And so, just like that, we hit the weekend again. We are now half way through February, and heading, rapidly, towards March. On which note, if any thematic collectors are looking forward to an anniversary in their specialist subject, do let us know, as we may like to feature it, as well as some of your cards, if you wish.
S.A. COLGATE-Palmolive-Peet [trade : cosmetics : O/S - Holland and France] "Cendrillon / Assepoester" (1950) 8/12
It seems fitting that at the end of a week in which I have, at last, mentioned Valentine`s Day, that we should start the next one with one of the most romantic stories of all time, Cinderella - in which she is reunited with her prince solely because of the unwarranted discarding of a glass slipper.
Research has found that before Cinderella, there was another tale, about a Greek slave, called Rhodopis, who ended up marrying an Egyptian pharoah after he found her sandal. Her story was first told by Strabo, of Greece, just as we moved from B.C. in to A.D - though there is evidence that he merely altered a story, by Herodotus, about a Thracian courtesan, tellingly also called Rhodopis. However she did not have to marry anyone, she was simply freed. And there was no mention of any sandal.
If we move on many centuries, we come to what is considered to be the first card to feature Cinderella, Duke`s "Fancy Dress Ball Costumes" (issued in 1889) - this names Maude Millett as the actress, and she was born Ethel Maude Millett, in November 1867, in the Punjab, where her father was a Colonel. I cannot find that she ever played Cinderella on stage, and at that time, or since 1804, anyway, it was performed as a pantomime, rather than a serious play.
It seems that in the United Kingdom there were only two more Cinderella cards before the outbreak of the Second World War - both issued in 1924, one being Carreras` "Figures of Fiction" (card 3) and the other being Cadbury`s "Fairy Tales" (card 8). Now, oddly, there was a film version of Cinderella released in 1924, but in America, as what is known as a "short", referring to the length of the film. This was by Herbert M. Dawley Productions, and he also made several other fairy tales in 1924 and 1925.
Returning to cards, especially early ones, if you include European cards, where she is known as Cendrillon, there are quite a few, including whole sets by Liebig (F.211 : S.211 - issued in 1888) and by Chocolat Poulain. Another avenue to explore are sets featuring characters by Charles Perrault, whose "Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre" was first published in 1697 - and not only made her the slipper into glass, as named in the title, but added a pumpkin, and a fairy-godmother.
Our card celebrates a different style altogether, a cartoon, with music, which was produced by Walt Disney, and released today, seventy-five years ago, in 1950. Now the Disney Studios had been quite badly affected by the Second World War; the films they had made in 1940 and 1941, of Bambi and Pinocchio, were unable to be screened as usual in Europe, and even where. and when, they were shown, the audiences were very low. His studio complex was almost completely taken over during the Second World War, and turned into an anti-aircraft base, whilst his animators were either drafted to fight, or called on to produce propaganda. This meant that when the war ended, he was seriously in debt. It then took a long time for things to recover, and the net result was that he did not even think about making another film until 1948.
He wanted something uplifting, to give hope to those who most needed it. In the end, after several stories were suggested and abandoned he hit on the tale of Cinderella, someone literally from the ashes, who rose to marry a prince, thanks to magic. In fact, he had made Cinderella before, in the 1920s, as a short film, under ten minutes long. This time he wanted to tell the whole story, and also make it even more amusing, as well as to raise the profile of the animals, the cat, and the mice who were turned, eventually, into the white horses that pulled the pumpkin coach, and the horse, who for once in their life, got to take the reins in their own hands, and become the coachman.
The film took years to draw and animate, and it was not released until today, in 1950. It was an immediate hit, perhaps because it was so joyful, that people did go simply to be cheered up and to get away from the drudgery and dullness of their post war lives. And it was rewarded with three Academy Award nominations, for Best Original Song (losing out to "Mona Lisa" from the movie "Captain Carey, U.S.A.), Best Musical Score (which it won), and Best Sound Mixing (which went to "All About Eve")
This card was issued by Colgate, in Holland, and it is one of a set of twelve, using designs directly from the Disney Studios. The number of the card is at the centre of the back, and the text is printed in both French and Dutch, which tells us why these cards are quite scarce in the United Kingdom, and very sought after in America. They are quite large though, about five by eight inches. On the back it mentions products, with which we think these cards were inserted, they are Palmolive Zeep soap, Cadum Zeep soap, PEO, Colgate toothpaste, Halo and Lustre cream shampoos, Palmolive brilliantine, and other products by Palmolive, Colgate and Cadum.
