Almost April, and I shall not be sorry to see the end of March, it has been tinged with sadness, and, worse, the prospect of more sadness. The pictures were hard to find, and I had to change my mind several times. Two of these are not what I wanted, but I hope that with your help they may be replaced - or that I may learn to like them if they are not.
So let us stride forward, and discover fur, film, flight, France, fins, a Freddie, and four-strokes. Some of these are not strictly correct but in the poetic rhyming sense they work, so I have let the truth slide just a little. As we all should some, if not most of the time.
There is an "F" missing, of course, and that is the best one of all, Fun. I hope that you have lots of it reading this....
The Nestle Co [trade : UK - Croydon] "Animals of the World" (1968) 17/24 - NES-050 : NES-21
#WorldBearDay
Bears have a rough time of it, through what is called humanity, their parts being used for medicine, and their souls for all manner of what is really not entertainment. Today we are asked to think about what they should be doing, roaming free, and enjoying life. LIke most animals they are not dangerous unless cornered or provoked, and only ask to be left alone.
There is a curious saying to do with bears, and that is "Now come on, don`t be grizzly." I wonder why it has been connected with this magnificent animal, who is far from grizzly in the miserable, whining sense with which it is often quoted. And the truth is that a child never cries for nothing. It may turn out to be trivial, to you, or it may be life-threatening, to them. But what it should never be is ridiculed, and ignored.
The reverse tells us that the bear might look fearsome and highly carnivorous, but it "feeds on roots, fruits, honey, etc." It also casually mentions something I did not know, that being that "The bear belongs to the Plantigrade group of mammals which signifies that it uses the entire sole of the foot in walking" (rather than the toe, sole, heel, or vice versa, that humans do). So I have learned something new already.
This card is a new one to me too, for which I give many thanks to Mr. Jackson, who scanned it for us from his collection.
Turns out this is quite an interesting set, being described in our original British Trade Index part II as :
ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. E.L. 147 x 91. 6 cards, each with 4 small cards, 67 x 36. Nd. 1/24, backs dotted for cutting. See D.213
Now D.213 is one of those interesting codes which mean there are other issuers, and these were
- Glengettie Tea
- Hitchman`s Dairies
It is slightly altered in our updated British Trade Index, to :
ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. 1968. 147 x 91. Six cards, each with 4 cards, 67 x 36. Nd. (24). Backs dotted for cutting. See HX-61
John Player [tobacco : UK - Nottingham] "Picturesque Cottages" (December 1929) 24/25 - P644-250 : P72-121 : P/145 [RB.17/145]
Today our first centenary, and it marks the premiere of a film called "The Enchanted Cottage", in 1924.
This story started off as a play, in 1923, written by the famed Arthur Pinero. One of the people who went to see it, and was touched by its gentle wistfulness, was the actor Richard Barthelmess. He was looking for something to turn into a film for his production company, and he chose this. He cast May McAvoy as his leading lady, and she agreed, despite the fact that she started it as a plain governess who could not seem to find love, only ridicule.
The basic story is that the cottage is deep in the woods, and the main character, a wounded and disfigured war veteran, runs to it in order to hide away from the world. Then he meets the governess, and they connect, haltingly. And then magic happens, for as they get to know each other the disfigurements and plainness seem to vanish - this magic happens to the viewer too, for the make up and prosthetics department subtly alter the stars until you cannot see a trace. It is kind of a fable, but one we so wish to be true. Or maybe it is a fable that appeals most to those who lack in the exterior beauty stakes and so want people to realise they are beautiful within.
The film was remade about twenty years later, and that starred Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young.
This cottage was in West Tarring, Sussex, and it was built in the 15th Century. I so hope that it is still there today, and yet I am reluctant to look in case it has been replaced by something which may be more suitable for modern living, but lacks the thrill of the handmade and the artistic.
