Heading into February now, and I have just become another year older, but its going okay so far. That is not why this newsletter was a bit rushed, the truth is that since I started writing it in 2019 I just scrape in by midnight, for the most part, (though definitely not after any concerts) and I say to myself, next week I will start this on Sunday. Never have yet, but maybe I will this week.... you never know.
This week, though, I was running late, and there are many more cigarette cards than usual, and they may not all get written up in their entirety, at least not now, but they will one day.
I want to thank everyone who sends me scans and info, I could not do it without you, especially as each year there are seven hundred and thirty different cards shown across the cards of the day and the diary cards, almost four thousand five hundred cards since I started, though I am pretty sure there is some duplication in the newsletters. However all the cards of the day are unique, either a stand alone card or a different brand or variety.
And long may this continue
But lets start with .......
Cavanders Ltd. [tobacco : UK - London & Glasgow] "Peeps into Prehistoric Times" fourth series (1930) 14/24 - C230-160.B : C48-4.b
Our card today marks the centenary of the release of a film called "The Lost World", which was an adaptation of a science fiction novel, published in 1912 and written by none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In fact in some versions of the original film Sir Arthur Conan Doyle appears, before the action gets going, and speaks directly to the cinema audience. How thrilling that must have been !
The film was produced by First National Pictures, and starred Wallace Beery as Professor Challenger, with Bessie Love as Paula White, the daughter of an explorer who has discovered real dinosaurs still exist.
The body of the action was filmed in a very new way, by making models of the dinosaurs, and photographing them, slowly moving them in between each shot, so that they would appear to be alive. This painstaking work was done by Willis O`Brien, who would later make King Kong, and by a similar process. These cards always make me think of that process, and I also wonder if they were not suggested by it, for there are only five years between the release of the film and the circulation of the cards. They were also intended to slide inside a stereoscopic viewer, with another card that looked the same, but said "No.14 right" at the top, and then, when viewed, they would appear to be three dimensional. This means that a complete set is actually of 48 cards, not 24. The right hand side of this card, which I do not have, is also given a descriptive back about the dinosaur, so watch this space and, with assistance, the complete quartet will hopefully pop up in all its glory.
And there were stegosauruses in the actual film, check them out on You Tube
As far as cards of our scale-backed stegosauruses, check out the Trading Card Database/Stegosaurus - where there are eighty two right now, but more may well be added, as they do not have ours.
Let us clear one thing up first, there are not four series of dinosaur cards, and the words in the bottom section of the top cartouche "Fourth Series of Real Photographs" should be taken literally, for there are three series of "Peeps Into Many Lands", and this, which is simply their fourth photographic series.
It is listed in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as :
PEEPS INTO PREHISTORIC TIMES. Black and white photos. "Fourth Series" Nd. (24). Size (a) small (b) medium
This is slightly altered in our updated version, to read :
PEEPS INTO PREHISTORIC TIMES. Black and white photos. "Fourth Series" Nd. (24). Size (A) small (B) medium. The subjects in each size are identical, but the pictures vary. ... C230-160
Bowman Gum Inc. [trade : gum : O/S - Philadelphia, USA] "Baseball 1951 Series" (1951) 176/324
Our second card, and our second centenary, brings us to Victor Woodrow Wertz, born today, February the 9th, 1925, in York, Pennsylvania.
His Major League Baseball career ran from 1947 to 1963, but like many of his contemporaries, it was affected by the Second World War, for he was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1942, but was drafted in June 1943, moving from his North Carolina basic training to serve in the Pacific. It was 1947 before he returned to the Tigers, and only eight years after that when he contracted polio, and had to play in a leg brace. He retired in 1963.
After his retirement he took a great interest in the Special Olympics, and formed several groups and sporting events to raise funds for them.
He died in July 1983, in Detroit, aged just fifty-eight - during heart surgery, having had a heart attack the day before.
I have to say that, for the most part, (my "X-Files" cards being exempt from this) I much prefer this art-drawn style of gum card, rather than a photograph, there is a lot of skill to being able to draw someone in the first place, let alone draw them in a position that they only hold for moments, out on the field, where no artist can stand. I know the less romantic readers will say that they do it all from photos, but I still admire the skill involved.
Now some collectors are a bit scathing about this set, saying it is nothing more than a remake of the year before`s, however there are seventy two new cards, and they are also enlarged to what would become the standard size for all baseball cards.
You can see a checklist for this set at the Trading Card Database/Bowman51 - and do note that our man appears in every Bowman "Baseball" set, from the first, issued in 1949, to the one issued in 1955, the last Bowman's set before Topps bought them out.
Anonymous - British American Tobacco [tobacco : O/S - South Africa] "Safety First” (1936) 32/50 - ZA08-700 : ZA8-27 : W/321.D
This is an odd one, but today, in 1863, Alanson Crane patented the fire extinguisher. He did not invent it, as many have claimed, and he openly admitted that it was but an "Improvement in Fire Extinguishers" on that patent - which you can see online, courtesy of Patent Images/37610
Now we have taken a bit of a liberty by showing this card, because his idea was solely for the extinguishing of fires in buildings, using a system of water pipes that were built through the walls and ceilings of the structure. However his main improvement was to also have an exterior (though locked) stopcock valve, the turning of which sent water through those pipes - sited outside the building so that it could be accessed by the fire brigade, or a passer by, without them having to enter the flames.
It was not a sprinkler, those were first patented by H.W. Pratt in 1872, though it was never made to work until 1874, when it was tinkered with by Henry S. Parmalee, and installed in his piano factory.
As far as the first method to fight fire, that would have been water, thrown on by hand, probably unsuccessfully, because you need some pressure to put a fire out. This idea was developed by the Ancient Egyptians, where they started with syringes and moved on to an actual fire pump in the second century BC.
Our set was issued in 1936, and it is a variant of the W.D. & H.O. Wills New Zealand issue that was our Card of the Day for the 16th of November 2021. We do not appear to have shown the home version yet!
The group of sets made its first appearance in part four of our original Wills booklets, where there may not be much of a set description, but it is revealed that there were five different versions. The text there reads :
321. SAFETY FIRST. Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Backs in grey, with descriptive text. Issued 1934-1935.
A. Home issue, adhesive backs headed "This surface is .... " Special album issued
B. Irish issue, adhesive backs headed "Note - This surface ...." Special album issued.
C. New Zealand issue, non-adhesive backs headed "Issued by W.D. & H.O. Wills (N.Z.) Ltd., in support of New Zealand`s Road Safety Campaign.
