Newsletter - 2024-12-28

Anonymous - British American Tobacco [tobacco : O/S] "Types of North American Indians" (1930) 9/20 - ZB07-825 : ZB6-75 : RB/21-477

So we start this week with Iowa, which today, in 1846, became the twenty-ninth State of the Union. In fact it has been in many hands, for the area was discovered in 1682 by French explorer Rene-Robert Cavalier, who called it "La Louisiane" in honour of his King Louis XIV. Then, some time later, it was acquired by Spain, and became Spanish Louisiana, though they were extraordinarily slow to do anything with it, possibly because they realised the French would not take kindly to their rules. In the end they sold it back to France. A short while after this, the French sold it to America, in 1803, as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

At that time it was not called Iowa, it was just part of Wisconsin, but in June 1838 the area was re-organized and it became Iowa Territory - a strange shaped area which even included some of North and South Dakota and even a lump of Minnesota at the top, as well as mighty rivers, the Mississippi and the Big Sioux. By the time it was admitted to the Union it was pretty much reduced to the shape we know now, with those two rivers forming two of the borders to other states. This has, however, altered, because the rivers have occasionally changed their course due to erosion and flooding. 

However, before all of this it was already inhabited, by Native Americans, and by many tribes. The first of these were the Ho-Chunk, Missouri, Otoes, and Ioway tribes.They seem not to have intermingled, or even met; the Ioway being at the top of the area, the Otoe being in the middle, just above the Missouri, and the Ho-Chunk being pretty much confined to what became modern Wisconsin. They were joined by other tribes, which seem to have been Native Americans from other parts of America, and again there is no record of whether these met or interacted. However we know that in later years Native Americans were seen by European explorers, especially the Dakota Tribes, which seem to have been fascinated by these parties, and followed them for many miles. 

There are still tribes in Iowa, but their liberty is much reduced and their way of life forever altered. Three of these are descendants of the early tribes - the Winnebago, which was formerly the Ho-Chunk - the Ponca, which came in the second wave - and the Omaha, who split from the Ponca in the eighteenth century. The fourth one is more modern, they are the Sac and Fox, formerly the Meskwaki (or at least the Fox bit was), and who arrived in Iowa in the nineteenth century.

Our card shows a brave, but un-named warrior of the Iowa or Ioway Nation. I have not been able to find him in any engraving or on another card, but will keep looking. You will also find another Ioway warrior, named as Deer Ham, amidst Allen & Ginter`s "Celebrated American Indian Chiefs" (issued in 1888), 

The word "Ioway" means “People of the Grey Snow" and it is a very sad story - for one summer the warriors went out from their village, perhaps in urgent need of food, and when they came back their village was different, just like it was covered in grey snow. As they neared, they realised that it was not snow, but ash, and that their homes had been set on fire.

Instead of staying put and rebuilding, they warriors moved on, frequently, perhaps fearful of another burning. In later years, with the start of the European invasions, and the many treaties, they were forced to give up their lands and move into a reservation right beside the Nemaha River in Nebraska, then they were split up randomly and some relocated to Oklahoma. Then the Europeans even stole their name, and used it, for their land. 

This set is quite scarce, and not much about it seems known. And, curiously, another anonymous set, of fifty cards, titled "Indian Chiefs" was also issued by British American Tobacco, in Malta, Malaya, and South Africa, in 1930. We featured one of those as our Card of the Day for the 24th of October, 2024.

Our set is first recorded in our original British American Tobacco reference book, RB.21, issued in 1952, under section XVI - "Other English Language Issues" - a section which contains, in their words "...a residue of series which bear text in English but which do not classify for inclusion in any other sections of this volume. Many of the series were issued in the Channel Islands and Malta, or are Far Eastern issues with English text which do not fit into any of the groups in section XVII". The front index even seems sketchy about when our set was issued, using "1930-1940" - a very long time frame indeed. Anyway in section XVI it is described as ;

 477. TYPES OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. Small cards, size 68 x 57 m/m. Front in colour. Back in grey, with descriptive text. Numbered series of 20. Anonymous issue. with letterpress on back.