The reverse also tells us that "the oak is grey and silvery in appearance, the use of tar and the blackening of oak being a later practice." And that means that nothing is new, because in the area where I currently live, once a sea of lovely 1930s mock Tudor semi-detached homes, many have been converted by what I have been guilty of feeling is trying to make them less original, by painting the external beams and wooden crafting a duller greyer hue - when really, probably quite unbeknownst to them too, they have been making them more so. Though I am still not sure of the practise of taking all the beams off and painting the entire exterior in white.
By the way, I did look, and it is possible, though for some reason not mentioned, that this is Thomas A`Becket`s Cottage. Will research that, some time.
Now in our original John Player reference book (RB.17, issued in 1950) this set is described as :
145. 25. PICTURESQUE COTTAGES. Large cards. Fronts in colour. Backs in grey, with descriptive text. Home issue, December 1929.
This is further reduced in our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, to just :
PICTURESQUE COTTAGES. Lg. Nd. (25)
Barratt & Co. Ltd. [trade : confectionery : UK - Wood Green] "Modern British Aircraft" (1948-51) Un/35 - BAR-545 : BAR-84.B
Our second centenary and not the card I wanted. That was Robertson & Woodcock`s "British Aircraft Series" card 33/35, because it actually mentions the events of our centenary - but I could not track one down. So if you have that, and are willing to scan front and back, we would be delighted to replace this with that, or at least to add it if this one grows on me in the interim.
Anyway the story of today is that a three man team led by Squadron Leader McLaren attempted to fly around the world in a Vickers Vulture, a seaplane, which was fitted with a Napier Lion Engine of 450 horsepower. Now this was a change of engines, for it was originally a Rolls Royce Eagle engine. We do not know why this was done.
One aeroplane flew off from Calshot, and one was sent, in case they needed a spare, to Tokyo by sea. This was a good thing, as the first craft had a hefty crash near present day Burma, in June. The spare was flown across and the attempt resumed. However that only made it to Siberia before coming down in fog. Then the attempt was abandoned, almost certainly because of the superstition which most airmen firmly believe, that being that if there are two crashes it is definite that there will be a third.
Now, you may have noticed that our card shows a Vickers Viking, not a Vulture. In actual fact, official documents show that our Vulture was originally planned to be called the Vickers Viking VI, but it was changed to the Vulture. There are many theories why but the most likely is that the new craft had a specially strengthened wing, and so was heavier - much as a vulture is heavier than most other birds.
The set is described in our original British Trade Index part II, with a twist, because it turns out there are two sets, not just one. That reads as follows :
MODERN BRITISH AIRCRAFT. Md. 60 x 49. Black drawings. Unnd.
A. First 35 subjects
B. Second 35 subjects, includes 25 as A.
Then there is a list of the cards, which I will try and scan some time, some where.
In our updated British Trade Index this wording is altered and becomes a little clearer. That reads :
MODERN BRITISH AIRCRAFT. 1948-51. 60 x 49. Black drawings. Unnd. Two printings. All cards state "Set of 35", but 10 cards were substituted in the later printing. See HB-56.
Themans & Co. [tobacco : UK - Manchester] "War Series" 32/50 - T245-625 : T26-3 : H.86
Our third Centenary card, and it shows Mr. Raymond Poincare, President of France. The reverse tells us that he was born in 1860, became Premier in 1912, and the following year the President of the French Republic. However in 1924, a hundred years ago today, he resigned after defeat.
It seems certain that though his fervent anti German feeling had served him well during the war, it led to his downfall. The general public may have been affected by the War, and badly, but they did not want to live it forever, they wanted to get back to normal, they missed their menfolk who had been killed, and at such times politicians always seem to bear the brunt of their anger. And in 1923 he had been particularly aggressive about making Germany repay their debts. So in the 1924 election, he, and his government, were voted out.
Though he did get another term as prime minister, later on.
