Friday night, all over again - and can it be that this newsletter will be finished, and with all the card codes in place, when it loads at midnight? If so, that is a rare occurrence, recently, anyway. And I have had even less time than normal - plus I currently have a splinter embedded in my finger which has made it swell up and makes bending it painful. I went to the doctor, the instructions are to soften the skin for ten minutes in warm water morning and evening, then return in a week if it is no better. I am not sure where I got the splinter but I suspect it was trying to get nipper out from under a particularly thorny shrub.
Anyway, nothing thorny in our newsletter, other than that. This week we bring you three Centenary Cards, and chat of discoveries (banned), records (broken), countries (changed), vision (coloured), brothers (opposed), balls (bowled), and water (maybe).
Lets start with ...
Peter, Cailler, Kohler, & Nestlé [trade : confectionery : O/S : Switzerland] "Inventeurs" / "Inventors" - series 9, stamp 2
Today, June 22nd, 1633, the great scientist and astronomer Galileo Galilei faced a difficult choice. He could stand firm and insist that he had indeed been saying that the Sun was the centre of the Universe and the Earth merely circled around it - and face torture - or give in and say his research and discoveries were just fabrication, and deception.
With his wonderful telescope, he had looked on the moons of Jupiter, and seen Venus changing her shape. He had not discovered that the Sun was the central hub of the Universe, Nicolaus Copernicus had done that, but he had agreed with the theory, and that, to the Catholic Church, was heresy. He went to trial, and was found suspect, rather than guilty - yet still he was banned from ever expressing those views again, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Somehow, though, a little bit of kindness was found, and the sentence commuted to house arrest, perhaps his age (sixty-nine), or his frailty, and almost blindness, though he lived for another eight years. However his sentence lived much longer - he was only officially pardoned, and posthumously apologised to, in 1992. And at the same time, his works were at last removed from the list of banned books.
I wondered if his cartophilic portraits fell foul of this and mentioned those illegal heliocentric views ? According to the Trading Card Database/Galileo, he appears on 113 cards. I have not time to work through those but I have checked a few and the results are interesting.
Godfrey Phillips` "Famous Minors" (1936 - 47/50) is certainly a well thought out text, including the pendulum, the human pulse, the telescope, the thermometer (which you can also see on our card). It also says that he "gave his sight for his work" - but not a word of the heresy.
Likewise, A & M Wix`s "This Age of Power and Wonder" (1935 - 234/250) adds another invention, the hydrostatic balance, but again though the telescope and the movement of Jupiter` satellites are there, nothing about the position of the Earth and the Sun.
However, Ogden`s, and John Player`s "Leaders of Men" (1924 and 1925 respectively - 18/50) adds that he developed the proportional compass, at about the same time as the thermometer. It also dips a toe into the muddy waters, by closing with "his unorthodox teaching brought him trouble with the Church of Rome".
It is only on Topps "Look and See" (1952 - 127/135) that it so far actually says "He insisted that the planets revolved around the sun, and ... by saying this ... he was almost put to death".
I will look at the rest later! And be interested if you can add any more.
Now this is another of those great little paper thin cards that I have featured a fair bit lately. This one is an early one, because there is no letter in the centre of the bottom border. It is also interesting because there is a bit of set-off on the reverse, see at the top and bottom of the back where you can read some of the wording from the front, backwards. This is because the cards were put in a pile whilst the ink was not quite dry, and so some of it was infused into the back of the one above the wet one.
This set seems to be quite a scarce one but we can list all the cards -
- Gutenberg - printing
- Galileo - astronomy
- Montgolfier Brothers - balloon
- Volta - electric battery
- Niepce - photography
- Fulton - steamship
- Stephenson - locomotive
- Pasteur - vaccine de la rage
- Edison - phonograph
- Lumiere Bros - cinematography
- Clément Ader - aeroplanes and cars.
- Branly - telegraphy by wire
I also know that a set of very similar "Inventeurs" was issued by Caillers alone, and that Mr. Volta is also number four. They are very similar but have the set title at the top and "Cailler`s Chocolats Fins" in the cartouche within the picture.
Likewise, we feature in our newsletter for 17th of August 2024 another version of the set, with "Nestle`s Chocolats au Lait" in the cartouche and the series title at the top. This is serie V. So it does look like the same artwork was circulated for use amongst all the partners.