Now I have been told that Cadum also issued a set of Cinderella cards, on the packets, but I am waiting to hear more about these.
O Pee Chee [trade : gum : O/S - Canada] "Hockey 1972-73" (1972) 253/340
This started out as the Battle of Torrington, today in 1646, which I thought would allow me to feature another back from Smith`s "Battlefields" but I could not find any reference to it in that set, oddly, as it proved the end of any Royalist resistance in the West Country.
Anyway we therefore have this card, showing the Stanley Cup, because of something very strange indeed, and that was exactly twenty years ago, when the entire National Hockey League season for 2005 was cancelled. This was due to a strike, over the NHL`s intention to start capping the salaries of the players, the details of which were opposed by the NHLPA, or the National Hockey League Players Association. They were not entirely opposed to the scheme, they just felt that there was a better way to implement it.
The strike began on September the 16th, 2004, which, oddly, was almost ten years since another strike, over the same thing, salaries, though in that case it was more of a luxury tax on the highest earners. That strike lasted from October the 1st, 1994, until of January the 11th, 1995, and almost five hundred games were cancelled, including the All Star one. However the season did resume, and the Stanley Cup was awarded.
It is said that if that strike, or maybe the concerns over the salaries, had been handled better, the 2004 one would never have occurred, for there would have been no lingering grievances to rehash. But despite lots of attempts by either side to reach some kind of equitable solution all failed, and after unsuccessful talks on February the 13, 2005, the NHL commissioner had no choice but toofficially cancel the season three days later.
A lot of hockey fans think that there may have been an agreement, if it had not have been leaked that non league players had been asked to make up teams instead of the official ones, some had already been practising, and that money had been offered to players who were thought to be willing to become scabs and play on regardless.
And so not only were almost thirteen hundred games left unplayed, the Stanley Cup was not awarded, for the first time ever.
I will not tell you the whole story of the Stanley Cup, because the Hockey Hall of Fame does it so much better. But I will say that it was donated by an Englishman, in 1892.
I will also say that it is a very popular trophy, cartophilically, and the Trading Card Database says that at the time of typing this there are two hundred and sixty-five cards showing just the cup, though some of these are sectional and make up a larger picture thereof.
Now I do have a question about this card, because if you look at the back the final line of the scores is different, but I do not know why. Can anyone explain that?
A. & B.C. Gum [trade : gum : UK] "Civil War News" (1965) 59/88 - AAB-150 : ABF-4
I have been after featuring this set for some time, but every time I found a date that was on a card the picture was too gruesome. This one is not so bad though, so here it is. And its an amazing story.
This is the Hunley, also known as the CSS Hunley, or the H.L. Hunley. Now CSS is like our HMS, and it stands for Confederate Sailing Ship. The H.L. initials, though, are different, they relate to its designer, Horace Lawson Hunley, who was killed on October the 15th, 1863 aged almost forty.
His submarine may hold the honour of being the first submarine to successfully sink an enemy vessel, but its career was otherwise a disaster. Its demonstration was to sink an old barge that, by the sound of it was almost sunk anyway, but as it managed to do the job it was given to General Beauregard, the first brigadier general in the Confederate States Army.
He started official tests, during one of which over half the crew of nine men were killed when a ship passed her during the test and its waves flooded in through the hatches, which had not been closed, something thought to be unnecessary as she was unable to go fully beneath the waves. The men who survived, four of them, swam out through those hatches as the ship sunk to the bottom of the sea.
The submarine was raised, and another crew found, but whilst on an exercise, in October 1863, the submarine sank again, with the loss of all men aboard, one of whom was H.L. Hunley himself.