D. South African issue, non-adhesive backs. "C.T. Ltd." at base, otherwise anonymous.There is an anonymous series of 40 of the same title, but entirely different subjects.
Because our version is anonymous, it also appears at the back of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, under the "Z" codes, as :
SAFETY FIRST. Sm. 68 x 36. Nd. (50). See W/321.D. Issued in S. Africa. Special album issued, inscribed with Westminster name ... ZA08-700
This is identical, save a new card code, in the updated version of this book. However it does not appear anywhere under the Westminster listing in either version.
Anonymous - BAT [tobacco : O/S - Channel Islands, Malta] "Beauties - Picture Hats II" (19??) Un/45 - ZH02-125 : ZH2-16 : RB.21/215-28.B
Today, we remember The Right Honourable Ellen Cicely Wilkinson, born in Manchester on the 8th of October, 1891, but who, one hundred years today, the 11th of February, 1925, made the headlines for addressing the House of Commons whilst still wearing her hat.
She already had some notoriety in certain circles, for she had been a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain from 1920 until 1924, and had both been vocal in her support of the General Strike of 1926, as well as participated in the Jarrow March in 1936.
All these things happened long before she was the Chairwoman of the Labour Party, from 1944 to 1945. or Minister of Education, under Clement Attlee, from 1945 until her death in 1947.
But I expect they were still commented on, by disgruntled rivals.
She was known for her bright red hair, and for failing to wear dark clothing, even at the House of Commons, so it not surprising that she would push the boundaries by not removing her hat. She was also once stopped from entering the smoking room, by a policeman, who did not think it appropriate that a lady should go in such a place, to which she reportedly replied she was not a lady, she was a Member of Parliament. I have not been able to find out what she was debating when she wore the hat, but maybe one day I will. I do think that she would like this card very much, for her hat, bow, and lipstick are vibrant red, upholding for both her Communist and her Labour beliefs.
Now the information for this set is already a bit too expansive for a diary card, so some time I will add one of the other printings as a Card of the Day. We know that there is also a "Picture Hats I", also issued by several companies, including W.D. & H.O. Wills, in India, in with their "Scissors" brand, which is very similar.
Our anonymous version is found in the reverse of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, listed with the "Z" numbers, as :
BEAUTIES - PICTURE HATS II (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Front without framelines. Unnd. (45). See RB.21/215-28.B. Issued in Malta and Channel Islands through B.A.T. ... ZH2-16.
This text is identical in the updated version, save a new card code.
As far as the RB.21 code, that tells a much bigger story, and leads us to our British American Tobacco reference book, where this set is described as :
215-28 BEAUTIES - Picture Hats II. Note revised series title for RB.15/28. This new title has been adopted in view of the similarities to 200-144, although a few of the cards in 215-28 consist of portraits without hats. The series is known as follows
A. Ogden`s Polo issue
B. Anonymous issue, with plain back
C. Barratt issue. Back inscribed in red "Barratt & Co`s Sweets are Pure. Wood Green, London, England." A British trade issue.According to the B.A.T. records, this series may also have been issued with "Battle-Ax" backs, but no cards have been seen.
The Ogden version was the first to be described in our original reference book, RB.15, which was published in 1949.Our card is shown amongst the illustration as It is listed as :
- 26. 45 BEAUTIES - White background (adopted title). Size 64 x 37 m/m. Fronts lithographed in colour/ Subjects illustrated in Fig. 27. - A. Backs in red, with illustration of "Polo" packet - B. Plain backs, anonymous and unnumbered. Issued in the East, between 1910 and 1915
I have to say that I do not think much of either title, but at least I know what a white background is, whereas I have no idea of what a "Picture Hat" is. Do you?
As far as the Barratt version, which we know was issued in 1911, this is listed in our original British Trade Index under their section 2, cited as "Early Issues. Cards issued during period about 1900-29. Very few of the cards carry series titles and some are difficult to classify into series. For convenience in listing the cards have been divided into groups, according to the backs, of which six are illustrated at Fig. BAR-5". Our set is in section 2.F. Group 6, Sundry backs, and it is listed as :
- BEAUTIES - "PICTURE HATS II" (A). Sm. 63 x 37. Back (a) black printing on dark grey board (b) red printing on white board. Unnd. (45). See RB.15/28. ... BAR-19
The (b) printing with the red reverse actually reads : "BARRATT & Co.`s / SWEETS / ARE PURE", then there is a line with a star in the middle and ovals at each end, then the address "WOOD GREEN / LONDON, ENGLAND". This seems to be the easiest printing to find and I have not yet found a black one to compare it with. However it is unlike any of the sample backs which appear in Fig. BAR-5, hence its positioning under "Sundry Backs" Likewise the back does not appear in the more exhaustive picture of fifteen designs in our updated British Trade Index.
As far as the listing of this set in that updated version, that reads :
- BEAUTIES - "PICTURE HATS II" (A). Pre 1920. 63 x 37. Unnd. (45). Two printings. All illustrated in RB.115, Ogden, Fig.27, Page 42. Backs, 1. Black printing on dark grey board. 2. Red printing on white board. ... BAR-050
Godfrey Phillips [tobacco : UK - London] "Guinea Gold Series -Miscellaneous Subjects" (????) Un/100 - P521-080.1 : P50-9.1
Today we remember Matilda Alice Victoria Wood, who was born today, the 12th of February 1870. However you would know her better as Marie Lloyd, singer and actress, and darling, even Queen of the music halls, and for her sometimes rather risque songs, though, as she said, they were just songs, it was the listener who decided whether their intent was innocent or not.
She was born in Hoxton, in London, and one of her first "stage" appearances as a solo singer was in a local pub, though she had sung with her siblings before that, at a temperance mission. In 1884, newly named Bella Delmere, she made her professional début as Matilda Wood, soon changed to Bella Delmere - Marie Lloyd arrived on the scene a couple of years later, as did a husband, Percy Charles Courtenay, in November 1887, and a baby daughter, in May 1888. A second child was stillborn in 1889. Their marriage was unhappy before that and her husband had turned to drinking, gambling and picking fault with his wife`s friends and her partying, even before she started to go off on tour in 1894. They still stayed married until 1905, but for the most part in name only, as he grew ever the more abusive and violent.
In 1894 she met a fellow music hall singer called Alec Hurley and they soon became involved. They travelled together to New York, and it is possibly him who suggested she try her hand at pantomime, at which she was amazingly successful, and the adult audiences of which were most enthusiastic of her suggestive songs. Some say that this was the start of the double entendres so prevalent in today`s pantomimes, which go over your head as a child, and then you begin to understand as you get a bit older. However there has always been an element of that in performances set before the general public, even in the middle ages - and the idea of cross dressing started earlier still.