Because it is anonymous, it is sent to the back of our original World Tobacco Issues Index and recorded, amidst the "Z" codes. Some of the sets in this section do say where they were issued, but ours does not. The description reads : 

TYPES OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. Sm. Nd. (20). See RB.21/477 ... ZB6-75

And this text is identical in our updated version, only the code having changed, to ZB07-825

Amalgamated Tobacco [tobacco : UK] "Evolution of the Royal Navy" (1957) 14/25 - A495-320 

It was less than twenty years after Iowa became a State that this amazing vessel was launched. She was totally clad in iron armour, and she took three years to build, being launched, as they say on this card, in 1860. Less well known is that she also had a sister, "HMS Black Prince" about who less is written, and who appears on many less cards.

The first thing we must do is bust a myth - for these ships were not the first iron-clad warships; that honour goes to the French "Gloire", launched in 1859, the same year that our ships were hurriedly commissioned. 

Strangely HMS Warrior never was a true warrior and never fired a gun in anger nor repelled a single boarder. She started off sailing around our coastline to show how superior she was, and then ended up patrolling with the Channel Fleet. Then, in 1873, she was superseded by HMS Devastation, and was downgraded to simply a reserve ship, before she was decommissioned ten years later. Now at this point many great ships were simply scrapped, but for some reason she was used as a depot for stores and to accommodate men who were waiting to go to other ships.

Just after the turn of the twentieth century she was given over to the torpedo training school, perhaps even as a target, but they had great affection for her and let her be, only converting her in 1927 as an oil storage boat. They must have treated her kindly, even in this lowly role, for fifty years (during which time this card was issued) - for she was still more or less intact.

Then she was given over to the Maritime Trust, who lovingly restored her over the next ten years and moored her as a museum, in the shelter of Portsmouth Harbour, where she can be visited to this day as part of the Historic Dockyard complex.

As for her sister, who also never fought a single battle, she found herself in the Channel Fleet, then was sent off to Ireland in 1896 and used as a training ship. She then moved to perform a similar role in Portsmouth, but she was broken up, and sold for scrap, in 1923.

This set is entirely absent from our original World Tobacco Issues Index, for it was issued shortly after that work went to press. In fact the only two British issues in that book, listed under a heading of "Section 2 - Issues 1953-54" are "Kings of England" and "Propelled Weapons".

These remain the only issues in that section in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, but a new section has been inserted in third place, which covers "Issues 1957 onwards". However this section also reflects that all these cards were issued in Mauritius, though it is split between cards in the English language and cards in French. Sadly the descriptions are very basic, and our set simply reads : 

EVOLUTION OF THE ROYAL NAVY. Sm. Nd. (25) ... A495-320

F. & J. Smith [tobacco : UK] "Battlefields of Great Britain" - `Pinewood Mixture` brand  (December 1913) 30/50 – S548-050.K : S84-2.K

This is the eighth back we have now featured from this multi-branded set. If you want to see the rest, then click along to its home page, which is the Card of the Day for the 20th of March 2024

To our diary date, today marks the date of this fateful battle, in 1460, when Richard, Duke of York, shown in the circle inset on this card, was defeated. In fact, as the card tells us, it was a bit more than that, for "The Duke was killed and [Richard Neville, 5th Earl of] Salisbury captured and beheaded." Actually both men were beheaded, along with Edmund, Duke of Rutland, and their heads were stuck on poles above Micklegate Bar in York. This rather grisly fact is partially mentioned on Nicolas Sarony`s "Links With The Past", card 7/25 - partially, because it only mentions one head, that of Richard, Duke of York.

A brief biography reveals that Richard of York was born in September 1411 to parents directly descended from Edward III. In fact his father was the first ever Duke of York. Then, in 1425, all manner of deaths and confusions led our Richard to believe, and rightly so, that his lineage ought to have put him on the throne of England rather than Henry IV. And so was fought the Wars of the Roses, Henry, a Lancastrian, choosing as his emblem a red rose, whilst Richard of York chose a white one. 

This battle, Wakefield, was near Sandal in West Yorkshire, site of the former Sandal Castle (which is mentioned on the front of the card, but is rather hard to read). This was where Richard III intended to make his home, but all building halted when he was defeated at Bosworth, which is almost certainly why it fell into ruin - though there is more of the castle remaining than this picture leads you to believe. In fact our Richard, Duke of York, had also been living there. with many of his soldiers - and it was from there that he rode out on the fateful morning of this battle, straight ahead, towards where the Lancastrians were sited, to the North of the castle. However, as he did this the Lancastrian forces mustered behind him and as he went into battle they attacked from the rear and sides. This prevented him making any attempt at retreating to his castle, and within half an hour he and many of his men were dead. 