Curiously this set seems to have two titles, the front saying "War Series" and the reverse "A Series of Fifty War Portraits". They are generally known as "War Portraits" though, and they are listed as that in our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, as:
WAR PORTRAITS. Sm. 67 x 35. Sepia. Nd. (50). See H.86
These cards were issued with "Sunspot", which we know were Virginia Cigarettes.
Now if you look at the bottom of the central cartouche it says "Forman Nottm". This appears to be the printer, Thomas Forman, who also produced work for John Player of Nottingham. Does anyone know any more about that?
Our Directory of British Issuers tells us that Themans & Co. were based in Deansgate, Manchester. And also that "Cards are known of series issued by Ogden`s rubber stamped on backs : "Themans & Co., 15 Oxford Street, St. Peter`s, Manchester". So is there anyone who is able to tell us more about these strange rubber-stamped cards? If so, many thanks in advance....
Brooke Bond Foods Ltd [trade : tea & coffee : Canada - Montreal] "North American Wildlife in Danger"/ "Notre Faune en Peril" - series 13 (1970) 19/48 - BRM-38
#ManateeAppreciationDay
Here we have the beautiful, peaceful, plant-eating manatee, just swimming along, minding its own business, in the warm coastal inlets of Florida. Unfortunately it is under threat, mostly from us, who have forced it into Florida from its former area that extended from North Carolina to Texas.
The artist here is only given a pseudonym, of "RIPPER", but he turns out to be Charles L. "Chuck" Ripper, who did several of these sets, including "The Arctic" and "Animals and their Young", and also designed artwork for books and postage stamps.
These cards are very similar to those which Brooke Bond issued in Great Britain, apart from the rounded edges. I am not sure why this was never tried here because it makes the cards look so much better. They are also true "trade" cards, given free with tea and coffee, in the brands "Red Rose" and "Blue Ribbon".
The albums cost 25 cents.
These cards, though issued in Canada, and North America, do appear in our original British Trade Index part III, as :
Series 13 North American Wildlife In Danger. Nd. (48). Issued 1970.
J. S. Fry & Sons [trade : chocolate : UK - Bristol & London] "Screen Stars" (1940) - FRY-360 : FRY-25
And off we go, once more, to the movies, to see a film starring this young man, Freddie Bartholomew, who was extraordinarily popular in the 1930s. And who is yet another of this week`s centenaries, having been born today in 1924.
He was born in North West London, and died in Florida, in 1992. There is some dispute as to where he was born, between Willesden and Harlesden, possibly because his parents seem to have given him to an aunt soon after he was born. She put him on the stage, in an attempt to occupy him and amuse him, and he loved it.
When he was just eleven he got the leading role in the film of Charles Dickens "David Copperfield" and had to move to America. His parents also reappeared and wanted him back, or wanted to be more involved in his career, which was going from strength to strength, for he was regularly only narrowly beaten in the popularity polls by Shirley Temple.
In the late 1930s there was a shock, when he asked for more money from his studio. He was instead suspended, and whilst that was going on he was also growing into a young man, unsuitable for the child roles that his audience wanted.
Shortly after that he went to war, and was injured. Though he recovered, his career did not, and he found enjoyment in the theatre instead, and then in television, as a director and producer.
Now if you look quickly at this card you may think it by Godfrey Phillips, but turn it over and it is by Fry. However they really are very similar and I wait to hear the truth behind the why. There is one major difference though, for the Phillips set calls our star Freddie, yet here he is as Freddy.
This card is the best I can make it, so I welcome a better one - also if you have the Godfrey Phillips version, a scan of this card as that would be rather fun. The difficulty I have is making the card light enough to look white without removing the fact that around the oval photo is embossing to make it look like a frame.
Anyway the set is described in our original British Trade Index part I as
SCREEN STARS. Sm. 68 x 35 Nd. (48). See RB.13/121
That, of course, is the reference book to Godfrey Phillips. And will have to be added tomorrow.
