 68 x 36 m/m. Series of 50
B. Anonymous issue, with Chinese language back. Size 62 x 36 m/m. Subjects redrawn with Chinese players demonstrating. Series of 48. Back in grey, "Y" at left base.
C. Spanish language issues, titled "La Tecnica del Foot-Ball." Size 68 m/m. Subjects redrawn.
1. Cia. Nacional de Tabacos issue. Nos. 1-25 seen
2. Anonymous issue, with Spanish language back. Nos. 26-50 seen.
That leads to the obvious question of which two cards were deleted from the set of fifty issued by John Player - does anyone know?
By the time of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, just four years later, our anonymous issue, whilst still appearing in the back of the book, is now in a section that states "All issued through B.A.T." The listing here is :
HINTS ON ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL (A). Sm. 62 x 36. Back with letter "Y" at left base. Nd. (48). See RB.17/217-112.B
Sunday, 16th July 2023
Clue number two....
Of course this is India, the other boundary to our region. This is a super set, and it does remind me a lot of vintage postcards.
However I have to wonder how many railway collectors are aware of the amazing reverse to this card ? I have had a little look round (and wait to be corrected by proper Railway historians) but I think this may show the Parsik Tunnel. This started to be constructed in 1906 and was opened in 1916, so it would have been nearing the end when these cards were issued, and would definitely have been a topic of conversation.
In RB.21, our British-American Tobacco Company booklet, published in 1952, this set is listed in the index under B.A.T. Brand Issues as :
20. "Railway" Cigarettes. Cards issued in India, inscribed with B.A.T. or Imperial Tobacco Co. of India names, or both. The sets cited are this one, as "Indian Historical Views (1915), two numbering arrangements - [see] 503", plus three types of "Nautch Girl Series", black and white, coloured, and coloured with playing card inset.
Now the actual listing under 503 is very lengthy, so here it is, scanned :
Our World Tobacco Issues Index tells us that the B.A.T. version of this set was circulating in India in about 1907. However the only set which appears in this section is the Nautch Girls. However that section, to its credit, does also tell you to "See also under Imperial Tobacco Co. of India" - and when you do it not only lists this set, but also explains that the company was "Formed about 1908 to take over B.A.T. interests in India." So obviously at that time the cards were reprinted to add the Imperial Tobacco wording.
The set is described as simply "INDIAN HISTORICAL VIEWS. Sm. 63 x 36. Nd.(25), Two numbering arrangements. See RB.21/503." And it is slightly altered in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, to : "INDIAN HISTORICAL VIEWS. Sm. 63 x 36. Backs in grey, with "Railway Cigarettes" packet. Nd.(25), Two numbering arrangements. See RB.21/503.
Monday, 17th July 2023
And here, for our third clue, we simply guided you "between" China and India, the two largest countries of Asia, towards the smaller ones which we will be dealing with this week. But we also hope to give you "a window" into that world.
This is a slightly less known one of those Sectional Series issued by W.D & H.O. Wills in 1930-31, though it is the first one in the series.
The original work, showing a Puritan man sitting at a table between two fiery kitchen hands, was painted, in oils by Francis David Millet, in 1892. Today it is in the Tate Gallery as No.1611 - but you can also see it on several cigarette cards, including another set by W.D. & H.O. Wills, namely "Art Photogravures" (1912) 4/50. Now the reverse of that card is very poignant, because it was issued in 1912, and on the reverse you will read "F.D. Millet was born in America, but has lived and worked principally in England". And this means at the time of printing he was still alive - however that same year he died, in the sinking of The Titanic.
Our set first appears in the Wills reference book part four, under :
A FAMOUS PICTURE
Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Complete sections form reproductions of celebrated pictures, and were exchangeable cor full size coloured prints, in accordance with a scheme detailed on the backs of the cards. Home issues
207. 48 Between Two Fires. Home Series 1. Backs in grey, Issued 1930.
In our World Tobacco Issues Indexes the description and header is shorter, and the set is simply described as "Sm. Nd." However it does tell us that for some reason when these sets were issued in Ireland, set number one was not this set, it was "The Toast". There is also a link to the British American Tobacco Booklet (RB.21) but that only deals with the final three Famous Pictures, not ours, for they were also issued overseas - in Guernsey and Africa
Tuesday, 18th July 2023
This card is very relevant to this week`s theme, because it first flew at midnight on August the 15th, 1947, at which moment Pakistan became an independent country. It was very similar to the flag before, which actually represented the Muslim League, the only difference is the white section that runs parallel to the flagpole. And I have to say that I really like the way that the name of the place is carved into the flagpole on these cards!
When Pakistan decided to become a republic they kept the same flag, and it also did not change when half of the country split off and became Bangladesh.
I have now tracked this set down in our vintage volumes of the British Trade Index, in part III, issued in 1986. It comes under :
Flags and Bank Notes (A). Issued 1971. ... ABF-46
1. Flags. 81 x 56. Flag die cut. Plain adhesive back. Unnd. (73).
2. Banknotes. 143 x 62. Unnd. (27). See anonymous set ZG10-9-2
There is also a list of the flags, in alphabetical order, but it is very light and spreads over two pages.