For some reason, the submarine was once more raised, and sent to war, named posthumously in honour of its creator, H.L. Hunley, which is when it sank the USS Housatonic, in the event shown on this card. Five men on the Housatonic were killed, but the Hunley was also sunk in the attempt, with the loss of all eight hands, and this time she was left at the bottom of the sea.
In 1995, she was discovered, and brought ashore five years later. Today she is in a museum in North Carolina, called the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. They, along with a group of skilled enthusiasts, and Duke University, have done extensive research on her, and in the process have come to the opinion that she was very close to her prey, perhaps less then twenty feet, and that both submarine and ship were sunk by the same explosion.
In fact there is a bit of missing information there, because it appears that what is called "the torpedo" was simply what amounts to a bomb, with a long fuse, possibly even a burning rope, stuck to a length of wood. This was poked out towards the ship by the men, and the fuse lit as it departed, then, when the fuse burned out, the explosives detonated.
Now this card is an authorised reprint, of a set, originally drawn by the renowned Norman Saunders, which was released, in America, in 1962 by Topps. This is the British version, by A & B.C. Gum - but there were also issues in Canada and France (or maybe this is in French for Canada, rather than for France in Europe) as well as a later, Spanish language, one, which is thought to have been circulated not in Spain but in Mexico.
Our British version is kind of easy to spot as at the bottom of the reverse of each it says "(c) A & B.C. PRINTED IN ENGLAND", whilst the American ones say, in the same place, and in larger letters, "(c) T.C.G. PRINTED IN U.S.A.". This is a bit more complex than it at first appears, though, because if we turn to our Australian and New Zealand Index, and go to Scanlens, it tells us that their set of "Civil War News and Banknotes" were "Issued 1965, reissued 1969, wrappers inscribed "Civil War Picture Card Bubble Gum - Plus Free Confederate Dollars", with A & B.C. Name. So that means there is no way to tell the Australian version from the English.
As usual I have digressed. For the actual first appearance of this set in is in the “Latest New Issues” section of “The Cartophilic Notes & News” magazine dated May/June 1965. (Vol.1, No.3). That was written by Clifford Duge, the New Issues Editor of the time, and it reads :
A. & B.C. Chewing Gum Co. “Civil War News” No. in Series ? This series consists of scenes from the American Civil War. They are coloured with white borders and have a small white panel showing the date of the attack depicted on the card. The reverse side is printed in the form of a newspaper headed “Civil War News” with the date and report of the battle scene. A number appears in the right hand corner and the highest I have seen is No. 85. With each card is enclosed a facsimile of a Confederate dollar bill but I do not know how many can be collected. I have three: Five, Five Hundred and Thousand Dollar Bills. The cards and dollar bills are issued with Civil War Picture Card Bubble Gum which state that an album can be obtained for 1s. 0d. plus 5 wrappers, but again I do not think it is a specially prepared album. Size of card, 3 ¼” x 2 ¾”, approximately”
These banknotes are discussed separately, in our newsletter of the 26th of February, 2022 and they are first up, on Saturday the 26th of February.
Going back to the cards, trouble started quickly, and in the next edition of “The Cartophilic Notes & News” magazine dated July/August 1965. (Vol.1, No.4) in the editorial, by A. E. Arnold, appeared :
Another complaint about “horror” cards has appeared in the press – this time in the “Daily Mirror” of June last. Mr. E. G. Knight sent the cutting from which it appears that the Residents Association in Hove have collected the set of 88 cards issued with pictures of bubble gum and have written to their M.P. asking him to take up the matter with the Home Office. One card shows a soldier pierced through the body by a bayonet. Blood is spurting from the wound. Others show soldiers being blown up or on fire or run over by the wheel of a cannon. The general complaint is that these cards are “gruesome and gory” and harmful to children. If as a result of official action these cards cease to be distributed those collectors with a lot of duplicates will find their stock go up in value and their missing numbers more elusive than ever.
As far as its first appearance in a reference book, that came in our original British Trade Index part II, published in 1969, where it appears as :
CIVIL WAR NEWS. Md. 31 x 56. American Civil War 1861-64. Nd. (88) as USA/R.709-5. Issued with Set ZG9-1 ... ABF-4
ZG9-1 are the banknotes.