The same text appears in our updated British Trade Index but the abbreviation "Sm." is replaced by the date of issue.
Mitcham Foods [confectionery : UK] “Top Flight Stars” (1961) 23/25 – MIT-110 : TNT-1
And to close our newsletter, another centenary, though our man, John Surtees, is rather the red herring, it is the sport which is the celebration. You see today in 1924 saw the first "Motocross" event at Camberley in Surrey, the Southern Scott Scramble". And, thrillingly, the local club are going to celebrate its centenary too.
It was called a Scramble because it was not a race with rules, instead it was a race more akin to a point to point and the winner would be the rider who had the fastest time. This idea was thrilling, and soon spread to other clubs, but the name was a bit unwieldy. So someone hit on calling it Motorcycle Cross Country. And then this too was shortened, to Motocross.
Our man, John Surtees, was born in Surrey too, but about an hour`s drive from Camberley. He was born in February 1934 and his father was a motorcycle dealer. Not just that, but he raced them too - a story has John Surtees actually making his race debut as the ballast in his father`s sidecar, that which shifts from side to side to aid with cornering during the race - though they were disqualified when his true age was revealed. He did not let that deter him, and would win on two wheels and four - seven times World Champion on bikes, and Formula One Champion in 1964.
Now this card is curious, and I also owe thanks to another reader, Mr. Leander, for the scans. Having subsequently looked at several versions of this, and the others in the set, I can say it is a very good one indeed and definitely needs this spotlight to bring it to your notice. I will say though that the originals are very light, and Mr Leander has done a way better job than I would have done of what I can only call "zhushing" it up. Though the "W" of the final line of text seems to be blurred in all I have so far seen, to a greater degree, on some it is just a blob.
Now this issuer does not appear in our Directory of British Issuers, issued in 1946, nor our original World Tobacco Issues Index, issued in 1956, which I thought had to mean it must have either been founded, or started issuing cards, after that. However our latest version of the World Tobacco Issues Index, issued with the Millennium, does not feature it either. And so I will have to rely on your knowledge..... even the smallest scraps of which may serve to make the link.
Now this turned out to be a very odd tale indeed. Here we have cards that clearly state "A Series of 25 issued by the Makers of TOP FLIGHT CIGARETTES" but they were nowhere in any of the World Tobacco Issues Indexes. Anyway the solution to my confusion was sent in by several of our readers. First to reply was Mr. Prentice, who informed us that these "cigarettes" were not, they were, in fact, sweet cigarettes, and so the cards were listed in the British Trade Index. I remain baffled why the vital word "sweet" was nowhere to be seen. But I do wonder if perhaps the manufacturer hoped to corner the market with children who thought themselves too old and embarrassed to be seen buying sweet cigarettes, and had written in to ask if they could buy them under a more adult cover?
Back to Mr Prentice, and also Mr. Levitt, both of whom provided something else that is missing from the card, and that is the issuer`s name, that being T.P.K. Hannah. This was actually a man called Thomas P. K. Hannah, who was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1917 to a family who already ran a confectionery business, of some note, which was Hannah`s of Johnstone. When Thomas Hannah was in his early twenties, the Second War broke out and he enlisted in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, which dealt with buying, storing, and selling all manner of weaponry and other equipment. After the war he seems to have left the family business and started up on his own as just Tom Hannah, importing and selling confectionery. That company is still going strong. Outside of the business he was well known in the local area, serving on the Renfrewshire County Council, and also being a magistrate and Justice of the Peace. And he was awarded the Freedom of the Borough. He died in 1998.
So if you look in the original British Trade Index part II you will find these cards, listed under T for “Top Flight Cigarettes”. The whole entry reads :
T.P.K. Hannah, Sweet Cigarettes. Cards issued 1961.
TOP FLIGHT STARS. Sm. 65 x 34. Sporting Stars. Nd. (25).