Cadet Sweets [trade : confectionery : UK - Slough] "Record Holders of the World" (1956) 14/50 - CAD-650 : CAF-14
This was a hard day to find anything on, and when I did there were no cards.
Perseverance led me aboard the S.S. United States, which is actually the first of our Centenary Cards - though you may not realise from the text which only says "...in July, 1952, this 53,329 ton liner won the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic Crossing ... 3 days, 10 hours, 40 min ... 999 1/2 miles".
The Blue Riband is for average speed, and she still holds it.
However, not on the card, she also holds other records - for she is the largest liner to be built entirely in America, and still the fastest liner to cross the Atlantic in either direction. She was built strong, with added safety features, for there was a possibility that she might have been needed for military purposes, as support, or for ferrying troops. Instead of that, she became the vessel of choice for celebrities and film stars.
Then, in the 1960s and 70s, her glory started to fade. Aircraft were now the way to travel, just think of the phrase "joining the jet set". The owners took her out of service and she was sold, many times, finally to an owner who sold her interior as parts and let her rot. Currently she is in Philadelphia, with an owner whose intention is to turn her into a hotel and museum. But the lease on the dock runs out later this year.
A sad end for a beautiful lady.
According to the Trading Card Database/S.S.UnitedStates she is only on four cards - but ours is not there. Also missing from the list is her appearance on Reddings Tea`s "Ships of the World" (1963 - 38/48) and Wills `Embassy` branded "World of Speed" (1981 - 31/36)
As for our card, well as the Blue Riband is mentioned on the card it kind of rules out British Trade Index I - which lists cards up to 1945. It is in British Trade Index II though, as :
RECORD HOLDERS OF THE WORLD. Sm. 65 x 34. Nd. (50) ... CAF-14.
There is no "D" code, so this fascinating set was only issued in this one version by Cadet Sweets.
The text remains the same in our updated version, but adds the date, 1956, instead of the abbreviation "Sm." And there is a new card code CAD-650.
The curious thing, though, is that there is another set of "Record Holders of the World", all sports related, and on the back of those cards they are actually called "1st series, Nos. 1 - 25". They are also credited to "C.S. Limited, Slough England", which is Cadet Sweets by another title. They are listed at the Trading Card Database/CSR1 and also dated for 1956. These seem not to appear in our reference books though. So any information on this will be most welcome.
Select Australia [trade/commercial : cards : O/S - Australia] "1908-2008 Centenary of Rugby League" - base set (2008) 43/199
Our second Centenary Card of the week celebrates Brian Earl Bevan, the Australian Rugby star, born today, in Sydney, in 1924. Or was he, because there are other dates on several sites? Some of the confusion turns out to be because there was a footballer of the same name, born on March 20th 1937. However even wikipedia quotes January 24th.
Now despite this, he only played a few games in Australia - mostly for the local team "Easts", which is based in Rose Bay, Sydney. Though he did return home to Australia, later, to take part in tributes and testimonials
The reason for this was the Second World War, which curtailed his career and sent him into the Royal Australian Navy. He landed in England on H.M.A.S. Australia, and started playing rugby. He tried out for several teams, unsuccessfully, and was then given a chance by Warrington, who were also understanding that he had to go home and complete his span of Naval Service before he could actually join the team. His first season was therefore 1946-47.
You can read more about his career at the NRL Hall of Fame/Brian Bevan
He died in 1991, but in February 2008, he was named on a list of Australia's "Hundred Greatest Players" which was commissioned for the centenary year. This is the reason, obviously, for these cards.
This set follows the modern practise of a base set - of 199 cards - and specials, these being Past Heroes, Immortals, Team of the Century. Then there are super specials, Immortals Sketches, Team of the Century Foils - and extra specials, these being autographed cards.
These cards and the permutations form the bulk of the cards listed at the Trading Card Database/BrianBevan.
He also appears on a 41p British postal stamp, which you can see at allnumis.com/BB41
Primrose Confectionery Co. Ltd [trade : confectionery : UK - Slough] "The Flintstones" (1963) 40/50 - PRI-200 : PRI-6.B.a
Well I discovered, thankfully, that today is Colour TV Day, just not why. I also found out that it is always on this day, every year. And then, just in the nick of time, I trawled through a hugely encyclopaedic wikipedia page on colour tv and found that this date, in 1951, was when CBS started their colour broadcasts - though RCA had actually got their system going first, and taken the governing bodies to court over theirs not being given the honours, as it were
As to why we have the Flintstones, well this started as a black and white show, but moved to a colour one pretty much as soon as colour was available. They did have an advantage though, because all their shows had been done in colour, even the first two series, but those had been forced to screen in black and white because there was no way of showing them in colour.
