Hey, its Saturday, and newsletter time all over again. Thanks for coming back, and we hope that you enjoy it. Now don`t forget - if you sit there and wonder why we never feature YOUR favourite set, that is because you have not told us what it is yet. Or if there is a special anniversary coming up in your thematic interest do let us know, for we will he happy to allow you to provide as many of the cards of the day for that week, and as much info as you would like to. So over to you
So, you may be wondering, how are we getting on with the Card Index – and the answer is very well, apart from a small hiccup when I deleted where I was up to and could not remember – but I have worked very slowly back to the right place now, and as a safeguard I have also added the link at the top so that if have a similar calamity all is not lost. I do this with things on disc too, that is why I have “certain things” on every disc, heedless of the label as to what ought to be on there. However the truth is that the index always gets abandoned for the final days of each newsletter, simply because there is not time for both. Anyway do have a look at how far we have come at : https://csgb.co.uk/gallery
At the moment I have a burning question, because I do not know the name of this set I featured for Tokyo in our recent discussion on fingerprinting. That week was great, don’t you think?
I believe it is something like “Views of the World”, but the owner only has this one so no chance of seeing a link between the other cards.
Anyway if you want to test your skill, or hoick out your reference book to Guerin Boutron we would be obliged. And the link to see the back, and a larger card is https://csgb.co.uk/cardoftheday/2023-07-26
Now I ought to remind everyone that your first port of call each day should be the rotating banner on our home page. In here you will find two slides. One is the diary of the next two or three Branch and Club meetings, in which will also be any last minute changes. And the other is a direct link to the last page we worked on, whether this be the index, or research, etc. And if there are any updates to the newsletter that are either supplied by me, or found by our readers, they will be notified in there too.
And so, before August closes, lets chat about things coming up this week – which are : a bit of hot stuff, a cinematic cowboy, a heart of honour, a Channel Islands Cricketer, a curious Coronation, and then, a spot of R and R, which will, as always, be much needed……
W.D. & H.O. Wills [tobacco : UK] “Old Silver” (November 1924) 17/25 – W675-206 : W62-165 : W/284
This year for National Mustard Day we are looking back to the past, when mustard was not squirted from a tube but reverently placed on the table in a proper mustard pot, with a blue glass removable liner. The one on this card dates from 1771, though the text tells us that mustard was much older, being first “used as a condiment in the reign of Elizabeth” – that being Queen Elizabeth I. However in those days it was not contained in such finery, only in earthenware pots.
This is a fine set for antique lovers, for it also tells you that the earliest silver mustard container is said to date from about 1750, that the rarest of all the glass inserts is a rose-pink colour, and also that you look for the hallmarks on the front, near the handle, or on the bottom. And it also warns you of a little deception that has probably been going as long as there were mustard pots, or such like, to check that the lid has the same initials as the body. Initials is an odd word but they mean hallmarks – for if a lid is damaged, or even likelier lost, it is often possible to find another, from a broken pot, on the surface, anyway. But matching the hallmarks is pretty much impossible.
This set was first listed in reference book IV, RB.16, published in 1950 where its description reads
284. 25 OLD SILVER. Large cards, size 79 x 62 m/m. Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Backs in grey, with descriptive text. Home issue, 1924
According to the dates provided by Wills for their Works Magazine, this set was issued in November 1924.
By the time of the original World Tobacco Issues Index in 1956, the description had been shortened to “OLD SILVER. Sm. Nd. (25)”. And that is repeated in the updated, Millennial version.
Moustafa [tobacco : UK] “Cinema Stars” (1924) Un/25 – ZB5-1.3 : ZB06-150.3 : Ha.515.8
To mark the birthday of Hoot Gibson, we have this fine card, hand coloured and really well too - not always the case. It starts by telling us that his real name is not “Hoot” (which would be a pretty odd forename) but Edward. Unfortunately that is wrong, because his name was actually Edmund Richard Gibson.