In parts III and IV they appears in the main body, but only to redirect you back to part II. And they are listed both under T as “TOP FLIGHT Cigarettes – TNT in II” and under H as “T.P.K HANNAH – See TOP FLIGHT Cigarettes (Set TNT-1 in II)”
If you look at our updated British Trade Index, there is no mention of Hannah, but if you look at Top Flight, it rather surprisingly says : “TOP FLIGHT” Sweet Cigarettes – See MITCHAM”.
Now Mitcham was Mitcham Foods, and if you look at their entry you will find out that on one of the printings of their “Aircraft of Today” set, issued in 1956, the bottom of the reverse reads :
“A Series of 25 issued in Top Flight Sweet Cigarettes by MITCHAM FOODS Limited, Mitcham in Surrey, England.”.
Our set is described at the bottom of the Mitcham entry as :
TOP FLIGHT STARS. 65 x 34. Sport subjects. Nd. (25). Brand issue “Top Flight”
Now Mr. Prentice has hit a blank in his research regarding anything to do with this connection between Mitcham and Mr. Hannah, and he would very much like to know more. So if there is anyone who can help, perhaps a Mitcham researcher, do please get in touch with us at webmaster@card-world.co.uk
This week's Cards of the Day...
have been thinking about #WorldWaterDay, which took place on the 22nd of March.
It specifically relates to fresh water, which, in many countries, is a scarce commodity, both for drinking and for sanitation - and it asks how we can not only change the situation in those places, but, also closer to home, try to stop our own fresh waters from becoming contaminated by illegal releases of unwanted substances, or over used by certain industries, or even affected by the continual rise in temperatures caused by global warming.
As you turn on your tap today, think of the fact that if you lived elsewhere you may have no tap at all, that you may have to walk for many miles to a spring, and find it dried up, or contaminated. How would you then wash your clothes, cook your meals, and what would you drink, bearing in mind that most people left to their own devices in the wilderness will die of thirst and not starvation.
This year`s theme is "Leveraging Water for Peace", and that is especially pertinent in these times of wars and skirmishes, where one side controls the water source, and the other is blocked from accessing it. Sometimes it is the case that the site of the water has been destroyed by bombing, or that it is under continual fire. The use of water as a bargaining tool, sadly, is nothing new, for in ancient times water sources were often diverted, or even poisoned, in order that one side should to try to gain the advantage.
Saturday, 16th March 2024
Our clue here was the surname of this player E.F. Brook. For if you look in a dictionary you will find that a brook is described as "a natural freshwater stream". It is often referred as a "babbling brook", which is the reason why it is so fresh, for it continually moves along and is not allowed to go stagnant at the sides, then transfer that contaminate to the next stretch of the river when the water rises through rain and flooding.
The E and F stood for Eric Fred, and he was born in November 1907 in Yorkshire. He played for several teams, starting with Barnsley.
And he was a useful player who could adapt to any role, even, when required at short notice, as the goalie.
This set is actually two sets, or so our World Tobacco Issues Indexes reveal, describing the group as :
FAMOUS FOOTBALLERS, Sm. Nd.
A. Nos. 1/48 with caption panel on front 3 m/m deep (48).
B. Nos. 25/48, subjects redrawn, caption panel 4 m/m deep (24).
Sunday, 17th March 2024
Clue number two, and another surname, that of jockey W. Burn.
Now a burn is the same as a brook, but in the northerly areas of England and over the border into Scotland - though you will also find it used in parts of Australia and New Zealand, where people from those areas people settled, and also into parts of America that had Irish emigrants who took the word with them too. It actually comes from Anglo-Saxon, but as Brunnen, which means a well or a source of water. It was later anglicised to Bourne, and we can see it today in places like Eastbourne and Bournemouth.
Let me start by saying I am having very little luck tracking down this jockey, so if anyone can assist please do.