The series, based on a prehistoric family, two couples with children, though the Rubble`s son was actually adopted, and their pets, a dinosaur and a sabre-toothed tiger. It was amazingly popular, and no cartoon could touch it in the ratings, it was only beaten by the arrival of the Simpsons, in 1989.
This is a set with several permutations. It first appears in our British Trade Index Part II as :
THE FLINTSTONES. Sm. 64 x 33. Nd. (50). ... PRI-6
A. Back headed "A Series of 50 - Primrose - Card No. ... (Series F.1)" Penultimate line ending (a) "MC 1962" (b) "INC 1962"
B. Back headed "The Flintstones - A Series of 50".
This is amended in our British Trade Index III, to read :
PRI-6B (The Flintstones - A Series of 50). This printing has back with 8th line of text commencing (a) "Be sure to send..." (b) "For a Super Picture Card Album..." Probably vari-backed.
By the time of our updated British Trade Index, it has changed again, and I must say I am rather confused, which is why there is only a basic code for this above. The text reads :
THE FLINTSTONES. 1963. 64 x 33. Nd. (50). Backs known with 8th line of text starting (a) "Be sure to send..." (b) "For a Super Picture...". Headed 1. `A Series of 50 - Primrose - Card No... (Series F.1). Penultimate line ending (a) "MC 1962" (b) "INC 1962" 2. "The Flintstones - A Series of 50."
Sporting News [trade/commercial : publishing : O/S - USA] "Conlon Collection" (1992) 355/500.
Our third Centenary Card and it marks the only time that a pitcher and batter were both brothers, but on opposing teams. These were the Barnes brothers, the younger man, Virgil (for the New York Giants) facing off against Jesse (for the Boston Braves), at the Polo Grounds on June 26, 1924.
Jesse Lawrence Barnes was born on August 26th 1892 and died on September 9th, 1961. He was always a pitcher, but he started out with the Boston Braves, in 1914, and then went to the New York Giants in 1918. In 1919, he was the top name in the National League, wins wise, and pitched out the fastest nine-inning game ever, which stood him in grand stead for the the 1921 World Series. However in 1922 he pitched a no hitter - and this is what is being celebrated on our card. You may think this sounds like a bad thing, but it is very good, it means that none of the balls you threw at the opposing team resulted in them getting a run off them, so their progress around the diamond shaped playing surface was only made possible by them walking, being granted an error, or having some part of their anatomy struck by the ball.
In 1923, Jesse Barnes returned to his original team, but moved to the Brooklyn Robins in 1926. You would have to be a huge baseball fan to know straight up who the Robins were, briefly they started out as the Brooklyn Dodgers in New York, and had several short term names, the Robind coming from from their manager Wilbert Robinson (1914-1931) but they are now the Los Angeles Dodgers, having packed up and headed to California in 1957.
Oddly the New York Giants also moved at about the same time, changing their name to the San Francisco Giants. Now before you get confused, there is still a New York Giants, who started in August 1925, but they play American Football.
Virgil Jennings Barnes was born on March 5th 1897 and he died on July 24th, 1958. He played for the New York Giants from 1919, joining his brother, and in 1928 was traded, in the middle of the season, not sure why, and moved to the Boston Braves. He seems to have fallen through the cracks a bit, and it is hard to find out much about him. I originally could not even find a card of Virgil, but I have now found out that his only appearances were contemporary, strip cards, the cheaper end of the market, often given away in dime stores, or at fairs. You can see them at the Trading Card Database/VirgilBarnes. First up is the one I would really like to feature here, if anyone has one they would scan for us - because it actually shows the two brothers together . This was issued in 1923, and is in the series coded as W515-2. It is in horizontal format and the caption, to the left says "31.THE BARNES BROS. Pitchers. N.Y. Giants, N.L." This card therefore dates from the years that the brothers were both in the New York Giants - from 1919 to 1923.