Whilst Richard was never destined to be king, his son, Edward, took up the claim to the throne at the age of eighteen as soon as heard of the death of his father, and marched out to war. He was more successful, and trounced the Lancastrian forces at both Mortimer`s Cross, in February 1461, and Trowton, in March of the same year, he then managed to capture Henry VI in 1465 and imprison him in the Tower of London. There was a very brief restoration, which Henry seems not to have wanted, for he was quite weak by then - this ended very badly, with the death of his son in 1471, followed by his own death, (or maybe murder), upon which Edward took the throne, as Edward IV

Today`s card advertises "Pinewood Mixture", but there is also another "Pinewood" back associated with this set, namely "Smith`s Pinewood Cigarettes". The reason for this is that the "Mixture" would have been tobacco, for the pipe, and presumably the cards would have been inside a tin rather than a cigarette packet. 

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Maison DeLoraine [trade : coffee : O/S - Bethune and Arras, France] "World Views" (19) 80/100 

Today is the end, and the beginning of 2025, for it is New Year`s Eve, and there are many revellers who, it can be rightly said, do not actually know (or care) when one ends and the other begins. 

As far as celebrating the New Year, this has always happened, starting, we believe, right back in Mesopotamia, around two thousand years before Jesus Christ was ever thought of. However, it was not today, for their New Year came in March, with the Spring Equinox, which they considered marked the change between one year and the next. And even on the Roman calendar it declared that the New Year began on the first of March. It was not until 1582 that Pope Gregory XIII decided to revise the calendar and make January the first his New Year`s Day

Now in the modern era, the place to see in the New Year seems to have been Times Square in New York. This happened a while ago, and was first held in 1904, as a one time celebration party, with fireworks, simply to mark the "New York Times" newspaper moving into their new building in Longacre Square. The owner of this newspaper, Adolph Ochs, had begun his career at the lowest level of the printing industry and worked up, by hard graft, eventually buying the New York Times in 1896, though he had to borrow most of the money to do so. Despite that, in 1904, he was able to reduce the cover price to just one cent, a third of its former cost, and the circulation immediately increased - in fact such was the renown of this paper that Longacre Square became Times Square, by order of the City of New York. 

This 1904 celebration was such a success that it was held again in 1905 and 1906. Then, on December 31st, 1907, he set up an illuminated ball, which dropped down a pole on the striking of the New Year. A few years later, in 1913, the newspaper moved its headquarters to Forty-third Street, though they continued to own the Times Square building, and the New Year events are still held at the same site.

They have only failed to take place twice since, both times being due to wartime black out rulings, in 1942 and 1943. In case you are wondering about these dates, thinking the Second World War started in 1939, the Americans only joined in that war after the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941. And as for the lighting restrictions, which began in January 1942, they were, much as ours, to prevent lights being used for invasion or for location sighting in bombing - and some American states also had air raid drills. And whilst there was never an invasion of American soil by foreign troops, there were several German spy rings whose plans would have included bombings if they had not been caught - and the Japanese forces launched several bombs from submarines, as well as floating incendiary balloons across the Pacific Ocean, many of which did make the five thousand mile crossing and one of which killed six civilians.

Now this scan was sent to me as a set entitled America, but I have done a bit of research and it appears to cover the entire world. Curiously it was some kind of co-promotion by Air France, whose name appears up the right hand side, and presumably supplied the photographs. They were founded in February 1919, not as Air France,but as Societe Generale des Transports Aeriens; Air France only came along in August 1933, after a merger of that company and four others. Nationalisation, which came along in 1945, saw  Air France being given the reins of all the other aviation companies, and this led to another name change, coincidentally on the 1st of January 1946.

It seems that Maison DeLoraine was a specialty, or "house" coffee, and this is what these cards were issued with. However the list of goods on the back of the card suggest that the actual issuer was a grocer, for they are "oil, chocolates, soaps and perfumes, chicory [or chicory coffee] shoe polish, [and] fabrics.". Some say that "Beffroi" is the company name, but I think that may be a trade mark, referring to the belfries at both Bethune and Arras. However, if anyone knows who did issue these then please let us know. 

de la Chocolaterie D`AIGUEBELLE [trade ; chocolate : O/S - France] "European Royalty & Palaces" (1912) Un/12 -

Today, in our first centenary of 1925, we celebrate the renaming of Christiana to Oslo. And we actually have a card showing King Haakon VII, the ruler of Norway, and his palace, the Chateau Royal at Christiana. 