The only things I have found out so far are that he was a lightweight, and that in 1928 he relocated to England to ride for the Australian owner E. O`Sullivan. This was quite successful, and saw him first past the post nine times, not a single one of which I can find. However in the brown backed version of this set it says he rode in the colours of Mr. J. Turnbull.
But lets see what I come up with by Saturday! And these cards are easier to trace, luckily.
In our original, and now very scarce, Australasian Miscellaneous Booklet, RB.20, published in 1951, this set appears as :
8. AUSTRALIAN JOCKEYS - blue back (adopted title) Size 70 x 37 m/m. Fronts in colour, with captions at base in blue.(in style of card at 7.A). Blue "Standard" backs (type 1), with "O & A" at base, Issued about 1907. Unnumbered Series of 48.
Now there are a few things to note here. The reference to 7.A., which is a photo of several assorted fronts, means that the name is below the picture, not within it. As for "O & A" they were Osbaldstone, the printers. It is recorded that they changed over to "O & Co." in 1906, but that some of the sets had already been printed and were not issued until 1908.
In our original World Tobacco Issues Index the set is described along with the brown version, as :
AUSTRALIAN JOCKEYS (A). Sm. Unnd.
1. Back in blue. (48). See RB.20/8
2. Back in brown. See RB.20/9 and X20/9. "Standard" brand issues.
(i) Back with "O & A" at base. 52 known
(ii) Back with "O & Co." at base. 31 known
As you can see here, the brown-backed cards can be found with both the Osbaldstone brandings, which seems to point to some kind of a reprint having been made.
The updated version of our World Tobacco Issues Index has the two versions together again, as
AUSTRALIAN JOCKEYS (A). Sm. Unnd.
1. Back in blue. (48)
2. Back in brown. "Standard" brand issues, multi-backed (60)
A. Back with "O & A" at base (52 known) B. Back with "O & Co." at base (38 known)
Monday, 18th March 2024
This clue was a bit different, as the word was in the title of the card, New springs to locks".
A spring is thought to be the most natural and fresh of all water, hence its usage on several brands of bottled water. This is not always the case though, for the spring may be in an area trodden by cattle, or the surrounding ground contaminated by carelessly discarded sewage which can flow underground for some way without being seen. In fact even when it goes straight into a river it often takes a passing human to notify the authorities so that the problem can be investigated. However, yes, many of the bottled waters are very careful with their source waters, and guard them not just with people but with electronic measuring and surveillance.
The set first appears in our original Wills reference book, part IV, as :
HOUSEHOLD HINTS (1927-30). "Wills`s Cigarettes" at top of back in Home issue. Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Backs with descriptive text.
234. 59. "A Series of 50". Numbered 1-50. Issued 1927. Similar series issued by Player.
A. HOME ISSUE. Fronts with white borders. Backs with I.T.C. Clause.
NEW ZEALAND ISSUES. Fronts with gilt borders.
B. "Wills`s Cigarettes" at top back.
C. "Wills`" name at base of back only.
Our original World Tobacco Index describes them as
HOUSEHOLD HINTS. Sm. Nd.
1. "Wills` Cigarettes" at top of back. See W/234-5
(i) "A Series of 50"
(ii) "2nd Series of 50"
2. Album wording at top of back. (50) . See W/236.
A. Home issue - album clause with price "one penny each"
B. Irish Issue - album clause without price.
Tuesday, 19th March 2024
So here we have the most important source of fresh water of all, rain. For it falls without restriction, filling reservoirs, and streams, and it may also be collected in buckets for domestic use, even for drinking. We may moan to see it, but it could be the difference between life and death for many people and animals.
Now this code, and the information, comes from our reference book RB.30, The Australian and New Zealand Index, published in 1983. Its quite scarce now, and no longer in print.
That tells us that Shell issued cards in Australia and New Zealand from 1959. Between 1959 and 1965 there were nine sets, of which one was ours, and the numbers in all of them run one after the other until number 540, except that there was a bit of confusion along the way though as the “Citizenship” set started with number 1 all over again when it was supposed to be numbered 421 to 460.