On the other hand, Jesse Barnes appears on thirty cards, which you can see at the Trading Card Database/JesseBarnes. His name is sometimes mis-spelt to Jess, and in the earliest, plain back ones it is often hard to see his likeness. The last contemporary card of his was issued in 1926, but because of his link to the World Series he has appeared on more recent cards too, including reprints of earlier cards, so do, please, be careful when buying.
News Chronicle [trade : newspapers : UK] "Cricketers - England vs South Africa" (1955) Un/12 - NEW-290 : NFK-1
And our third Centenary Card is Robert "Bob" Appleyard, born today in 1924 in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
What few people know is that cricket saved his life, for when he was a young cricketer he was hospitalised with tuberculosis. He was there almost a year, and needed to learn many of the motor skills that this dreadful disease had destroyed, he also had lung surgery, and part of it was too badly scarred to retain. However his fingers were less affected than in a lot of other cases, because someone had done a very simple thing, they had brought him in a cricket ball, and told him to keep squeezing and holding it. This was not only a link to his great love, and a talisman that one day he would spin the ball again on a field, but it kept his fingers moving and supple, and the fact that it was a hard ball gave him strength.
He did indeed return, becoming one of the best bowlers of his decade, the 1950s - and encouraging, always, of younger players, showing them how they could improve their game. Who knows how great he could have been if not for injuring his knee in 1955. He played again - and in the Test matches, but his knee was weak and his bowling skills affected. In 1958, he was dropped from his beloved Yorkshire team.
He could have declined after that, but he founded a school for young cricketers in his home town of Bradford, and became allied to a fund set up for the same purpose, children`s cricket, by a fellow cricketer, Sir Leonard Hutton. He wrote a book, giving all the proceeds to the same scheme. And he also started several businesses, which had it as a beneficiary.
According to the Trading Card Database/BobAppleyard he appears on just eight cards, most of which were issued during his playing career. He would have approved that the majority of these were designed for children, and given away with either sweets or boy`s magazines.
This card was one of many similar cards and sets issued through either the News Chronicle, Daily Dispatch, or just Dispatch newspapers. They are all black halftone studies of sportsmen, in medium size, which varies slightly but is around 82-86 x 58-61 m/m.
This set is listed in our British Trade Index part II as :
CRICKETERS. (A). Back "England v S. Africa - 1955" (12) ... NFK-1
Then there is a list of the twelve, because they are unnumbered.
In our updated British Trade Index the same information as above appears, in a slightly different order and without the list, which has been removed to the handbook, under HN-36. New code though.
Chocolat Meurisse [trade : chocolate : O/S - Belgium - Antwerp] "Les Phenomenes Naturels" (1920s) Series 94 No.
This is here because today in 1911 the first traces of what may be water on Mars were discovered in a meteorite. These fell in Egypt, near a place called El Nakhla. However the "water" was ancient, approximately 633 million years earlier.
The suspicion was that these meteorites were hit by an asteroid and they were blasted into a crater formation, at which point the heavy impact melted the ice that lay hidden beneath the Martian landscape. That led to all kinds of fantasies about there being water, and life on Mars.
Some of these are debunked officially and even abandoned by true believers. However others are more plausible, enough so to still be under investigation. Just a week ago, one of these researchers discovered that inside some of the volcanoes on Mars there were signs of water frosts.
The most interesting fact though is the more recent discovery, that the rocks were not ejected from the crater at that time, only during a second impact some time later.
This set deals with natural phenomenon - and here is a list of all the cards in the set, translated in to English :
- 1. Rainbow
- 2. Brocken Spectre
- 3. Volcano
- 4. St Elmo`s Fire
- 5. Mirages
- 6. Shifting Sands
- 7. Polar Aurora
- 8. Meteorite
- 9. Alpine Storms
- 10. Forked Lightning
- 11. The Will O` The Wisp
- 12. Geyser
Told you I had a bit more time this week!
This week's Cards of the Day...
took us to Royal Ascot, and to a racecourse that has been operational for over three centuries, the first race taking place in August 1711. At that time it was not Royal Ascot at all, the Royal part came later - even though, strangely, it was a Royal who had the idea of it in the first place and discovered the site.
I have really enjoyed this week, it has been great fun looking through horse reference books and searching for traces online. And I hope that you enjoyed it too.