He was born at his father’s ranch, at Tekamah, Nebraska, Our card says he "has won many championships for horse-riding" but does not explain that these were rodeos. His favourite event was what are known as the bucking bronco, when an unrideable horse bucks and weaves his way about the ring and the rider hangs on for as long as they can before they hit the floor.
Unfortunately his rodeo career was halted by the First World War, during which he served on another kind of uncontrollable ride, for he was in the Tank Corps. However at war`s end he returned to the sawdust ring again. It is more than likely that this brought him to the attention of the film industry, either as a stunt man or a stand in, because he started with the Selig Studio, which made a lot of cowboy movies. However he soon moved into the leagues of the major stars, and between the two World Wars only the name of Tom Mix sold more tickets.
Not sure about the fact that he also joined the circus, in Australia. But he did join the Robbins Brothers Circus in the 1930s.
Now the card tells us that he married Helen Johnson, a vaudeville actress - which needs a bit of explaining. In fact in 1913 he had married Rose Wenger, on the rodeo circuit, for she was a fellow rider. Later on she became quite a popular film star, using his surname and taking the name of Helen Gibson. She is mostly known for the eponymous serial "The Hazards of Helen". They split up a few years after, but he still stated in many interviews that he was married. Then suddenly in 1922 he married again, to another Helen, making her Helen Gibson Number Two. This led to all kinds of confusion, and still does. Anyway this marriage produced a daughter, who thankfully was not called Helen. But the marriage broke up, and they were divorced by the 1930s. He then married the film actress Sally Eilers, in 1930, and this lasted for three years. He was then on his own for a time, before finding another bride, Dorothy Irene Dunstan, who is recorded to be a professional yodeller. In fact they met when she joined his rodeo troupe as a yodeller. They were married in 1942, and remained so until his death in 1962.
Our card was issued by Moustafa, but you will not find it in their listings in the original World Tobacco Issues Index, only in the back of the book. However it was clearly known that they made it, for the description is :
CINEMA STARS. Nd.
3. Hand-coloured gravures. Sm. 63 x 36. Back headed “A Series of 25 Hand-Coloured Pictures of Cinema Stars”. See Ha.515.8. Issued by Moustafa.
This is virtually identical in our updated version, but the handbook reference has gone, the link is now RB.113/541, which goes to our updated Godfrey Phillips book.
Anonymous [trade : toys : UK] “Medals” (1969) 42/50 – TOM-070 :
Today in 1782, a new award, the Badge of Military Merit was announced by George Washington. At that time it was for gallantry in battle, as well as faithfulness to a unit, and the performance of normal duties under greater than normal threat. And the most unusual thing about it was that it was to be awarded to the ordinary fighting man, not just the officers, as was the custom at that time.
It was an odd badge, you can see one at Wikipedia/BMM - and that page also lists the first three recipients who were personally awarded it by George Washington himself. The links to their names are very interesting, not least the fact that the third man is listed as "a spy" - and against us, too.
Now our card is the purple heart, which is its modern equivalent, and it is awarded to all American forces who are wounded in action, and also to those who were killed. In the middle is a profile portrait of George Washington, to commemorate that he set this in motion.
This set is anonymous, untitled, and plain backed, though the story goes that it was planned to have the text which is below on the reverse, but somehow a misunderstanding, or an attempt to save money, saw the front and back combined. Anyway we are certain who issued it, and that was “Tommy Gunn”, a British Action-Man style figure, produced by Pedigree Toys. In fact our updated British Trade Index says :
Issued 1969
MEDALS (A). 65 x 36. Nd. (50). Plain back, anonymous. Special folder issued, spaces for 20 cards which, when returned, obtained a full size “Tommy Gun” soldier in uniform, free.