ZG10-9-2 is at the back of the book, and there is a picture of one of the notes. it catalogues them as :
"Banknotes (A). 143 x 62. See Fig. ZG10-9.2. The banknotes are imaginary, with names closely resembling existing countries. 17 known : -
- Banc National De Icaragua [Nicaragua]
- Banco Centrale de Chil [Chile]
- Banco Centrale Del Paragu [Paraguay]
- Bank Ingonecia [Indonesia]
- Banque de l`Indochi [Indo China]
- Central Bank of Trinday [Trinidad]
- Deutschosterreich [a curious blend of Germany and Austria]
- The Jalanese Government [Java]
- Nabohnabanra [your guess is as good as mine]
- Republica Das Estados Do Brasi - um Cruzeiro [Brazil - and it ought to be un Cruziero, for one, not um]
- Republica Das Estados Do Brasi - 5 Cruzeiro [Brazil]
- * Serial No, 2D 397038
- * Serial No, 307338
- * Serial No, C992693Q
- * Serial No, F 57 214566
- * No serial - Picture of woman with basket in field (5 currency)
- * No serial - Dated 9 IX 1944 and 1951. Man`s head and lion crest.
* these banknotes are in characters of local languages
This is all very odd, as what they seem to have done is remove a letter or two from the country`s name on some of the notes, so as not to be accused of reproducing proper banknotes. I have attempted to add those letters back in, in brackets. But this seems a very long drawn out method of production when all they needed to do was print a thick black diagonal line across one corner. As for the final six, I have no idea of whether these are real notes or whether they were figments of the artist`s imagination - and that could also apply to numbers five and nine in the above list.
In our updated version of the British Trade Index this set is described as :
FLAGS (A). 1971. Unnd. (73) Cut-outs. Black surround to flag. Plain adhesive back. See HA.8
HA.8 is the handbook where you will find this list of all the cards, and it is on one page, so it wins. It reads :
Wednesday, 19th July 2023
This is a set I had not come across before but given the date of issue I ought to be able to find the original New Issues Report(s) for the newsletter.
Anyway, right now, this set appears in our original British Trade Index part II (RB.27), though the description is a bit sparse, at only "HEAD-DRESSES OF THE WORLD. Sm. Nd. (25)".
There is a bit more information in the updated volume though, and a surprise, but more about that later. The description here is "HEAD-DRESSES OF THE WORLD. 1962. 65 x 35. Nd. (25). See HX-197".
Now that HX Handbook reference forms the surprise, because it turns out that this set was also issued by Ringtons Tea of Newcastle-On-Tyne, but not until 1973, eleven years after the Barratt version. And it only appears in part four of the original British Trade Index, where it is described as "HEAD-DRESSES OF THE WORLD. 68 x 36. Nd. (25). As Barratt set BAR-77."
The odd thing here, apart from wondering how the idea suddenly turned up with Ringtons Tea so long after, is the discrepancy in size between the two sets, so if anyone has that set maybe they could have a measure, and confirm. Many thanks in advance.
Thursday, 20th July 2023
I know, this is another flag, but this one ties in to another set we featured a lot earlier. But more about that later.
This flag is for Bangladesh, and it is one of the later flags to be adopted in the South Asian region, in January 1972. It is a simple scheme of a dark green background with a red disc, which is sometimes said to represent the sun, overlaid on top. The reason for the sun is that when it rises it marks a brand new day, so that links in with a brand new start for the area. It was actually based on a revolutionary flag, used in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, but that contained a yellow map inside the disc, and that was not carried forward. There are lots of reasons cited as to why. The most popular is that it was too hard to line it up and avoid the show through blur it, and this does have some truth because if you look at this flag the red disc is not in the middle, so it would indeed look odd if the flag was made of very thin material.
Now this set was issued by F. & M. Dobson (Southern) Ltd, who were based in Biggin Hill. And there is indeed a Northern group, based in Ponteland, Northumberland, and called F. M. without the ampersand, who, in 1981, issued another set of cards, in conjunction with The Evening Chronicle, and called "Newcastle & Sunderland`s 100 Greatest Footballers".
Our set was issued before that, and is described as "FLAGS OF THE WORLD. 85 x 60. Nd. (144)". The intriguing thing is the mention of "A Pear Publication" - which I cannot track down. Anyone know any more?
Friday, 21st July 2023
Here we have Ceylon, or as it is now known, Sri Lanka. It is rather fun that this card shows tea, but is not a tea card, for Sweetule made confectionery.
Now all our British Trade Index says for this set is "Sm. 68 x 37. Nd. (25)". The date also varies, anywhere between 1958 and 1960, but the latter comes from our updated British Trade Index so until I find the original New Issues Report I will hold fast to that.
This set is mainly included because it is another of those sets with many issuers, as listed under the HX and D handbook codes. These are :
British American Tobacco "Domino" Brand (Mauritius) - "Les Produits du Monde" (1961)
Horsleys Stores (Gainsborough) - "Products of the World" (1968)
Musgrave Bros (Cork, Ireland - tea) - "Products of the World" (1961)
The Stamp Corner (Doncaster - collectables shop) - "Products of the World" (1960s)
Now the last of these is very interesting because The Stamp Corner were established in 1927 (and are still in business, though at a different address), and they issued several sets of cards in the 1960s with non standard backs. Either they picked up a lot of proof sheets, or blank backed cards, or just reproduced the fronts from cards they liked the look of, because instead of the usual text there is an advertisement for their business, either :
a) "Wanted to purchase collections of coins, stamps, cards, medals ..." Address 23 Bowers Field
b) "bring 25 of these cards to The Stamp Corner for a free 1/- set"
Now apparently only eight cards, or should that be fronts, from "Products of the World" have so far been seen. Which brings me to you, to ask do you have any "The Stamp Corner" cards to show us, and/or can you list any of the eight from this set that you own or know of.
And that`s all we have time for this week. Hope you were entertained, educated, and inspired to look at some of the links or to seek out some of the cards to add to your collections. Above all we hope you enjoyed it, and that it made you remember cards you once owned or friends you knew. For a card is so much better if it is also a memory.
Best wishes, and looking forward to meeting you all here again next week, from us all.....