This is amended in our British Trade Index part III, to :
ABF-4 (CIVIL WAR NEWS). Issued 1965 with Anonymous set ZG9-1 (Bank Notes). Reissued 1969 in Australia. Issued with Set ZG9-1 ... ABF-3
Then in our updated British Trade Index it appears as :
CIVIL WAR NEWS. 1965. 81 x 56. Nd. (88). American Civil War. Issued with Civil War Banknotes, see AAB-140. Reissued 1969 in Australia, also issued in French ... AAB-150
LIEBIG [trade : meat extract : O/S - South America] "Monuments de Savants Celebres" / "Monuments to Celebrated Scientists" (1903) Un/6 - F.743 : S.742
Today`s event is not a Centenary either, but it is two hundred and eighty years since the birth of Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta, in Como, Italy.
He is best known today as the name behind the unit of measurement called the "volt". However he was also the inventor of the voltaic pile, a kind of giant battery, and the means by which it was proved that electricity could be generated with chemicals, and not just produced by living beings.
In 1774, he took the position of professor of physics at the Royal School in Como. It was whilst there that his work on static electricity first led him to fame, though he neither discovered its existence nor invented the machine with which he could demonstrate his findings - both of those things actually being credited to the Swedish Johan Carl Wilcke, eight years earlier.
Perhaps his rashly claiming these things was why within a couple of years he had abandoned his studies and moved over to investigating gases. Again he was helped by others, his discovery of methane was instigated by reading of Benjamin Franklin`s work on what he called "flammable air"; though he did manage to isolate it, and conduct several very important experiments, he did not just change the name and claim discovery. And he also worked on an early form of capacitor, a device which stores electrical energy (otherwise known as electricity). Such things were known before too, especially within the Europe, but they involved glass jars, filled with water, both heavy and bulky to work with in a scientific laboratory as well as being easy to damage.
In 1779, he became professor of experimental physics at the University of Pavia in Italy. He was there for almost forty years, during which he found a bride and produced three sons. This seems to be when he also met Napoleon Bonaparte, who became a great supporter, and asked him to demonstrate his inventions several times, rewarding him with many honours. as well as with a substantial fund to spend on scientific instruments, a hundred and fifty of which are still in the University museum.
In 1823, Alessandro Volta began to feel unwell, and had a series of unexplained illnesses, which led to him dropping out of public life. He died in 1827, aged eighty two, and his age was noted as the reason. However there are suggestions that those illnesses may have been caused by some of his experiments, and the substances he had used in them, but this has never been proven. His monument, as shown on this card, is at the University in Pavie.
This is a really unusual card, and the rest are just as strikingly coloured, with brilliant red corners to the top. If you look closely at these corners, the name of their scientific speciality is also shown, in very thin letters, either to the left or right, though Arago and Volta are at the top, above the wreath. and their country is also shown, as part of the title banner. The wreaths vary in position, some, like our card, being at the bottom, and others being at the top.
The scientists depicted, along with the location of their monument, are :
- Francois Arago - Astronomie (T) - Perpignan
- Charles Linne - Botanique (L) - Stockholm
- Isaac Newton - Physique (L) - Cambridge
- Joseph Ressel - Mechanique (L) - Vienna
- Justus von Liebig - Chimie (R) - Munich
- Alexandre Volta - Electricitie (T) - Pavie
It was issued in France, Holland and Italy. and we think it was designed to accompany another set, "Monuments to Great Generals", which is F.7042 or S.0741
W.D. & H.O. WILLS [tobacco : UK - Bristol] "Best Dogs of their Breed" - `Specialities` export brands (1914) /50 - W675-342.B : W62-217.B : W62-217.B : W/48.B [RB.14/48.B]
This was the day which held me back, there is always one, I really held out way too long looking for a Cracker Jack toy, for they were supposed to have first been inserted today in 1912 or 1913. However, in the absence of those, and with the feeling that many readers might not even consider them cartophilic. we have gone instead for National Whippet Day.