She moved in with Alec Hurley in 1905, and the long awaited divorce came through allowing the two to wed in 1906. They stayed together until 1913, but it was not a great marriage, and she came to believe that he had married her for her name and her money. He had also been declared a complete bankrupt in 1911, due to his constant gambling and his desire to impress his friends by buying them rounds of drinks, and presents that he could not afford.
By 1910 she had started a new relationship with jockey, Bernard Dillon, the latest winner of the Derby 1910, with a horse called Lemberg. Apparently she met him at a racecourse whilst Alec Hurley was off placing bets. Sadly his success with the horses was fleeting, and in 1911 he was expelled from the Jockey Club after a betting scandal. They were living together by then; and it is uncertain why they agreed to get married in 1914, for he was already abusive, depressed, and this led to depression, and jealous of his wife`s success. However, it could have been a reaction to the fact that Alec Hurley had died, of pneumonia, just two months before, at a public house, Jack Straw`s Castle, in Hampstead, London, though it is not as quite as bad as that sounds, for he was also living there.
In 1914, Bernard Dillon went off to war, but apparently most of his service was in England, and there were frequent visitations to and from his wife, during which things generally ended in rows. On his return to her home things got worse, and she was forced to take him to court for continued abuse. However when they separated, she fell into a great depression.
In 1922 she was found, collapsed, in her dressing room after a performance in Cardiff, and she was diagnosed with exhaustion. She agreed only to perform for a shorter time, not to give up. The same year she moved in with her sister, which many say was to save money (and she was a spendthrift, of great proportion), but could also have been to combat loneliness, which could also explain why she never spent too long alone before finding another man, and her staying with them after they proved themselves unsuitable.
On the 4th of October 1922 she was taken ill on stage and died that night, from heart and kidney failure. She was just fifty-two. She was buried at Hampstead Cemetery on the 12th of the month, a grand affair, which saw crowds of people attending.
It was then discovered that she was not only penniless, but almost eight thousand pounds in debt, which was only partially covered by the sale of her estate and personal effects.
According to the Trading Card Database/Marie Lloyd, she appears on just seven cards. Her first husband does not, mainly because he was not theatrical. Alec Hurley appears on a card though, that is Cohen Weenen & Co.`s "Star Artistes" (1907 - card no.4/50). And Bernard Dillon is on three cards, because he was a jockey, though on each one he is just a passenger, mounted up on Lemberg; these are Godfrey Phillips "Derby Winners and Jockeys" (1923 - card no.15/25), John Player`s "Derby and "Grand National Winners" (1933 - card, and transfer, no.3/50). However as Lemberg won the Derby I am certain he is on more cards than that.
The details of this card may have to be completed over the weekend, as the records are rather extensive. It starts in the original Godfrey Phillips reference book as well, which is a bit faded of print and browned of page, not a great combination under artificial light.
Its next appearance is in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, under Godfrey Phillips section 2, "Issues 1899-1904", as :
GUINEA GOLD SERIES (A) Sm. ... P50-9
- Inscribed "Phillips` Guinea Gold Cigarettes". Size 64 x 38. Black and white. Miscellaneous subjects. Unnd (100). See RB.13 and Ha. 333
- Inscribed "Smoke Phillips` Guinea Gold Cigarettes. Nd. 101/190 (90). Front (a) varnished (b) matt. Size 68 x 41. Black and white.
- Inscribed "Smoke Phillips` Guinea Gold Cigarettes. Size 63 x 41. Unnd. See RB.13/89 and X1/H.333
A. Black and white. Actresses and Boer War Celebrities (160)
B. Chocolate Brown. Actresses only. 95 known.
There are a few updates to this in the updated version of this book, where the text reads :
GUINEA GOLD SERIES (A) Sm. Plain backs. Occur with retailers` rubber stamps ... P21-080
- Inscribed "Phillips` Guinea Gold Cigarettes". Size 64 x 38. Black and white. Miscellaneous subjects. Unnd (100). See RB.113/87
- Inscribed "Smoke Phillips` Guinea Gold Cigarettes. Nd. 101/190 (90). Front (a) varnished (b) matt. Size 68 x 41. Black and white. See RB.113/88
- Inscribed "Smoke Phillips` Guinea Gold Cigarettes. Size 63 x 41. Unnd. See RB.113/89
A. Black and white. Actresses and Boer War Celebrities (160)
B. Chocolate Brown. Actresses only. (100)
J.A. Pattreiouex Ltd [tobacco : UK - Manchester] "Sights of Britain" 3rd series (1937) 33/48 - P246-735 : P18-75.3
Now let us return to today, the 13th of February, 1322, when the tower of this Cathedral lay in pieces on the floor. However, this was not the tower shown on this card though, so it seems appropriate to start with the many buildings that also came before this.
First it was a church, fallen into disrepair, and pretty much rebuilt in 674 by Etheldreda, who then turned it into a monastery. This was on the same site as the present Cathedral, but it was destroyed by the pagan King of the Mercians in the seventh century. It is said that this was restored, and converted to an abbey, by Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, starting in 963, but it seems more likely that it would have had to be rebuilt, and we do not know how closely it followed the same design, though we do know it took over twenty years to build. Once completed it was used by the Benedictines, and they made it the second most profitable abbey in England (only Glastonbury being more so).
In the eleventh century it was again remodelled and became a Cathedral, as the diocese of Ely. It was built of stone that was carried all the way from Northumberland, and that was paid for with a yearly allowance of eels (which is why Ely is so named).
This work was pretty much ongoing thereafter, and in 1321 it was decided to create a free standing Lady Chapel, linked to the Chancel. It was during the digging of the foundations for this that there was a disaster. In fact the monks thought that it had been an earthquake, but it was later realised to be just the noise of the central tower, and its parts striking the ground. However they did still believe that it was something to do with the ground in that part for when it was rebuilt it was under strict instructions that it be wider, and further out than before, as well as a different, more substantial shape, of an octagon, seventy-four feet wide. They also rejected the idea of having a stone vault so it was built of wood, covered in lead.
Our set is one of those which were issued through "Senior Service", and they form the bulk of section three of the Pattreiouex listing in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, the "Photographic Series, issued 1930-39". In fact there were three sets of "Sights of Britain", described as :
SIGHTS OF BRITAIN. Md. "Senior Service, Junior Member, Illingworth" brand issues ... P18-75
- "Series of 48"
- "Second Series of 48" Two printings.