This name is wrong, for a Tommy Gun, with one N, is the general abbreviation for a sub-machine gun. That is probably why the figure has the extra N, to save on issues like copyright and trademark infringements. You can read more about the toy, and it also mentions these cards, at Wikipedia / Tommy Gunn
Now you may be lucky enough to see another version of this set, which was given out at Timperley. You can read more about those on their site. And if anyone out there has one of those, and would like to scan the back, (unless there is a difference to the front) I will change this blank back for it, forthwith.
And, by the way, this set seems not to be in our original four volume British Trade Index. Unless my eyes deceive me…
John Player & Sons [tobacco : UK] “Cricketers 1938” (May 1938) 29/50 – P644-662 : P72-215 : P/62.B (RB.17/62.B)
Today in 1909 was the birth of William “Bill” Voce, and the date is recorded on our card as well. In fact he was one of the linch pins in the rather infamous "Bodyline" Tour of 1932. The card tells us that he batted, and bowled, for Nottinghamshire (coincidentally? the home side of John Player), whose badge appears in the roundel to the front, and England.
He was born in 1909 at Annesley Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, in the heart of the coal mining district, but he did not want that life and he travelled all the way out to Trent Bridge to ask for a trial at cricket. He had been reasonable at knock-abouts with other children and young men, and he hoped that this would save him, in the way that sometimes we all put our hopes on one thing, or one person, that we believe will change our lives forever. And sometimes we are right - as was he. They signed him up immediately. And in 1927 he turned out for his debut, Nottingham vs Gloucestershire.
Three years later he had made the international squad, and his debut there was against the West Indies, in Barbados. His adaptability and calmness made him a cert for the tour of Australia plus for a spot of tactical playing, in which the ball was to be directed at the player, not the bat. This all came to pass in the 1932–1933 tour of Australia, and though it got results, it was at cost. It led to the souring of relations between the two teams, and also affected him personally, because he was not chosen for any of the 1924 tests. Maybe the selectors feared reprisals, or bad press, or maybe they hoped to draw a veil of forgetfulness over the whole affair.
However he did continue to play cricket until the mid 1950s. He died in 1984
Now you may well cry that we have had this before, but look at the back, for up on top you will find a great scarcity of text – as this is the Channel Islands issue, once more, oddly, issued before the Home issue.
Our original John Player Reference Book (RB.17) tells us that the set is :
62 50 CRICKETERS, 1938. Small cards. Fronts in colour, county or state badge in circular inset. Backs in grey, with descriptive text, adhesive. Special album issued,
A. Home issue, with I.T.C. and Album clauses. Issued June 1938
B. Channel Islands Issue, without I.T.C. and Album clauses. Issued May 1938
This obviously means that no album was issued in the Channel Islands - but the backs were still adhesive, so what did the collectors do? Is this why sometimes on eBay you see an old exercise book or ledger with cards stuck in? And should we not give those more than a quick dismissal and a moving on…
Our original World Tobacco Issues Index splits this set from the Home issue, that is why there is no “B” - and it tells us that as well as the Channel Islands it was issued in Malta. However the text is scant indeed, just "Sm. Nd. (50)"
Lambert & Butler [tobacco : UK] "Coronation Robes" (1901-2) Un/12 - L073-110 : L8-11 : L/38 (RB.9/38)
Now today was the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. But we have an amazing story for you, because there is another card, a Coronation Souvenir for that event, which was issued by The Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain and Ireland. However if you look at the date, it is not today, it is June 26th.
The story behind that is that had indeed originally been scheduled for 26 June 1902, but the King got sick, with appendicitis, which then was a very serious thing. An operation was immediately scheduled, and worked. By the next day he was awake, and sitting up in bed. He was also, reportedly, smoking a large cigar. However it was too soon to crown him, and also there was a thought that he may succumb quickly, which may damage the reputation of the monarchy. So he was not crowned until today, the 9th of August 1902.
Now I do not know whether that linked to card was reprinted in August. But if anyone has one that does carry the August date please let us know.