Oslo has a bit of a tale to tell, name wise; it started in 1040 as Aslo, which many historians wrongly wrote down as the mouth of the Lo River, then supported by saying the Lo had long since disappeared. Today we are certain that there never was a River Lo, only a meadow, which is what "lo" means in German, almost certainly because it was flat ground that often flooded in wet weather.

It stayed as Aslo right until 1624, when the town, or at least the old Medieval part, was was burned almost to the ground. This gave an opportunity to draw it closer to Akershus Castle. It looks like the newly built section was then renamed Christiania in honour of the current Danish and Norwegian King, Christian IV, whilst the old part to the east was called Opslo. The King died in 1648, but the town remained named after him right until 1877, when it was officially changed to Kristiania - though it seems the residents, and the municipality itself were reluctant to follow suit, and this name only appears in official documents right until 1897, when it did start to be used, albeit grudgingly, by the inhabitants. 

Then, in July 1924, it was announced that the entire city, east and west, was to be renamed Oslo. This was also unpopular, mostly from the people who lived in the Christiania segment. However their pleas and entreaties fell on deaf ears and today, in 1925, Oslo was born. 

As far as the cards in this set, they are : 

• Belgium - Albert I - Brussels
• Denmark - Frederic VIII - Fredriksborg
• Germany - Kaiser Wilhelm II - Berlin
• Greece - George I - Athens
• Great Britain - King George V - Windsor
• Italy - Victor Emmanuel III - Rome
• Norway - Haakon VII - Christiana
• Rumania - Charles I - Bucharest
• Russia - Nicolas II - Peterhof
• Serbia - Pierre I - Belgrade
• Spain - Alphonse XIII - Madrid
• Sweden - King Gustav V - Stockholm

So this is the day that caused all the trouble. First off it started out as something that I figured gave me lots of scope for Cards of the Day as next week`s theme, so I changed it, to the 1941 destruction of Cardiff Castle in the Blitz. However I could not find a single card of Cardiff Castle. Then I discovered something else - except it was not, that event actually being on the fourth of January (but at least I have one day already completed in the next newsletter). 

Anyway, after frantic searching, whilst I was making my tea, I have come up with the fact that it is "55 mph Speed Limit Day". As for the why, though, well that is a very convoluted tale, with three equally valid schools of thought.

The first one, which is the view held by a lot of drivers, including many driving experts, says that this day celebrates the truth that the lowest speed you should hold for any length of time is 55 mph and the highest 65 mph. Driving slower, or faster, than this means that you are wasting fuel unnecessarily, which is also why fuel economy is much worse in towns than on the open roads. And they swear this is why the day was invented, as a gentle reminder for anyone who may have started driving in the twelve months prior. 

The second one reminds us that on this day in 1974, President Nixon signed the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, which, for the first time, set the maximum speed limit in every State across America, at 55 mph. Before this it was up to the States themselves to set their limit, based on the terrain of that locality. And this maximum speed limit applied to all drivers, whether they be full term residents, or holiday makers; they had to keep to it or else. And it was not repealed until 1995. 

However, though to the general public, this seems to have been drafted on safety, and on fuel economy grounds, there is quite a lot of hidden information, and even paranoia, which actually made the 55 mph speed limit come about. And that was the fact that in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s, there was plentiful, and cheap. access to oil (and hence petrol), direct from the Middle East. Then, in 1973, Arab members of OPEC (the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries, founded in 1960) suddenly hit the protest button. This all came out of the conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis, and especially because the West had come out pretty strongly in support of Israel. Therefore the Arabs decided to nit back by restricting supply of their oil to those Western countries, chief amongst which was America, but which also affected Europe and Japan - and not just restricting it, but quadrupling the price. 

President Nixon was faced with a dilemma. He could either admit that America was being squeezed by another country, or he could fudge it a little and appeal to a greater need for safety. He needed that oil, not so much for domestic cars, however much the American public thought they had to have them, but for industry, and also for military usage. It was indeed true that lower speed limits would save fuel, and maybe, in a few months, the situation would blow over. In fact it took until 1974 for the embargo to be lifted on America, before which rationing cards had been hurriedly printed and circulated. Documents, newly released, also prove that America planned to invade, and take over oil fields across the Middle East. This never happened, but the way these documents are drawn up suggests that was only because the Arabs relented first.