- "Third Series of 48"
This is identical in our updated version, but there is, of course, an enlarged card code.
Compania CHILENA de Tabaccos [tobacco : O/S - Valparaiso, Chile] "Escenas y Artistas de Peliculas" / "Screen Scenes and Artists" (1936) 18/45 - C341-275 : C64-22.4 : X21/556-3.C
To close, with laughter, always the best way to go, for here we have Benjamin Kubelsky, born today, February the 14th, in 1894.
We know him better as Jack Benny, but we may not have if not for really strange legal threats from the violinist Jan Kubelik - on which our man changed his name, first to Ben K. Benny, and then just to Jack Benny. Now in case you are wondering on the connection, one of our man`s acts involved him playing the violin, very badly. Though actually he was very talented, and had been thought worthy of violin lessons from the age of six.
He started off in vaudeville, but appeared in almost every genre, film, radio, and television. He got married in 1927, and she became part of his act too.
He first appeared in films in "The Hollywood Revue of 1929", a film of many small parts for many stars of the time. It was actually nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
Subsequent films did not go so well and so he returned to Broadway, moving to radio in 1932. In fact radio was his big breakthrough, and he had a regular weekly radio show, The Jack Benny Programme, from 1932 to 1948 (through NBC) and 1949 to 1955 (through CBS)
We know this film as "It`s in the Air", and it was released on October the 11th 1935. Una Merkel, also showing here, is a tennis instructor, hence the eyeshade. The plot, very briefly, is that Jack Benny is a conman, with a kind of partner, who specialise in fixing sports events, but somehow are also on the run for tax evasion. They elude him by claiming to have an infectious disease, and then they go off to Desert Springs in California, where our man has a wife, Una Merkel. Then he also gets conned, by one of the guests. This leads to much confusion, and a strange subplot about a hot air balloon, which falls apart. Somehow our man parachutes to safety, and reunites with his wife, and finds out that the tax charges have been dropped too. It runs for an hour and a half as well.
The listing for this set finally turned up under Cia Chilena, in section 2.B, for "Cinema Series - Coloured", where it is described as :
ESCENAS Y ARTISTAS DE PELICULAS (Screen Scenes and Artists). Sm. 60 x 42. "La Ideal" brand issues. All with series title except Serie 19a and 20a. Nd. See X21/556-3.C ... C64-22
- "10a Serie" (45)
- "11a Serie" (45)
- "12a Serie" (45)
- "13a Serie" (45)
- "14a Serie" (45)
- "15a Serie" (45)
- "16a Serie" (45)
- "17a Serie" (45)
- "18a Serie" (45)
- "19a Serie" (45)
- "20a Serie" (45)
- "21a Serie" (45)
- "22a Serie" (45)
The X21 reference is in the handbook and that puts these cards in with a larger group of Cinema and Beauties Series, in five sub groups which also explains where series 1a to 9a are. Its a bit lengthy to type, so I have scanned it
I am not too sure of the English translation, because literally it is "Scenes and Artists of Film" - and perhaps "Film Scenes and Stars" would be even better. i do not know of any checklisting for them either.
Now when we get to the updated World Tobacco Issues Index, whilst it remains in the same section, there is a big change to the listing, perhaps for reasons of space, which now reads :
ESCENAS Y ARTISTAS DE PELICULAS (Screen Scenes and Artists). Sm. 60 x 42. Nd. (each series 45 cards). See RB.21/556-3.C ... C341-275
A.. "La Ideal" brand issues
1. "10a Serie" (45). Titled Escenas de Peliculas"
2. "11a Serie" to "18a Serie". Titled Escenas y Artistas de Peliculas"
3. "19a Serie" to "22a Serie". No series title.
This week's Cards of the Day...
may seem a strange theme, but all the cards we feature are going to have been issued in the month of February.
Now it is interesting that months of issue have been set down in our reference books, and sundry catalogues, but sad how many have not. And I often come across them, but had nowhere to set them down for posterity. However, this has caused the creation of a dedicated blog post, which lists the months of the year as a header, and after that will be recorded the year of issue and the set`s name. It will also function as a second gallery, because as the cards are used on the website, they will be linked into that page too. And as we go through this year, once a month, when I am struggling to find a subject to feature as a theme, I will instead show cards of the month that we have not featured before, and at the same time tap them in from the reference books so that they may be listed for ever.
So our clue cards this week were..... :
Saturday, 1st February 2025
We have taken a bit of a liberty here, because we know that the first coupon, which was to be sent away for the set, with five others, was printed in the Daily Sketch in February 1970. But we presume that the cards were already printed by then.
So our first card shows Martin Stanford Peters MBE, who was born on the 8th of November 1943. He was actually in the 1966 World Cup team, and not just that but he scored the second goal of the four which won us the final against West Germany. And as this card proves, he also played in the 1970 tournament. In total he won sixty-seven caps.
He is best known as a player, but moved about a bit from team to team. His last team was Sheffield United, which he also managed. Three years before he died it was announced that he was suffering with Alzheimer`s, and he died in December 2019. His ashes were interred at the home of his first professional football club, West Ham United, which he had joined in 1960.
Despite the fact that the Daily Sketch was a Manchester paper, which is one of the great homes of football, they seem to have ignored the thought that issuing cards might boost their sales, for they only ever produced two sets, and an advertisement card, dating from 1924 or 1925, which is captioned "I am writing this from the `Daily Sketch` Pavilion, Wembley", the idea being that the writer continued with their own message.
Our set commemorates the 1970 World Cup, which England were favourites to win, and continue to hold the trophy for another four years still. Sadly it did not work out that way, but it still led to a lot of card sets being produced, and that is almost certainly why the Daily Sketch got on the bandwagon.
They are listed in our original British Trade Index part III as :
World Cup Souvenir Cards. 68 x 36. Series of International Football Stars. Nd. (40). Issued 1967.
This is slightly incorrect, definitely as far as the date of issue, for 1967 would have been far too early to hang on to them without distributing them, and we know that the first coupons were printed in the Daily Sketch on the 23 February 1970, which we have taken as the issue date, even though it would have taken a while to get all five coupons and to send them away. Curiously, on March the 2nd, the paper printed a change to the rules, which suddenly allowed you to get the other thirty-five cards, all at once, by only sending twelve coupons. We are not sure why this happened, though we have been told that with all the other World Cup collectables that were flooding the market it was suddenly realised that to have to wait five weeks to get the coupons and then wait for the cards to come back, was too lengthy a process, for the World Cup started at the end of May. This is especially true because the other omission from our listing is under the original terms and conditions, sending up five coupons only got you one strip of five cards, you had to repeat the process seven more times to get them all. These strips then had to be cut to make the separate cards, and that explains why a lot of the cards out there are not cut completely straight. You can also find complete strips, which are rather fun, but not very easy to display.