Anyway our clue cards this week were :
Saturday, 15th June 2024
The clue here was a bit obscure, but Mr. Redknapp is not only interested in football, he also owns racehorses, and in the last five seasons they have won eight of their events. His best horse so far is Moktasaab, born in 2018, who has a winning total of almost £100,000 - and six of those wins.
He openly admits to have been interested in both sports for as long as he can remember, but he first bought a horse whilst he was managing the team on this card, Bournemouth FC. And after retiring from football he was able to devote all his time to the racing.
You may think it unusual for an American company to feature English football, and also to call it football rather than soccer. However Pro Set were keen on expanding their boundaries, and in the same year this set was issued they also offered another set of football cards, with the text in Spanish.
Most of their cards were sports, either American Football or Hockey, but they also commemorated Desert Storm, The Guinness World of Records, NASCAR, films, and music. We featured one of their music sets last Friday.
This set is unusual because the last section, cards 94 to 99, shows referees. There are not many cards of referees that I know, only Gallaher`s "Sporting Personalities" 19/48, which shows Mr. J. Howcroft - and I only know that because behind him are the very tops of the now demolished twin towers of the original Wembley Stadium.
The final card in this set shows the England team, and it is often overlooked because collectors think the set is only football fixtures.
Sunday, 16th June 2024
The clue here was Queen Anne, who was the royal who stumbled on the site of a perfect racecourse whilst out riding.
And it is in her honour that the first main race, The Queen Anne Stakes, is run. This event was first held in 1840, and was for horses of at least three years old. It was not until 1930 that it was renamed The Queen Anne Stakes.
The race is run over a mile, and is flat, in other words no jumps or obstacles to tackle, just speed. Since 2003 the horses competing must be aged at least four years old.
Now this set is first listed in our original British Trade Index, titled as "up to 1945" but later known as part I. It is the only set listed under this issuer, and the text reads :
MAZAWATTEE
Tea, cocoa, chocolates. Cards issued 1902-10.
KINGS AND QUEENS (A) Lg. 89 x 64. Issued as card game. Unnd. (39). One card with rules and 38 as listed. ... MDB-1
I will try to scan that in by Saturday as it is done in four columns of ten, and will take up way more space if type it line by line.
Now in the British Trade Index part III there is a correction because this reveals that the "name of firm is "The Mazawattee Tea Company, 49 & 51, Eastcheap, London"
In our updated British Trade Index the set is listed as :
KINGS AND QUEENS (A). 1902. 89 x 64. Issued as a card game. Unnd. (39) One `rules` card, and 38, see HM-37. Backs in a) blue b) blue-green ... MAZ-070
I am not sure I would be able to tell blue from blue-green, unless someone can give me some pointers.
Monday, 17th June 2024
Now the clue here was very elusive, and slightly out of focus, though I did my best. It is one of the words beneath the bottom frameline, and it is Anticipation.
Why Anticipation? Well, because that was the name of the first horse to win the Gold Cup at Ascot twice, in 1816 and 1819. The 1816 race saw him ridden by Sam Chifney junior for owner Mr Thomas Thornhill - and his odds were 10/1. By 1819, though he had the same jockey, he had been acquired by a Mr Goddard, and was the favourite to win.
Now Coats, along with Clarks, were the two main firms making sewing thread in the Paisley area of Scotland, and they started in the 1750s.
We know this card was issued after 1890 though, because it starts by saying "J. & P. Coats`" and that name was only used after Coats and Clarks had merged.
This is an advertising card, but it is leaning towards becoming a trade card, because it carries a number, 2, and is one of a series - the idea being that when you had this card, you would be lured to buy more thread than you needed to collect the rest. This is a particularly appealing card, of the rosy cheeked baby, and it would have definitely appealed to its target market, young ladies, perhaps seamstresses dreaming of a time when they would have a child just like that, and find a man too.
I am not sure of the rest of the cards in this set - "Anticipation" is one of the words used by Fry`s in their five boys series, to which the rest are "Desperation", "Pacification", "Anticipation", "Acclamation" and "Realization - its Fry`s". Not sure how these could be applied to sewing thread, but these cards are pretty distinctive so if you know of, or own any of, the others, do let us know.
Tuesday, 18th June 2024
This is one of the highlights for many visitors to Royal Ascot, the King and Queen in a carriage, coming along the racetrack before the races begin. It seems certain, given the date of issue, that this carriage contains the King, George VI, and his Queen, Elizabeth, who would later become the Queen Mother. However it does not actually tell you this. Though it does start by saying "We are indebted to Queen Anne for four magnificent days on the Royal Heath every year".