Now this card is very thin, and is anonymous. However, there is a slightly thicker series of cards, with the same image, and text, but with a frameline to the reverse, and that seems to often cited as having been issued by Volumetrix, of Lyon and Paris, in the 1960s. I have now been told that Volumetrix published a large series of albums, for educational use, into which the stickers, (which seem to have come on a sheet, divided by dotted lines for cutting) were stuck. There was an amazing range of subjects, and the albums turn up quite easily, and are not too expensive. However I have not so far found the album into which this sticker went. 

W.D. & H.O. Wills [tobacco : UK - Bristol] "New Zealand Footballers" (1928) 44/50 - W675-662 : W62-460 : W/275

This card also caused no end of trouble, but then I miraculously found out that today, in 1925, and therefore giving us another centenary, the first ever sending off in a Rugby Union Test Match took place. 

It is sometimes recorded that our man was the first player ever to be sent off - but that is incorrect, for that dubious honour goes to the Welshman Willie Thomas, quite some years earlier, in March 1881, in a game between Wales and Scotland in Edinburgh. There seems to have been some sort of bad feeling right from the start at that match, and maybe even before, and within ten minutes both teams had just abandoned play and set to brawling, with the game being eventually halted after just fifteen minutes on the field. Why Willie Thomas was singled out, who knows, it must have been hard to pick one offence out of that furious melee, unless he was seen to throw the first punch, of course. 

The sending off of Cyril James Brownlie took place at Twickenham, during a match between two of what were known as International Rugby Board Countries - namely New Zealand and England, and what happened, just ten minutes into play, was that the All Black Brownlie was sent off the field. His offence was to kick an English player, on the leg, whilst said player was already laying face down on the ground. This does seem a rather minor offence, and it must be said that it seems that the sending off was more connected with the fact that it took place before the Prince of Wales, and the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin. If it had been an English player, we can but wonder if the same would have been the punishment. And there are records that the Prince of Wales attempted to intervene, without success. 

Anyway, I did find that a complete account of this send-off saga appears online at Keith Quinn Rugby, and it is really fascinating.

Returning to our man, Cyril Brownlie, he was born on the 6th of August, 1895, in Whanganui, and he was the oldest of three brothers (the others being Laurie and Maurice) all of whom played as forwards, for the All Blacks, in the 1920s. Strangely though, although he was the oldest, he was the last to be selected to play for his country being spotted in 1922 at a match involving his team, Hawke`s Bay. 

This incident did not remove him from the All Blacks and he continued to play for them in 1926 and 1928, some thirty-odd occasions. But for some reason he retired from the game in 1930. And what he did after that seems not to have been recorded, though we do know that he had a farm at Hawke`s Bay.

He died at Wairoa in May 1954. 

Our set may be called "Footballers" but every card shows a member of the All Blacks Rugby Union squad, though the bottom title, inset into each photo, gives the name of their home team, hence our card says "Hawkes Bay". Most of the players, if you look at the picture, are also sporting their All Blacks jumper, with its emblem of the silver fern. And in addition the two players drawn on the bottom of each card are definitely playing rugby rather than soccer. This seems to suggest that the set was added to our records without ever seeing a picture - and that is supported by its first appearance in any of our reference books, which was our original Wills part IV, issued in 1950, for that reads :

275. NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS. Fronts : Glossy photo-prints in black and white. Backs in black, with descriptive text. New Zealand issue, 1928.

Now we know this set was not printed in England, and shipped out for issue, it was printed on site in New Zealand - and so it is absent from the lists of issuing dates that was printed in our hardback book which reprinted all the original Wills books into one volume.

Even better, research has found some of the images, including ours, as proper photographs, which were taken by Crown Studio Ltd. of Wellington, North Island, New Zealand. I suggested that it was possible that they took more images that ended up being used for this set as well - and I have now found the photograph used for card 16, of Alan Charles Robilliard. When I get time I will have a better hunt and see if I can find all fifty - unless anyone else would like to do that, at the National Library of New Zealand website. 

In our original World Tobacco Issues Index it was a bit harder to track this set down, but I found it under section 5.B of the Wills listings, "Other Export Issues ... issued through B.A.T". The heading for this section tells us that it was "Issued chiefly in New Zealand, some series in Malaya, Malta, and elsewhere." It is listed as : 

NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS. Sm. Black and white photos. Nd. (50) ... W62-460. 

There is still not a word that these players are not footballers, six years on from their original appearance in part IV of the Wills reference books. This even remains the case in our updated version of the World Tobacco Issues Index, issued in the year 2000 - in which the listing is exactly the same as the above, save the new code of W675-662