There was also an album, which cost 1/3d.
The set comprised 33 cards of footballers from English teams, and seven cards of "international stars of World Renown", amongst whom is Pele of Brazil (he is card 35). The other internationals are Paul Van Himst of Belgium (card 34), Luigi Riva (36) and Gianni Rivera (37) both of Italy, Albert Shesterney of the U.S.S.R.(38), and Helmut Haller (39) and Franz Beckenbauer (40) of West Germany. Sadly most of these names are quite unknown to me, though on researching I find out that Paul Van Himst was a player and a manager, that Luigi "Gigi" Riva was considered to be one of the best players of his generation and possibly the best striker of all time, that Gianni Rivera went on to become a member of the European Parliament, that Albert Shesternev is not really correct for his name was Albert Alekseyevich Shesternyov and he is still considered to be the best defender in the whole of Soviet era Russia 1969/70, that Helmut Haller represented West Germany at three World Cups, and that Franz Beckenbauer, who sadly died last year, in January 2024 was one of only three people to lift the World Cup Trophy as a player and as a coach.
You can see all these cards, and in their strips, and even the album, at the Football Cartophilic Information Exchange/DailySketch/WCC
Now in our updated British Trade Index, there are four sets for the Daily Sketch, the advert postcard, a set of twenty-eight dominoes, a set of twenty-eight football transfers showing the 1970 England World Cup Squad, and our set, described as :
WORLD CUP SOUVENIR CARDS. 1967. 68 x 36. Nd. (40). International Football Stars. Issued in strips of five. Five were issued with the album, others obtained by sending vouchers from the "Mail". ... DAI-520
I found that a bit confusing, especially the reference to the "Mail", but it turns out that in 1952 the "Daily Sketch" had been sold to Associated Newspapers, who already owned the Daily Mail. They started printing their new version of the "Daily Sketch" in 1953, so it was very likely that the coupons were in both papers, and that makes the time frame to collect the set a bit shorter.
Sunday, 2nd February 2025
The Harrison Line, shown on our card, and also known as T. & J. Harrison, was founded in 1853 by two Lancashire brothers, Thomas and James Harrison. They had arrived in Liverpool to work for George Brown, and he was an importer of French brandy, for the most part, and also wine.
When George Brown died, the brothers either were left, or bought, the company, and continued to import the brandy. It seems to have been a lucrative enterprise, and got better in January 1860 when Britain and France signed the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty. This was the first ever free trade agreement, which removed tariffs on wines, spirits, and coal, amongst other things, and it not only directly affected the import of the brandy, but allowed for the brothers to buy two new coal-powered steamships to transport their cargoes. They also started offering passenger trips, and to expand their operations to India and the Caribbean.
By 1871 the brothers were listed as the managers, not the owners, and the ships were part of the Charente Steamship Company - however Tonnay-Charente was the name of the port which handled the brandy, in fact all the brandy which was produced in the town of Cognac. This makes it sound as if perhaps it was more of a name change than an ownership one, but also there must be some reason why.
Many of their ships saw service in the two World War, and almost sixty ships were lost during the two. After the Second World War their ships were used to recover men from overseas, and also to carry equipment and men to rebuild some of the infrastructure in the most affected coastal countries. The 1960s and 1970s saw the passenger fleet overtake the cargo for the first time, but they found themselves edged out of the market by the larger lines, which offered much more amenities. And it became part of P & O in the year 2000.
There is a bit of debate as to the issue month of this set, for whilst the London Cigarette Card catalogues, which date before our Churchman booklet, and several other early catalogues, show it as having been issued in February 1911, it is listed in our original Churchman reference book, published in 1948, as :
60. Sept 1911. 50. FLAGS AND FUNNELS OF LEADING STEAMSHIP LINES (titled series). Size 2 11/16" x 1 7/16" or 67 x 36 m/m. Numbered 1-50. Fronts, lithographed in colour. Backs in blue, with descriptions. Printed by Mardon, Son & Hall. Also issued by Davies and Ogden.
The "Davies" cited here is W.T. Davies & Sons, of Chester.
We are certain that the Ogdens version was issued in February 1906, but we already featured that as the Card of the Day for the 19th of December 2022 - however if we find more evidence that this version was not issued in February there is nothing to prevent us finding that card in the Churchman version and this one in the Ogdens and swopping them over.
Our original World Tobacco Issues Index lists the Churchman version without any date of issue, just as :
FLAGS AND FUNNELS OF LEADING STEAMSHIP LINES. Sm. Nd. (50). See H.67. ... C82-19
And the text is identical in our updated World Tobacco Issues index, except for a new code, of C504-260.
We do know, though it is not mentioned in any of these books, that there is an error noted on card 33 of this Churchman issue, that being that the flag is on two masts. Now that is something that only a seaman would know, so I have a sneaking suspicion that we can credit Aylmer Maurice Rundle for this discovery!
Monday, 3rd February 2025
Here we have a British Battle-Cruiser of the Tiger Class, which contained just two ships, HMS Queen Mary, built in 1911, and HMS Tiger, built in 1910. Both these are mentioned on the reverse of this card, but we know that they were different sizes, none of which seem to fit with those on the card - HMS Queen Mary being 698 ft long at the waterline and just over 703 ft overall, with a displacement of between 26,780 and 31,486 tons - and HMS Tiger being almost 698 ft at the waterline and 704 feet overall, with a displacement of between 28,800 and 33,677 tons. Both had eight guns. Neither had three torpedo tubes, HMS Tiger having four and HMS Queen Mary only having two. However, in the archives of Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company in Jarrow, the makers of HMS Queen Mary, it is stated that she cost cost £2,078,491 to build, including the guns, the exact figure quoted on this card - whilst those of the John Brown and Company shipyard in Clydebank, the makers of HMS Tiger, quote the cost at £2,593,100.