The first reference to this set that I have so far come across is in our original Lambert & Butler Reference Book, RB.9, issued in 1948. That lists it as :
38. 12. CORONATION ROBES. Average size 2 9/16" x 1 3/8" or 65 x 35 m/m, but varies considerably. Unnumbered. Fronts lithographed in colour, without photo basis. Backs in violet, inscribed "Smoke Mayblossom Cigarettes" with fancy design. 1901-2.
1. A Baroness
2. A Duchess
3. A Marchioness
4. Chancellor of the Exchequer. Right Hon. Sir Michael Hicks-Beach
5. Earl Marshall Duke of Norfolk
6. Her Majesty Queen Alexandra
7. His Majesty King Edward VII
8. H.R.H. The Prince of Wales
9. H.R.H. The Princess of Wales
10. Lord High Chancellor, The Right Hon. Lord Halsbury
11. The Archbishop of Canterbury
12. The King`s Herb Woman
Our World Tobacco Issues Index reduces this to :
CORONATION ROBES. Sm. 65 x 35. Unnd. (12). See RB.9/38. "May Blossom" brand issue
And the updated version is similar, though it deletes the RB.9/38 reference in the middle and adds "See H.251" at the end.
Gallaher [tobacco : UK] “Why Is It” – green back (1915) 14/100 – G075-235 : G12-30.a
Here we have a young man in bed, looking rather lazy, for see, the sun is already awake, see the shadow behind his head and shoulder.
Some days, though, like today, National Lazy Day, we are allowed to lie, to think, to feel the warmth and softness of the bed linen on our bodies, and to hear the birds chirping outside the window. Also this allows for us to wake up fully, to stretch our limbs, and muscles. And this is important, because many of the falls that occur in older people are as a direct result of their attempting to get out of bed before their bodies are ready to do so.
Now this card is included because if you keep going down the newsletter you will find this very set with a brown back. In fact there were three different colourways, the other being black. All three were printed by A. W. Saville & Co.
They are catalogued in our Gallaher Reference Book (RB.4, published in 1944, which, by the way, does not have card codes) as :
1915. 100 WHY IS IT SERIES (titled series). Size 2 ½” x 1 ½”. Numbered 1-100. Fronts printed in four colours from half-tone screen blocks, black marginal lines, white margins with “Gallaher`s Cigarettes” printed in blue. Backs printed in sage green with answers and “Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Belfast & London.
Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, old and new, change this around a bit and simply says : "WHY IS IT? Sm. Nd. (100). Back in (a) green (b) brown."
However there is no mention of the black back version. So does anyone know what happened to that? If so, please advise.
W. R. Jacob & Co. [trade : biscuits : UK] “School of Dinosaurs” (1994) 22/30
Today the first fossil of a dinosaur called a Velociraptor was unearthed. This was a miraculous discovery, for during an expedition by the American Museum of Natural History in 1923, a skull was found that was badly damaged, but complete. There was also a claw nearby. The following year the two were declared to be connected, though at that time the claw was thought to be off a finger whereas it was actually a toe.
Now this picture rather belies the fact that this mighty beast may have been fierce, and had long talons, but it was actually the size of a turkey. And recent discoveries have found that it would have had feathers.
These curious creatures lived in the Cretaceous period, in Russia, China and Mongolia, and they hunted in packs, firstly because there was safety in numbers, and secondly so that they could use their combined skills to outwit much larger opponents.
I cannot find this set in any of the British Trade Indexes. It is too late to be in the updated version, for sure, but it ought to be in Volume 4, which was published in 1997. However John Levitt has provided me with the fact that it was featured in the "New Issues" section of the Cartophilic Notes and News for May/June 1993. And here it is :
Now Mr. Levitt also adds that this special album also gave details of how you could swop duplicate cards for those that you needed - and you could collect a prize if you submitted a completed album. I do not yet know what that prize was, but I will find out!
This week's Cards of the Day...
This week we are celebrating the brand new month that we rose to see on Tuesday, and that is August.