Now I have just found out that have picked my theme most unwisely this week, because next year will actually be the two hundredth anniversary of the first ever one of these Royal carriage processions, that was in 1825, with King George IV.
The procession actually starts at Windsor Castle, when the monarch and their guests climb into their cars. They disembark and get in their horse drawn carriages inside Windsor Great Park and then head to the racecourse, aiming to arrive at 2 pm. Then they parade up the royal mile (the racetrack), past the Silver Ring, the Grandstand, the Royal Enclosure, and then go around the Parade Ring for good measure. And they do this every day of the meeting.
This set actually first appears as a New Issues Report, by Mr. C. L. Porter, in the London Cigarette Card Company`s "Cigarette Card News", Volume 5 number 56, dated June 1938. That text reads :
GALLAHER, LTD. - "Racing Scenes". Forty-eight small cards (Gallaher size). This is also an unusual issue, for, instead of being confined to pictures of famous jockeys, horses, or owners, as in the usual racing set, features of the race course are included, which as far as I know have never appeared on cards before. Commencing with Ascot Race-Course, tic-tac men, tipsters, gipsies, [sic. the actual card is entitled "Gypsies"], training methods, National Hunt racing, starting and the starter, different aspects of actual racing, the totalisator and other matters of interest to the racing enthusiast are touched on, and a few portraits of owners, jockeys and trainers are included, the final card being of "Golden Miller" the famous steeplechaser
Golden Miller, by the way, was the only horse ever to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year, that was in 1934. He remains the most successful Cheltenham Gold Cup winner too, over five years without a break, 1932-1936. That card, No.48, also adds that "In 1934 he won the Grand National in the record time of 9 minutes 20 2/5 seconds, carrying the top weight of 12 stones 2lbs."
You can also find him on card 14 of Ogdens "Prominent Racehorses of 1933" (1934) - and as an actual photograph on card 136 of Ardath`s "Photocards" (1936 - Group Z), where the jockey is quoted as being W. Stott. Now William "Billy" Stott only seems to have ridden Golden Miller once, in his second Gold Cup victory. He was also due to ride him in the Grand National but that never happened. And shortly after that he had an almost fatal car crash, and though he did ride again, he died of a heart attack in 1936.
By the way, Golden Miller lived until 1957.
The first actual cataloguing of this set was done in our Gallaher Reference Book, RB.4, issued in 1944. This is still before the sets were given identification numbers, by the way. The text reads :
1938. 48. RACING SCENES (titled series). Size 2 1/2" x 1 7/14".Numbered 1-48.Fronts printed in full colour by offset-litho, black frame lines, white margins and subjects titled. Backs printed in purple-brown with descriptions and "Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Virginia House, London & Belfast in block letters. Printed by E. S. & A. Robinson Ltd., Bristol.
Our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, however, simply record the set as :
RACING SCENES. Sm. Nd. (48)
Wednesday, 19th June 2024
Once the carriage has completed its circuit, it heads for the Royal Box, the interior of which is shown on this card.
This also tells us who is shown, unlike the Gallaher card we featured yesterday – from right to left being the Duchess of York (the future Queen Consort, and Queen Mother), her mother in law Queen Mary, King George V, and his son, the Duke of York (the future King George VI). I am not sure who the man is at the far left, perhaps the Steward of the Royal Box, or a trainer. Maybe someone knows and can give him back his name?
The card also tells us that “His Majesty has not been a very frequent visitor to other racecourses in the past, but was present at this year's Grand National, with the Queen, and celebrated the opening of his reign by winning his first flat race under Jockey Club rules with the Colt Jubilee in the Molyneux Stakes.”
At the bottom of the card it also tells us that this set was issued for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. And I know we have used it before, but karma may have seen to it that I used the non overseas version then, and if not, well there are more cards of William the Conqueror than the Royal Box at Ascot !
This is one of those odd sets where it is made up of differently sized cards. There are also two printings listed in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as follows :
THE PAGEANT OF KINGSHIP. Sm. 67 x 39 (90) and Lg. 76 x 56 (60). Nd.
A) Inscribed “Issued by Peter Jackson”
B) Inscribed “Issued by Peter Jackson (Overseas) Ltd.