It seems likely therefore, that this silhouette is of HMS Queen Mary. She was started in 1911 and completed in 1913, and her first battle was at Heligoland in 1914, she then went to Jutland in 1916, where she was hit and destroyed by the German battleship Derflinger, with the loss of 1,266 officers and men. Only twenty men survived, who you can read more about at Jutland Crew Lists
HMS Tiger was the most armed of all the Battle-Cruisers at the start of the First World War, which is almost certainly why she cost more to build, but she was late to join in, only turning up in time for the Battle of Dogger Bank on the 24th of January 1915, possibly only six days before this set was issued. She also fought at Jutland, with her sister, and the second of the battles of Heligoland in 1917, but from the end of 1917 she was sent to patrol the North Sea. After the First World War she served as a gunnery training ship, but had a brief return to glory as a substitute for HMS Hood during its refit at the start of the 1930s, However after that her days were numbered, and she was sold, for scrap, in 1932.
Oddly there was another Tiger class of Battle-Cruisers, the Blake, the Lion, and the Tiger, which were commissioned during the Second World War but did not see service until the end of the 1950s.
This set first appears in our original Churchman reference book, RB.10, published in 1948, where it is listed as :
129. Feb.1915. SILHOUETTES OF WARSHIPS (titled series). Size 2 11/16" x 1 7/16", or 67 x 36 m/m. Numbered 1-50. Silhouettes from "Jane`s Fighting Ships". Fronts printed by letterpress (line blocks) in light blue, sea blue, and black. Backs in blue, with descriptions. Printed by Mardon, Son & Hall. Errors : cards 24 and 37 exist with backs transposed and inverted.
Actually what the card says is "Silhouettes of Warships, a series of 50, from "Fighting Ships". Fred T. Jane. Copyright". "Fighting Ships" was a book, better known as "All The World`s Fighting Ships", or as "Jane`s Fighting Ships". It also had a second volume. "All The World`s Airships", and both were written by John Fredrick Thomas Jane, born on the 6th of August 1865, in genteel Richmond, Surrey.
His father, perhaps oddly, was a vicar, and I say oddly because his son was into things like warships, and toy soldiers, and writing science fiction stories, two of which were published to quite good reviews in the late 1890s.
It was about that time too that he started to collect together all his childhood drawings of warships, with a view to publishing them in a book, which could be kept on board a ship in order to identify friend or foe. He soon realised that it would be better to draw them as silhouettes, the way that they would present themselves on the horizon, rather than taking hours to render the surface of each ship in great detail. The first edition was published in 1898, as "All The World`s Fighting Ships", though it soon became known colloquially as "Jane`s Fighting Ships".
His greatest desire was that it became the standard guide for ship identification, and maybe even be on the list of books that were supplied to Naval shipping. This never really happened, and though the books were often used by the Navy it was always in a very unofficial capacity, self funded by the officers themselves. The main reason for this was that the author was very political, standing as an Independent Candidate in the Portsmouth seat in the 1906 General Election, and frequently disrupting any appearances of the Liberal Party, which he detested.
Sadly he died in March 1916, of influenza, which affected his already weakened heart. By that time he had remarried, though he stressed, rather uncomfortably, that his body was to be buried with his first wife.
Returning to those errors, the ships concerned are the Russian Battleship "Slava (on card 24) and German Dreadnoughts, "Kaiser" Class (on card 37). I have not been able to find these cards, so I cannot say whether they are always the wrong back and printed upside down, or whether sometimes the wrong back is the right way up, making it harder to spot.
By the time of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, this set was simply listed as :
SILHOUETTES OF WARSHIPS. Sm. Nd. 50. ... C82-28
The updated version of this book has the same entry but a new code, of C504-360
Tuesday, 4th February 2025
I apologise for misleading everyone, I originally scanned the wrong card, the one with the framelines, which was not issued in February. That is now sorted out and the right card is showing. However, in my defence, I freely admit that this set is amazingly confusing, and it is no wonder that I have not featured it before. It first appears in our original Wills reference book, part IV, first issued as RB.16, in 1950, as :
152. 52 BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (adopted title). Size 63 x 35 m/m. Unnumbered. Fronts per Fig. 80, lithographed in colour, with Playing Card inset. Issued between 1910-15.
"FOUR ACES" ISSUE.
A. Backs in green with illustration of two "Four Aces" packets."PIRATE" ISSUES - backs in blue, with illustrations of two "Pirate" packets
B. Border to fronts, light blue backs
C. No border to fronts, darker blue back.GENERAL OVERSEAS ISSUES
D. Backs in red, star circle and leaves design (see Fig. 22 page 58)
E. Plain backs, anonymous issue.Similar series issued by Ogden, Player and with "Cigarettes Copain". Although in every case the same 52 subjects were used, in some issues the birds have been redrawn, and the playing card insets entirely reshuffled.
This is slightly amended in part V, RB.19, issued in 1951, which gives just the dates of issue, namely :
152. BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE - see pages 131-132.
Series A was issued in February 1924; series B and C in November, 1914 and February, 1916; series E in February, 1914. Similar series issued by Peninsular Tobacco Co. with "Hawagharri" cigarettes.
The fact that there is no date of issue for series D simply means that it was printed in the country of issue, rather than in England.
The next book it features in is our British American Tobacco booklet, RB.21
That is the code which is referred back to from our original World Tobacco Issues Index, where the listing is much reduced, and the various parts are separated.
- Version A is recorded under section 4.C of the Wills listing, with other issues through `Four Aces Cigarettes`, these being "issued in areas where British Garrisons were stationed, 1924-28". It is catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Playing cards inset. (52). See RB.21/200-152.A ... W62-301. [updated to section 5.C, new code W675-436] - Version B and Version C remain together under section 4.D, `Pirate Cigarettes`, these being "issued in Chinese speaking areas 1907-1928" . It is catalogued as "
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Playing cards inset. (52). "Pirate" brand issue. See RB.21/200-152.B ... W62-312 [updated to section 5.D, new code W675-448]
(a) Front with framelines
(b) Front without framelines - Version D is recorded under section 5.A of the Wills listing, with "Other Export Issues`, specifically those having no Imperial Tobacco Clause, and being issued through British American Tobacco, though they were still printed with the name of W.D. & H.O. Wills. They were "issued chiefly in Channel Islands, Malta, India and Malaya". It is catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Playing cards inset. Back in red, star circle and leaves design. (52). See RB.21/200-152.C ... W62-404." [updated to section 6.A, new code W675-564].