Now this day was only inaugurated in 2023, so it is a very new one to the calendar. It was started by Debbie Humphreys, who wrote a book for would-be whippet owners, called "Life With a Whippet: Understanding Their Quirks & Needs for Harmonious Companionship".
Now it turns out that my initial worries about having a Wills card so near to the closing time were quite quickly dispelled, as I have featured this set before, and as a Card of the Day, on the 5th of August, 2024, but in another version, issued by Ogdens, in India, with the "Polo" brand. That relieves me from making this the home page of all seven varieties, and means I only need to insert the Wills references.
These start with RB.14 – The Cigarette Card Issues of W.D. & H.O. Wills Parts I and II (revised) and Part III. edited by Edward Wharton-Tigar and completed in March 1949. In this volume it is recorded as :
48. 50. BEST DOGS OF THEIR BREED. Size 64 x 36 m/m. Fronts lithographed in colour; back sin brown with descriptive text. Australian issues about 1916.
A. With "Havelock" advertisement on backs, see Fig.39
B. With "Wills`s Specialities" advertisement on backs.
C.No brand advertised (anonymous issue).As the format of the backs of this series is so similar to that of other Australian issues it has been so classified. The cards are, however, comparatively scarce in Australia and are much more frequent in collections made in India and at other points in the East. Similar series issued by Ogden. The same basic studies were used for a series printed on satin, large size cards mounted on thin board, anonymous silks.
It next appears in RB.21, our British American Tobacco reference book, issued in 1952, as :
200-48. BEST DOGS OF THEIR BREED. The small card printings of this series are recorded in W/48 and RB.15/32. There are also large size silk fronted printings, and all are summarised below :-
A. Wills` Havelock issue. Small cards.
B. Wills` Specialities issue. Small cards.Printings A-C and E have backs with brief details of dog, and bear the series title. Printing D does not bear the series title, and has backs without details of dog.
The front of this book gives dates of issue, as supplied by Wills themselves, and that states that both these sets were issued in Australia, in 1914. Those with "Havelock" were issued in that one brand, whilst "Wills` Specialities" covered several brands, all listed on the reverse.
By the time of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, the sets are listed, still together, as :
BEST DOGS OF THEIR BREED. Sm. 63 x 36. Nd (50). See W/48 ... W62-217
A. "Havelock" back. Brand issue.
B. "Wills`s Specialities" back
I thought the anonymous set had been moved, but could not find it, however in the updated version of this book it is restored, and the text now reads :
BEST DOGS OF THEIR BREED. Sm. 63 x 36. Nd (50). See W/48 ... W675-342
A. "Havelock" back. Brand issue. B. "Wills`s Specialities" back
C. Anonymous back "Wills Cigarettes" on front.
I am not certain if "C" here is the same set, because this is the first mention of the front carrying Wills` name, in fact I was looking for it under the Z codes. But I still cannot find it under Wills in the original World Tobacco Issues Index.
As this set, just like the Ogdens "Polo", has a descriptive text, we have a dog to research too, or two, as the names on the back of this card are for a dog and a bitch. The front of the card definitely shows the dog, who is Ch. Manorley Maori. He was born on the 25th of April, 1902, by a Mr. Renwick, and owned by the Bottomley brothers of Bradford in Yorkshire. Now Mr. Renwick could possibly be W. Lewis Renwick who is recorded as a noted breeder and keeper of whippets, and as the leading authority on the breed. I could not find the Bottomley brothers. However, I did find the Kennel Club register for Ch. Manorley Maori, and that proves I was slightly wrong above, for he was by Ch. Shirley Wanderer (who was a male, and his sire) out of Princess Alice (his mother).
Now as well as a champion showdog, he was also a popular stud dog. I will not mention this to nipper, who is already investigating the possibilities of his equipment, but does not yet know that they could give him a career option. The progeny of our dog include Manorley Merman, born in 1907. In fact, in the Whippet Breed Archive it is recorded that "Many great whippets of the last century trace back to Ch. Shirley Wanderer and his son Ch. Manorley Maori. They may be regarded as pillars of the breed.". And there is even a photo of our dog.