If you, like me, have a mid year diary, you started your first page then too - and probably made sure that you wrote your very neatest. At least on that first special page.
Now technically August is the last month of summer, but some people consider it to be the true start of autumn. There are indeed signs, and often a return to dewy lawns. But the crucial difference is that the nights, on sunny days, are still long, for we are only just over a month from the Summer Solstice. There are many weeks before we will have to change those wretched clocks and ponder over how.
Saturday, 29th July 2023
If you got the theme of the week from this clue card alone then you may call yourself a top cartophilist - or applaud that you have managed to build up a considerable reference library on the subject, because we were after the month of issue. And August was quite a popular month for the issuing of cards, I have made quite a considerable list, which might appear as a newsfeed item if I get time, and then I can link to cards that I have featured before in previous newsletters. Sounds like a plan.
Now there are a few questions about this set. The first is that in the Ardath reference book they mention an error card, just one - No.106 which was found without the letter "A" on the back. But this error is not mentioned anywhere else, which makes me wonder how just one card could have been printed in such a way. So are all the 106s missing the letter "A" - or just one ? And are there any other numbers without a letter "A" in that place ? Do let us know, the email address is the same as always webmaster@card-world.co.uk
Well as the "A" suggests, this was the first of a very long running series of photographic cards which were titled "Photocards". They came in sets, quite lengthy ones too, (look at ours, of a hundred and ten cards), but each set was given a letter to define it, hence ours is "A".
In our original Ardath reference book RB.6, issued in 1943, there are no identifying numbers, which I call the card code (and I have no ability to count them off in the book, though I do have books where someone actually has, and I continually marvel at how they did it !). They are described as :
Aug 1936. 110. Photocards Series "A" (titled series). size 3 1/2" x 2 1/4". Numbered 1-110. Real photographs of football teams of Lancashire, toned black and white, glossy finish, titled [which means on the front, by the way], white margin. Backs printed in black with description, with "A" at bottom right. Issued with "King`s Cigarettes".
Error No.106 - without "A" at back
Now as this error is not mentioned anywhere else, I have to ask was it a one off, or are there other 106s without the letter "A" - or any other numbers without one? Do let us know.
Now there is a small list of cards in the reference book which have slightly different titles at front and back - if my yellow printer ink arrives by Friday I will scan these in, if not I may type.
The above description was shortened for our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, but includes extra information - this is
PHOTOCARDS - numbered series. Md. Black and white photos. Nd. Many cards found overprinted in red-brown "Packed with Ardath Kings - 10 for 6d. - The longer cigarette". See RB.6 - page 11.
1. Inscribed "A" Football Clubs of Lancashire (110)
.
Sunday, 30th July 2023
Our second clue card referred to an ancient term for August, because in Anglo- Saxon days it was known as Weed Month, simply because this is the time when everything in the garden is growing very rapidly, including the weeds. Though it is also very likely that they treasured those weeds, which gave them materials for medicinal purposes and dyes with which to enhance their clothing.
Intriguingly the Anglo Saxon for month was Monath - and this comes from the "Saxon" part of their language. And even today, the German for month is Monat.
I have to say I love this set, and it also has another happy memory because I first saw it as part of the exhibits at the wonderful House of Pipes in Bramber, Sussex. In addition the fifty cards contain many subjects that I like, but the gardener is one of my especial favourites, for he is so lifelike to a typical gardener of yore, most of whom we will never be privileged to meet again. Of course the "Weed" referred to is simply tobacco, not drugs, though both versions can prove equally addictive. And the cards poke a gentle, wistful, kind of fun at those who have become addicted, for the word "Votaries" means those who worship, or become devoted to some person, place, or object.