This is actually a bit misleading because it contradicts the code in our Wills booklets, which ascribes the letter C to the non -bordered Pirate issue - Version E is recorded right at the back of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, with the "Z" codes, under "Anonymous Issues (3) - With Plain Back", under section 1.B, "Cards without captions - issues 1900-1917". It is catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Playing cards inset. (52). See RB.21/200-152.D. Issued abroad through B.A.T ... ZH2-22.[updated to the new code ZH02-160]
This is also a bit misleading because it contradicts the code in our Wills booklets, which ascribes the letter D to the general overseas issue. - The Ogden versions, two of them, were exported, and were issued with "Ruler Cigarettes", in India, about 1912-14. It appears under section 5.D of the Ogden listings, as part of the cards circulated by B.A.T., without any Imperial Tobacco Clause. It is catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Playing cards inset. Back with illustrations of two "Ruler" packages (52). See RB.15/36 and RB.21/200-152.F. ... O/2-222. [updated quite a bit, see below]
(a) Front with blue framelines. Back in pale pink violet
(b) Front without framelines. Back in reddish purple - The John Player version was also exported and appears under Player section 3.B, "Issues 1923-30. Chiefly in New Zealand, Malaya and Siam". It is catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Playing cards inset. (52). See RB.21/200-152.G. ... P72-186" [updated to section 4.B, new code P644-612] - "Cigarettes Copain" is a brand name, belonging to British American Tobacco, and you will find those under B.A.T. section 2.H.a, which reads ""Cigarettes Copain". Brand issues, without name of firm, in West Indies, Belgium, and elsewhere. Issued 1927, re-issued 1933." It is catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Playing cards inset. (52). See RB.21/200-152.H. ... B116-131 [updated to section 2.G, new code B705-510] - Peninsular Tobacco Co. Ltd, were based in India, and they were an associate of the British American Tobacco Company. Their cards were issued between 1908 and 1916, and yet again there are two versions of our set, catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. Playing cards inset. Back with illustrations of two "Ruler" packages (52). See RB.21/200-152.I. ... P22-2 [updated quite a bit, see below]
(a) Back with single large packing
(b) Back with two small packings.
Most of this is the same in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, except for the new codes, which we have included above as the codes in brackets which appear at the end of each section. The exceptions are as follows :
- The Ogden versions still appear under section 5.D of the Ogden listings, as part of the cards circulated by B.A.T., without any Imperial Tobacco Clause, but are now catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. 63 x 36. Playing cards inset. Back with illustrations of two "Ruler" packages (52). See RB.115/36 and RB.21/200-152.F. ... O100-820.
A. Front with blue framelines. Back with wording on sides of each packet (a) "Caret" (b) "10 Cigarettes"
B. Front without framelines. Back with wording on sides of each packet "Caret" - The Peninsular Tobacco Co. Ltd, are now catalogued as
"BIRDS OF BRILLIANT PLUMAGE (A). Sm. Unnd. (52). See RB.21/200-152.I. ... P321-090
(a) With playing card inset. Back with single large packing. Picture size 58 x 32.
(b) With playing card inset. Back with two small packings, in shades of brown - olive. Picture size 53 x 31.
(c) No playing card inset. Picture size 52 x 29. Back in brown.
Wednesday, 5th February 2025
Now here we have a last minute card, as I was running very late on Tuesday night - but it turns out to tell a fascinating tale.
Our lady, Grethe Hansen was born on the 12th of December 1911 in Dublin, Ireland, and died on the 14th of March, 1939, in London, aged just twenty-seven. This is obviously nothing to do with the Second World War, so it is very intriguing why she died so young. I`ll find out though...
She is chiefly remembered for a film called "After Dark", released in 1932, a very short one, of less than an hour`s duration, in which a man on a boat has a group of emeralds stolen by a fellow passenger, and then tries to recover them. However she was also in another film, "Britannia of Billingsgate", in which the daughter of a family of fish traders dreams of becoming a movie star when a film crew arrive on site. This picture is from that film, and we know that because this image also appears on a postcard by Raphael Tuck, which comes in two versions, one with the name of that film on it, and one without.
John Mills was also in the film, but today it is really only spoken about because of its connection to sport - part of it being filmed at the speedway track at Leyton, with several top riders of the time, which, oddly, was also the home ground of Clapton Orient F.C. How they got around that, apart from the fact that the two sports were never held simultaneously, was that the speedway track was around the edge of the football pitch. Most curious of all though is the fact that the speedway was there first, from 1928; Clapton Orient did not start to play there until 1930.
She does not appear to have any biography online, but the back of this card tells us that she was "one of the winners of a Film Training Scholarship at the Gaumont British Studios, where she has a contract as a "Baby" star." It also gives her place of birth as Dublin, and tells us that she had been on the stage, in "White Horse Inn at the Coliseum" (which started in 1931, and was the first proper musical at the London Coliseum, in Charing Cross, before that it had been a variety theatre. However I have not found her in the cast list, so it seems likely she was just in the background). Then the card cites her first film "Love on Wheels", with Jack Hulbert, which was released in 1932, but again I cannot find her, so it seems likely she was one of the dancers, etc.
This set is described in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as :
BRITISH FILM STARS. Sm. Dark brown. Nd. (25) ... C82-35
It is exactly the same listing in our updated version except for a new code, of C504-425
Thursday, 6th February 2025
What we have here is a curious set, issued just three years after the administration and awarding of such "Orders of Chivalry" passed into the hands of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. That would oversee another huge change, the creation of a medal called the Order of the British Empire , in 1917, and the date does indeed form the reason why is it recorded as being to recognise contribution to arts, literature, science and the war effort. If it had been set up earlier, or maybe even later, that last section would almost certainly not be there.
The other three medals still awarded are The Order of the Bath, The Order of St Michael and St George, and The Royal Victorian Order.
Our medal is the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, and it was set up by Queen Victoria on what would have been their twenty second wedding anniversary, if he had not died two months before. The original medal was given to their daughter on her conformation day, but it later expanded into a little present for relatives, friends, and staff of whom she was particularly fond. The medal died with her and has not been issued since.
Curiously, it comes in several forms, all of which were awarded to females only, not to men, and most of which were awarded to her own family.
The top three classes, or levels of importance, of ranking within the family, or of duties performed, were as showing here, though the border and the ornamentation decreased the lower you were thought to be, levels one and two included diamonds, and level three, as shown on card 39 of this same series, was just pearls. In fact the reverse of that card 39 tells us that "The 3rd Class of this order is for peeresses who have held high office at Court, or are personal friends of the Sovereign. The heads of Queen Victoria and Prince Consort in this badge are surrounded with a border composed of twenty pearls and four diamonds, in which respect it differs from those of the first and second classes."