It is Manorley Merman who has added a lot to our tale, not least the fact that he was famed enough to be advertised as a stud dog in the programme for Crufts Dog Show. He was bred by Fred H. Bottomley, who retained ownership. In fact it seems likely that he used the Manorley name not Mr. Renwick, and that all dogs with this prefix, right into the 1930s, originated with him. Manorley Minoru, the brother, of sorts, to Manorley Merman, took first place in the open dog class at Crufts in 1910, and a third in 1912. I say "brother, of sorts" because the sire and dam of our dog were later brought together again and had another litter, so they are technically brothers, but not born at the same time.
After Fred H. Bottomley died, his brother in law seems to have taken the strain over, and moved them to Fairfield House in Baildon, near Shipley in West Yorkshire. This points to the fact that the other Bottomley brother was already dead, maybe why his trail is so cold.
C.H.L. Gartmann [trade : chocolate : O/S - Altona, Germany] "Urteire" (1912) - serie 336, bild 5
Today we celebrate this creature, which was the first to be scientifically and validly named as an a non-avian dinosaur species, by William Buckland, who, astoundingly, was later to become the Dean of Westminster, from 1845 until his death in 1856. And he announced his findings today, in 1824, at the Geological Society of London`s meeting in Covent Garden.
His love of history, and of fossils started young and were enhanced by his studying at Oxford, and it is rather fitting that his Megalosaurus bucklandii, is at Oxford University Museum of Natural History, along with two renowned skeletons that were discovered in that area in the 1870s, not that long after his death. During his lifetime most of the dinosaurs were single bones, and seldom identified, let alone pieced together correctly.
After his graduation, he stayed on, as a teacher, first of mineralogy and then geology. In his spare time, he hunted in local quarries for bones. It was at Stonesfield, near Witney, that he found the teeth and bones of this creature, which he called megalosaur, meaning `great lizard` for he estimated it to be seventy feet long. This was incorrect, and later research dropped it to about thirty feet long. However, from what he had, not so bad.
This card well predates the one which is generally regarded as the megalosaur`s "Rookie" card, that being no.16 of Brooke Bond`s "Prehistoric Animals", issued in 1972.
Also earlier than that, perhaps the earliest of all, is Suchard`s "Animaux Prehistoriques et Leurs Equivalents Modernes", which thinks its modern equivalent is the common otter. Sadly there is but an advertisement back to this one.
Whilst it is also found as card 7 of Cavanders` "Peeps into Prehistoric Times", issued in 1931, with a text, that reads "Megalosaurus Bucklandi. Remains of this Dinosaur can be seen in the Natural History Museum. It lived some 100 million years ago, walking on its hind limbs and preying on other creatures, such as Polacanthus, which it is here seen in the act of destroying. It was about 20 feet long and armed with large sabre-like teeth. W.E. Swinton B.Sc., F.Z.S."
Looking him up has found that he wrote a book, "Monsters of Primeval Days", which was issued, in paperback, in 1931 - and which used a very similar picture as on these cards for the illustration on the front cover.
By the way I also checked up on something else, and yes, the megalosaurus was indeed a carnivore, so I do wonder what it is doing here, munching on a spring onion, albeit a large one...
The rest of this set are :
- Naosaurus
- Hylaeosaurus
- Riesentintenfisch
- Riesenhirsch
- Megalosaurus
- Glyptodon
Now it gets confusing, because there is another set, also with "Gartmann Chocolade" to the front, and marked up as series 336. It was actually issued before ours, in 1901, but then it was re-issued in 1923 as series 546. Luckily the 1923 version is not a straight reprint, it has a much larger "Gartmann Shockolade" logo to the front. The cards in this set, of either printing, are :
- Mammut
- Chirotherium
- Plesiosaurier
- Dinosaurier
- Pterodactylus
- Mytodon
Suchard [trade : chocolate : O/S - Neuchatel, Switzerland] "Monuments" - series 137 (19??) 9/12
And last, but not least, we have this, the Washington Monument. It is indeed a monument to George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, and it is said that the column is five hundred feet high and the pyramid at the top is fifty-five feet high, making the magic number of 555 - though it is actually slightly smaller than that.