The set is listed in our Gallaher reference book RB.4, published in 1944. Again no card code, and no date either. though other sets do have them. However it seems universally accepted that the set was issued in 1916. That book records them as :
50. VOTARIES OF THE WEED (titled series). Size 2 1/2" x 1 1/2". Numbered 1-50 Fronts lithographed in full colours to resemble coloured pen and ink drawings, no marginal lines or subject titles. "Gallaher`s Cigarettes" in script letters. Backs printed in sage green with descriptions and "Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Belfast & London"
This set may be collected on A. Cream card - B. Grey-white card
Now the above is most intriguing, to me, anyway, because it makes a great deal of saying that the fronts "resemble coloured pen and ink drawings" and they do not mention that they were actually from drawings, by a very famous artist, Kyd, whose monogram appears on every card.
His real name was Joseph Clayton Clarke, and he also has another cartophilic claim to fame, for he drew the artwork for John Player & Sons` set of "Characters from Dickens" in 1910. In the Dickens set, he freely admitted that his work had been heavily influenced by the drawings used in the books, from the pens of such as Phiz and Seymour. However our set shows that his talent was present without such inspiration. In fact I think I would have preferred to see him interpret the Dickens set from his own mind, just as we all conjure up our own ideas of the character`s faces inside of us whenever we read a book
My trusty London Cigarette Card Company catalogue for 1955 tells me that these were then being retailed at 3/6d to 10/- a card, or £25 for a complete set. Now usually if there is a range of prices for the odds it is that the first and last cards were more expensive in good condition or better. But I have to wonder if some of these cards, maybe even the gardener, were in higher demand from collectors?
Rather sadly, by the time of our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, this wonderful and lyrical description is very reduced - to simply "Sm. Nd. (50)"
And there is not a mention of there being different card stocks either. Perhaps the difference was not so spectacular as it could have been, and people no longer notice, but if you have a set do see if you can spot any differences and report back, for old times sake.
Monday, 31st July 2023
Our third clue was the emperor Caesar Augustus shown here on this super cameo, but also award yourself a brownie point if you knew that sardonyx, from which this is made, is the original birthstone for the month of August. It was not just for decorative jewellery though, because a particular quirk of its make up is that hot wax will never stick to it, so it was also used for important seals and signets so that they retained their sharp outlines rather than being slowly obscured with each use.
As far as Caesar Augustus, and his link to this month, well yes, it was indeed named for him. And there is also symbolism in that it follows July, named for Julius Caesar. The two men were connected too, Augustus being Julius`s grand nephew.
Cavanders are described in our Directory of British Issuers as being a Branch of the United Kingdom Tobacco Company Ltd (Godfrey Phillips Ltd.). It also states that their address at that time was 112 Commercial St., London E but that they were previously at 65/67 Gt. Eastern Street, London E.C., and 7 Whitechapel Road. And at one time they had not only a Manchester address, their registered office, in Tib Street - but a Glasgow address as well.
Despite this, they were founded in Portsmouth, in 1775. Strangely they did not start inserting cigarette cards until quite late, after the First World War, in 1923, with a set of forty-eight large cards called "Regimental Standards". However once they started they were quite prolific, and issued not only standard letterpress cards like this, but photographic ones and also stereoscopic ones.
This set is simply listed in our World Tobacco Issues Indexes as "THE NATION`S TREASURES Md. Nd. (25)" . My 1955 London Cigarette Card Catalogue supplies the measurements, of 77 x 51 m/m, and also a retail price from that year, this being 6d. a card or 17/6 a set.
Tuesday, 1st August 2023
So here we have the star sign for the first week in August, which just happens to be Leo, the Lion. And before we get ahead of ourselves, there are fifty two cards because there is one card for each week of the year, which also means that there are more than one card for each star sign. The cards are very striking with those solid fronts and large orange symbol on the front, which is the zodiac symbol - and the star shapes form its constellation. It also tells of lucky numbers and gemstones and then on the back is a horoscope for the year ahead, which applies to anyone born in the week listed on the card, and a very short chat about that star sign and its characteristics.