The fourth class, though. which appears on card 44 of this set, is actually only a cipher of conjoined initials. The reverse of this card tells us that "The jewelled cypher V. & A. beneath an imperial crown, differing entirely from the Badges of the three classes above it, all of which bear the heads of Queen Victoria and Prince Consort. Worn at or near the left shoulder, attached to a bow of moire white ribbon, The 4th Class is for ladies who have served as Maids of Honour, &c."
The portraits were taken from the medal for the Great Exhibition, which Prince Albert had organised and been so proud of. And there is a further difference, as the version that the Queen wore herself had his head to the front and hers behind, whilst the ones she awarded had her head in front, with him behind, as showing on this card.
Now you will also find our medal on card 14 of Taddy`s 1911 first series of "Orders of Chivalry", and on Thos. Nicholls & Co. of Chester`s, 1916 version of the same set, also called "Orders of Chivalry". The Taddy version has no descriptive text, it just has an advert for "Imperial Tobacco - A ripe full flavoured fine cut tobacco for the pipe. However the Nicholls text is lengthy, and adds to our knowledge, telling us that : "The Royal Order of Victoria and Albert was instituted in 1862, and was composed of the Sovereign and forty-five ladies; the number of members is now greater. The order is divided into four classes, the first of which is composed entirely of Royal personages, British and foreign. The badge of the 1st and 2nd classes is an onyx cameo, with the profiles of the Queen and Prince Consort surmounted by an Imperial crown, The 1st class badge here shown, is set in diamonds, and the 2nd class badge is set in pearls".
This seems to suggest that whomsoever wrote the text for the Nicholls` card was slightly confused and thought the first and second class medals were one and the same - and to be fair, to a non jeweller they would look alike - and then the pearl one was the second class.
This set is first described in our original Ogden`s reference book, R.B.15 Published in 1949, but not very lengthily, simply as :
128. 50. ORDERS OF CHIVALRY. Fronts lithographed in colour. Backs in blue, with descriptive text. Home issue, 1907
This is further reduced in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, to :
ORDERS OF CHIVALRY. Sm. Nd. (50) ... O/2-107
and with this identical text in our updated volume, but a new card code of O100-438
Friday, 7th February 2025
To close our week we have this, the badge and flag of the Norfolk Regiment. This infantry unit began in 1685, as Henry Cornewall`s Regiment of Foot. Despite his name, Henry Cornewall came from Herefordshire, and he was asked to start the regiment by James II, to help defeat the Monmouth Rebellion. After that it travelled widely, to Ireland, Bermuda, Holland, Portugal, Cuba, Florida, and Canada, getting renamed along the way, in 1751, as the 9th Regiment of Foot, before taking part in the American Revolutionary War, where many of its men were either killed or captured.
The prisoners were released in 1782, the same year that the story takes a surprising turn, for in August of that year the regiment was suddenly linked to Norfolk in England, and given the new name of the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment. It did not go there, for some time, its first posting was to the West Indies, and it continued to travel the globe. It did not even have a home in Norfolk until 1873, when it was given Gorleston Barracks, in Great Yarmouth. And it only became "1st Battalion, The Norfolk Regiment" on the first of July 1881, a strange amalgamation with several assorted local volunteer battalions of local men.
After service in the First World War, but not until 1935, it was upgraded to the Royal Norfolk Regiment. And in 1959 it was amalgamated with The Suffolk Regiment to form the 1st East Anglian Regiment (also known as the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk).
This set first appears in our original John Player reference book, RB.17, published in 1950, as :
BADGES & FLAGS OF BRITISH REGIMENTS. Small cards. Fronts in colour. Backs without descriptive text.
19. 50. Brown backs
A. Numbered
B. Unnumbered20. 50. Grey Green backs
A. Thick card
B. Thin cardIssue of item 19 is generally believed to have taken place in February 1904, with Item 20 probably a year or so earlier. Messrs. Player`s records show, however, that the printing of Item 19 was issued in 1910; they have no record of Item 20.
The same 50 Regiments are covered by both series, but the badges in almost every case and flags in most cases vary, sometimes entirely and sometimes in detail only. Back formats are similar, but the cards under Item 20 carry at the four corners the national emblems of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The numbering systems are entirely different. Some colour varieties are known for Item 20. An alphabetical listing for the unnumbered series under 19-B is given below, with corresponding numbers for 19-A and 20.
That will be scanned in tomorrow.
Now they are right when it says above "the badges in almost every case and flags in most cases vary, sometimes entirely.." because here is the grey green version, where it is card 21.
The first thing I noticed is that the two have an entirely different motto - our red card calling them "The Fighting Ninth", referring to their Regimental number, and the grey-green calling them "The Holy Boys". I have tracked down the origins of "The Holy Boys" and it dates from their service in the Peninsular War, in Spain, when the local people believed their badge was of the Virgin Mary rather than Britannia. However they would have more likely called them "Los Ninos Santos", or the little saints.
Look too at the flag, and our original red backed card has the Union Jack in the top corner, with the battle honours in two columns - whereas this grey green backed card shows no flag, just a number one and the battle honours in diagonal formation round what looks like a spray of laurel. The number one is important though, because if you remember from above, it was on the first of July, 1881, that they were given a new title, their former "9th Regiment" being replaced by "1st Battalion, The Norfolk Regiment".
Lastly, Britannia is on a yellow background inside a wreath, on which are the battle honours, on the red backed card, but just against a white background here on the grey-green one.
Our original World Tobacco Issues Index describes them as :
BADGES & FLAGS OF BRITISH REGIMENTS. Sm. (50). See RB.17/19-20 ... P72-17
A. Back in brown. See H.341. (a) Unnumbered (b) Numbered.
B. Back in green. Subjects mostly revised, with different numbering.
In the updated version the text reads the same, but there is a new card code, of P644-044
So there we go, and so must I, into the Land of Nod, for as long as I get until I am interrupted in my slumber by a request to use the bathroom, either by mum or from nipper. On a rainy night I prefer to answer mum`s call, surprisingly, for nipper needs to go out and use the garden, and he is not in the slightest bit concerned that he is getting soaking wet, so he wanders about in the hunt of exciting scents, maybe because he knows that there will be a warm towel waiting to enclose him when he gets indoors. No warm towel for me though.
I hope that you enjoyed this week`s cards, it was a change to have so many cigarette ones, and I did have the extra time to do that, even though it slightly beat me in the end to get them all researched. The problem was that as I went along the links took me back to books I had already returned, which is fun, but time consuming. The few I failed to complete will be done over the weekend though, and I will add them to the front page banner when they are complete.
Thanks again for tuning in. And I will be back with another newsletter next week