Our set is catalogued under :
Project cards. 76 x 51. Three sets of 60. …. SR6-3
1. Titled “Citizenship Series”. Nd. 1/60.
2. Titled “Meteorology Series”. Nd. 261/420.
3. Titled “Transportation Series”. Nd. 241/300.
Wednesday, 20th March 2024
Flowing along there, today we have another source of fresh water, and that is a well. The well here is very famous, and still exists. However the basic thought behind a well is that the precious source of the water is covered by stones or by some structure that prevents it being contaminated by animals, or by persons. And this term has also passed into the language for towns and areas that were famed for such things - for example Tunbridge Wells in Kent, and Wells in Somerset.
Now because it looks like this is the first time one of these cards has been a "Card of the Day" this is going to be the landing page. That just means that whenever we use a different back in the newsletter it will link back to here where the main information about the set is stored.
Sadly we were never given a reference book to the cards of F. & J. Smith, though one was planned, to be shared with fellow Glaswegian Stephen Mitchell.
In case you did not know F. & J Smith were real people, brothers, called Finlay and John, and they started this company in 1858, to manufacture tobacco and snuff. That was in premises at London Street in Glasgow, and they remained there until 1883. Then they moved to 33, North Albion Street, a much larger site, and had new premises made especially for them, rising to six storeys, and including warehousing, which they had formerly rented elsewhere.
When they moved reference is suddenly made to a third person, John Dunn. but he is proving elusive. At that time they also are said to have employed two hundred people, many of them locals.
They would later add cigars to their stable, both home produced and imported from Cuba.
Between May and October of 1886 we know they exhibited at the International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art, in Edinburgh. This was opened on May 6th by Prince Albert. F. & J. Smith won a gold medal.
They amalgamated with Stephen Mitchell & Sons in 1932
Because we issued no reference book, this set appears first in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, where it lists the set and the backs as :
BATTLEFIELDS OF GREAT BRITAIN. Sm. Nd. (50) See Ha.475.
15 Backs.
Featured on :-
- A. "Albion" Gold Flake Cigarettes ........ newsletter - Thursday.14 Dec. 2023
- B. Auld Brig Flake ............................... newsletter - Sunday 21 July 2024
- C. Cut Golden Bar "Twilight" Brand ..... newsletter - Sunday 14 April, 2024
- D. Glasgow Mixture Cigarettes
- E. "Glasgow" Mixture Tobacco
- F. Goodwill Virginia
- G. "Kashan" Cigarettes
- H. No.1 Mixture ....................................newsletter - Monday 21 September 2024
- I. "Orchestra" Cigarettes
- J. "Pinewood" Cigarettes.....................newsletter - Wednesday 8 November 2023
- K. "Pinewood" Mixture
- L. "Squaw" Thick Black Tobacco .........showing here
- M. "Studio" Cigarettes
- N. Sun Cured Mixture
- O. Wild Geranium Cigarettes ..............12 October 2021
There was an error in the list I originally typed, which has been kindly corrected by Mr. Philip Lampshire, who pointed out that "Card back H. is listed as "No 1 Mature" but this should be "No 1 Mixture". He is right, of course, I typed it incorrectly.
Now if you look at that list of backs above, some of the names are in bold, blue type, and if you click them you will be whisked off to see that back on another page. Eventually all will do this but not yet. Some of them will be in newsletters, and you will know that because it will say "newsletter" before it gives you a date. Clicking will take you to the newsletter, then you will have to scroll down to that date.
The updated version of the World Tobacco Issues Index does vary, but only very slightly. Gone is the reference to Ha.475 whilst brand C. is reduced to "Cut Golden Bar". The rest is exactly as above.