The set is described in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as "HOROSCOPES. Sm. Nd. 66 x 34. Unnd (52) See Ha.587". And it was listed for sale in the London Cigarette Card Company catalogue of about the same year at 2d. a card or 10/- a set. However in Ha.587 is a much larger description, which is :
HOROSCOPES (titled series) Front in orange and white on blue background. Issued by A. Lewis & Co. (Westminster) Ltd. Un-numbered series of 52 - one card for each week of the year starting January 2 - 8 (No.1) and concluding week Dec 29 - Jan 1 (No.52).
I have no idea why this is in the handbook, which is usually to collect together series also issued by other firms, or to list the titles of unnumbered cards. You may say, ah, but this set is unnumbered - but even so the usual precedent is to list those cards, and here they do not.
Anyway though these cards may indeed be attractive, the most fascinating thing about them is the story of the company, for it is usually said that they operated kiosks, at stations etc, rather than having a brick and mortar shop. However, there was a shop, and a lawsuit, brought by someone called Bell, in 1940. And our Directory of British Issuers reference book says that their premises are at Rochester Road, London, SW1 - except I cannot find this, I can find Rochester Row SW1, or Rochester Road NW1.
Another common belief is that their entire cartophilic output was this set, issued with Lewis Medium Navy Cut Cigarettes. This is also wrong, because in 1915 they were one of the many tobacconists and trade issuers who joined in to produce a set of fifty "War Portraits". However this is strangely only listed in our original World Tobacco Issues index, not in the updated version - though that updated version adds another, third, set, kind of. This is known as "Horse Race Game", even though it is more of a walk over, because only one card has so far been found. Now the card is untitled, which perhaps suggests that the set could have comprised other sports, and the only card found just happens to be of horse racing. So just in case you have any curious sporting cards in your box of odds, this is medium size, measuring 78 x 57 m/m, and it is described as "Sepia photo, revealed when front moistened. Even worse it is unnumbered, so if you have one, or more, do please let us know! And we could start a list.....
Wednesday, 2nd August 2023
So, you are most probably asking, why a fish? Well if you looked up in the sky on seeing this fish last night you would have seen what is called the sturgeon moon, just one of the names for the August moon. This moon rose to its highest peak of brightness last night, but it remains up there for a few days yet, slowly growing dimmer. This time is was a so called super moon, which just means that it is closest to our earth at this point in its orbit, and so it looks bigger and brighter than usual.
The sturgeon connotation comes from the largest fish in North America, with a maximum length of six feet and a gross weight of two hundred pounds. And the largest number of those largest fish are found in their Great Lakes, at this time of year. They are really incredible fish, and I am gratified that they have been honoured with a moon all their own. In addition the males live for over fifty years and the females for three times that. They have also been around long enough to be found as fossils, with ancestry dating back to the Jurassic Era.
Their other claim to fame is that in 1324 the sturgeon was legally declared, by King Edward II, to belong to the British Monarchy. This was a rather astute move, because the fish provides most of the caviar consumed worldwide. And this law has never been changed, so if you catch a sturgeon in British waters it must be handed over to the King. By the way, it also applies, even more curiously, to whales and dolphins.
Lets start our card chat with our original John Player reference book RB.17, published in 1950. That describes this set as
95. FISHES OF THE WORLD. Small cards. Fronts in colour. Backs in red-brown with descriptive text. Unnumbered series of 50. Home issue, February 1903.
[there then follows a list of all the cards using the titles from the backs, so the fronts and backs obviously vary]
Similar series issued by Churchman and Imperial Tobacco Co. of Canada.
Our original World Tobacco Issues Index shortens this, to just "Sm. Unnd. (50)" - though it does add cross references telling the reader to "See RB.17/95 and H.66". And the updated version says much the same, simply omitting the reference to RB.17 and only closing with "See H.66".
Thursday, 3rd August 2023
Now this card is here because one of the most spectacular sights in the August night sky are the Perseids. These are often called meteors, or shooting stars, but actually they are neither, they are just bits of space debris, dust, and rock, and they burn up when they come through into the atmosphere of the Earth, making a glowing object with a long streaming tail.