This information is repeated in the updated version but there has been a discovery, and item B now reads “on board or thin paper.” However I found this thickness difference in the London Cigarette Card Company catalogue for 1955, so maybe I missed it in the original Tobacco Issues World Index? At that time the paper version was being sold at 3d a card and the thicker board version at 1/6d each.
There is also a curious item that accompanies this set. This is a circular card, with a gold border, and on the front it shows a book with a white cover and the words "The Pageant of Kingship". Flanking this are two paragraphs, "You can obtain this book free" and "for full details see overleaf". On the other side it describes the book and then at the bottom it says "This beautiful souvenir of the Coronation can be obtained FREE i exchange for five of these slips from John LIttle & Co. Ltd. Singapore". But I have been told that there are other addresses? Is that so and if so, please let us know what they are.
Thursday, 20th June 2024
Stephen Donoghue was born in Warrington, Lancashire, to a non-racing family. He reportedly won a donkey derby and decided to become a jockey, so left home aged just twelve. His first yard was troublesome, but he kept going, moving to Ireland and France.
Back home, in England in 1911, he started picking up the prizes.
And why he is here is that he won the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot for six years in a row with Brown Jack.
Now Brown Jack is a very uninspiring name for a super horse in every way. You can see him on Ogden's "Prominent Racehorses of 1933" as card number 2, and on Player`s "Irish Bred Horses" as card 7.. He was a thoroughbred, equally at home on the flat and over the hurdles, and he came into his own over the longer races, which is why he did so well at the Queen Alexandra Stakes, for they were the longest race in the flat racing calendar. He won those between 1929 and 1934, continuously. He had also won the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle in 1928.
And he has a statue in his honour at Ascot Racecourse.
This set is catalogued in our World Tobacco Issues Indexes as
RACING SCENES. (A). Sm. 68 x 37.
1. Nos. 1/25 – Racing Colours.
2. Nos. 26/50 – Horses, Jockeys, etc.
But there is a far more interesting story here, and we will deal with that tomorrow...
Friday, 21st June 2024
And now the fun begins.
For though this set is called “Racing Scenes” it is only by usage - this title is not on the cards. And there is a strong case that it was intended to be two separate sets, with different names. There is certainly no denying that the cards are split equally into two types, twenty five of the racing colours and twenty five being mixed racing scenes.
This is backed up by our original reference book RB.5. a third of which is devoted to the issues of E. & W. Anstie Ltd. In here, these cards are split, and the date is also different, the first group coming in 1922 and the second in 1923. The complete text for these sets is :
1922. 25. RACING COLOURS (untitled series). Size 2 11/16” x 1 7/16”. Numbered 1-25. Fronts, lithographed in full colours, titled,: no margins. Backs, printed in grey-black : no descriptions, the word “Downland” appears above explanatory matter. Please refer to “Famous Horses, Jockeys and Race Courses” for numbers 26-50.”
1923. 25. FAMOUS HORSES, JOCKEYS, AND RACE COURSES (untitled series). Size 2 11/16” x 1 7/16”. Numbered 26-50. (For the first 25 cards please refer to”Racing Colours”.) Fronts lithographed in full colours, and titled,: no margins. Backs, printed in grey-black : with descriptions, the word “Downland” appears below the description”
Now someone much more numerate than I has given the first part the reference number of AN-20, and the second part AN-4, by counting the set titles as they appear in that section.
And, as we found out yesterday, this set is also shown in two parts in our World Tobacco Issues Indexes, albeit grouped together under one name, with the text reading :
RACING SCENES. (A). Sm. 68 x 37.
1. Nos. 1/25 – Racing Colours.
2. Nos. 26/50 – Horses, Jockeys, etc.
And so I must depart, to listen to the motor racing on the chromebook whilst nipper slumbers beside me. There are a couple of scans of set listings to add, but that is pretty much all folks, which, as I said at the start, is jolly rare these last few weeks.
In case you did not notice there was something else unusual about this week`s newsletter. For it was entirely composed using trade cards, not tobacco. Some collectors still consider trade cards a minor version of tobacco cards - but I hope that I have demonstrated that they are every bit as interesting, informative, and colourful, and how large a range of subjects it is possible to find upon them.
Thanks for popping by and have a great week. ..... wherever you are.