And until we get to log them all in here do have a look at
http://cardemp.co.uk/smith-battlefieldsofgreatbritain.html
Thursday, 21st March 2024
Forgot this description, but here it is just in time for the newsletter. It refers to a spring, or a place where fresh water bubbles from the ground without any assistance from humanity.
However I have to say that there is something rather wrong about the thought that these springs are being used to fill swimming pools for holidaymakers and tourists to frolic in, rather than being diverted to local and indigenous people for them to drink or use in more sensible ways.
This was not the card I wanted but I ran out of time, Wednesday was another day at the vets with my four legged friend, and the vet thinks he is fading fast. Miracles can happen, surely. Though I also know that love cannot halt the passage of time. And love, just as equally, should never make a mate suffer one second longer than they should.
Anyway, this group of sets first appear in our British American Tobacco Company Booklet, RB.21, published in 1952. Inside the body of the book they fall under section XIII, “Special Groups and Other Multi-Area Series” and Group 5, which reads as follows:
Westminster Colonial Photographic Series.
This group consists of the nine series of photographic cards issued by Westminster. All are small cards, size 66x 35 m/m, with fronts glossy photoprints in black and white. Backs are in black, with descriptive text. Numbered.
Our set appears as
292. CANADA.
1. First Series of 36.|
A. Inscribed “Issued by the Successors…”
B. Without the above
The index, at the front of this book, adds that group A. were issued in the United Kingdom, and group B. in Malta.
Now there is something tantalising in our Directory of British Issuers, and that is that Westminster cigarettes were "made in Liverpool and issued by Ogden branch of I.T.C.". This was under an arrangement with B.A.T.
In our World Tobacco Issues Indexes the set is catalogued under the header of :
United Kingdom Issues. Inscribed “Issued by the Successors in the United Kingdom to the Westminster Tobacco Co. Ltd., London”. All black and white photos, small size 66 x 35 m/m. For anonymous issue, see Set ZJ5-1. Issued 1925-32
Of course that anonymous issue was Australia, which you can read about at :
The actual listing of our set is :
CANADA. Nd. See RB.21/292.A
1. “First Series of 36”
2. “Second Series of 36”
By the way, the order of issue of all these sets was as follows. This may change if we can discover a month of issue – or if anyone knows one :
|
1st Series |
2nd Series |
Indian Empire |
1925 |
1926 |
Canada |
1926 |
1928 |
South Africa |
1928 |
1928 |
New Zealand |
1928 |
1929 |
Australia |
1932 |
unissued |
Friday, 22nd March 2024
So to close out our week, let us meander off gently downstream, our toes in fresh water, heading towards who knows where, or what. or who ......
And it also seems fitting that there is the name of another body of fresh water, a "stream", in the title of this set. For a stream is described as being a small and narrow river. However there is something else about it too, but that is only discussed about when we talk of a stream of air, because it also means that the stream is in continual motion. And that takes us back to our babbling brook, a whole week ago.
This card also tells us of a success story, for "after 140 years the first salmon began to return to the Thames in 1974".
This set only appears in our original British Trade Index part IV, where it is described as :
1990-1 A Journey Downstream. Nd. (25)*
The * signifies that the set was also issued as what is known as a "joined pair", a larger card on which are printed two of the cards. The idea was that the collector cut them out by hand, but reputedly the new machinery at the factory could not handle the smaller sized standard cards, and this the solution that was found.
And so I must close. Not that I will sleep, but I have a bit of motor racing to listen to online, and I have my radio for slightly later on.
Thank you for popping in, whomsoever you are.
I do wish that there was some kind of counter, and then you too would know that you were not the lone reader in the darkness. Though I know full well that there are others out there, tuning in to connect, and I am frequently, wonderfully, contacted by readers who prove their existence, either with the offer of assistance, scans, or information. And this is much appreciated. Not all of them ask to be named, in fact some ask me not to. But I thank them all now, once again
See you next week, perhaps still sitting here, or maybe not.....