This event starts towards the end of July but rises in intensity as it goes along, and the very best time to see them this year is the 12th and 13th of August when between fifty and a hundred meteors will streak across the sky every hour It will involve either a late night, or an early morning, and also it depends on there being no rain or cloud cover.
And why we have the Milky Way is because that is a large, easily spotted object, along which you will almost certainly see a lot of activity - and including it in the frame also makes any pictures you take way more spectacular... Check out this photo on the NASA Website
If we look in our original British Trade Index, part II, (RB.27), it tells us that in the header that Brooke Bond issued tea and coffee, and that the cards were issued in the UK and elsewhere between 1954 and 1968, but that is because this volume finished gathering information in that year and was published in 1969. It also says that Brooke Bond themselves issued an official reference book covering their issues up to the end of 1966, and amendment number one in 1967. The reference numbers in that book are also included as part of our listings; these begin with B for the British issues, and SA for the South African ones
This set is listed in the British Trade Index under "section 1. General issue. Small size 68 x 42 m/m back in blue and issued in UK unless otherwise stated". The description is :
OUT INTO SPACE. Sm. Nd. (50)
A) British issue (B3)
a) Back "Issued with Brooke Bond..."
No.11 with captions "Inner Planets" and "Outer Planets".
b) Back "Issued in packets of Brooke Bond".
No.11 without the above caption wording.
B) South African issue, back with title and text in English and Afrikaans "In die Birtenste Ruimte". Pretoria address. (SA.3)
In our updated version of the British Trade Index, now as a single volume and separate handbook, there have been some changes. For a start the company is now listed as being based in Manchester, not London. It still gives the commodity as tea and coffee, but the dates of issue are way earlier, running from 1890 to 1998, because quite a few early advertising cards had been discovered more recently. However to keep the single volume in the bounds of possibility, the decision had been made to cut off the issues at 1970, and also to only include brief details of any overseas issue.
So the listing for our card here is
OUT INTO SPACE. 1956. Nd. (50)
Back :
a) "Issued with..."
No. 11 a) with - b) without "Inner Planets" and "Outer Planets"
b) "Issued in packets..." Also issued in South Africa.
Friday, 4th August 2023
So August, as we have already discovered, is a very wet month. This chap is decidedly wet, under a grey, leaden sky, and you can see from the gentle way he is walking that he is probably a person who suffers with corns. And as this card tells us, corns are one of the things that are curiously affected by any incoming dampness of the atmosphere – the others being rheumatism, and decaying teeth.
Now if you go back up the newsletter you will find this very set with a green back. In fact there were three different colourways, the other being black. All three were printed by A. W. Saville & Co.
They are catalogued in our Gallaher Reference Book (RB.4, published in 1944, which, by the way, does not have card codes) as :
1915. 100 WHY IS IT SERIES (titled series). Size 2 ½” x 1 ½”. Numbered 1-100. Fronts printed in four colours from half-tone screen blocks, black marginal lines, white margins with “Gallaher`s Cigarettes” printed in blue. Backs printed in brown with answers and “Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Belfast & London.
Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, old and new, change this around a bit and simply says :"WHY IS IT? Sm. Nd. (100). Back in (a) green (b) brown."
However there is no mention of the black back version. So does anyone know what happened to that? If so, please advise.
Now this card was printed by A. W. Saville & Co. And It is catalogued in our Gallaher Reference Book (RB.4, published in 1944, which, by the way, does not have card codes) as :
1915. 100 WHY IS IT SERIES (titled series). Size 2 ½” x 1 ½”. Numbered 1-100. Fronts printed in four colours from half-tone screen blocks, black marginal lines, white margins with “Gallaher`s Cigarettes” printed in blue. Backs printed in brown with answers and “Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Belfast & London.
Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, old and new, change this around a bit and simply says :
WHY IS IT? Sm. Nd. (100). Back in (a) green (b) brown.