Another untruth is that it is solid, but it is not, inside there are nine hundred stairs around the walls, and a lift in the centre. And at one time, yes, it was the world`s tallest structure, overtaking Cologne Cathedral in 1884, (which is on card six of this set) but in 1889 the Eiffel Tower (which is on card 5) beat them both. However the Washington Monument remains the world`s tallest obelisk.
One fun fact is that it was begun in 1848, but ran out of money when they were about a hundred and fifty feet up. Originally there was to have been a covered colonnade as well but there was not the money to even start that. Then the Civil War came along. When it was restarted in 1877, they used a different marble, and it is quite noticeable.
It opened on November the 9th, 1888. At that time, and until 1976, you could climb the stairs, along which were memorial stones. They were closed off due to, and I quote "health issues, vandalism and horseplay"
Now the Washington Monument was featured in the X Files, but only on the game set which I have used before. So instead of that we have this card, a Suchard.
The other cards are :
- Milan - Duomo di Milano
- London - St Paul`s Cathedral
- Rome - St. Peter`s Basilica
- Paris - The Eiffel Tower
- Cologne - The Cathedral
- Pisa - The Leaning Tower
- Vienna - St. Stephen`s Cathedral
- Washington - The Washington Monument
- Florence - Palazzo Vecchio
- Madrid - ?
- Chicago - ?
This week's Cards of the Day...
for some strange reason, saw me come over all sentimental and deciding to chat about love and romance, for Valentine`s Day.
The story of Valentine`s Day is an odd one, for it celebrates St. Valentine, a man who helped lovers to run away and become wed when everyone but them thought it was a very bad idea. It seems to have first been celebrated in the year 496, but I will have to research that more. However the idea of sending cards only came in when Queen Victoria was on the throne.
So our clue cards this week were..... :
Saturday, 8th February 2025
This card started us off with the centre of affection, the heart - and there are five hearts on the top of this card.
How we got to associate the heart with love is rather curious, and it all started with plants, the leaves of many of which were similarly shaped - including the sacred lotus. At that time very little was known of the heart, and indeed the Greek "Father of Medicine", Galen, described it as looking like a pine cone, though he also believed it only had three chambers, the fourth was not discovered until Leonardo da Vinci. However there is a possibility that Galen examined a badly diseased and malformed heart. The strange thing is that the first connection in art between a heart and love is in a mid thirteenth century French manuscript, and the heart shown is a pine cone shape. It was also shown the wrong way up, right until the fifteenth century - and this abrupt turn around seems to have come by accident, when the symbol was chosen to denote a suit of playing cards. However this leads us to the strange realisation that they were, and we may be, using our "heart" cards upside down.
Here we have Matt Lynch, who was born in November 1916. That seems as if he must have been ancient when he appeared on this card but he would only have been thirty-two. He has the most excellent biography at Celtic Wiki /ML so I will divert you there.
We had a bit of a quick change round here, and replaced the card originally shown with another set from the same issuer, for when I went to enter this in the index I found we had used the "Popular Footballers" set before.
The home page for all the Kiddy`s Favourites sets can be found with that card, which was our Card of the Day for the 21st of October, 2023 - so here we will only record the details for this set, which appear in our original British Trade Index part II, RB.27, issued in 1969, as :
POPULAR PLAYERS. Sm. Footballers. Nd. ... KHM-7
1. Five red hearts at top of front (75)
2. Three red shamrocks at top of front (52).
Now in our updated British Trade Index there has been a big change, for our set is now described as :
POPULAR FOOTBALLERS. 55 x 32. Five red hearts across top of front. Nd.as "Series of 75", only 52 issued. Nos. omitted 10/11, 13, 19/20, 25/9, 34/8, 44/6, 50/2, 65, 73. Issued in booklets of 10. KID-160
whilst the cards with the shamrocks have been renamed "POPULAR PLAYERS. 1950. Nd. Three red shamrocks at top of front. 66-67 x 41 (52). ... KID-190"
Our man does not seem to appear in the Trading Card Database, but he is card 42 in the shamrock version.
The text on that back is slightly different to our card as well, and it reads "After 12 years at Parkhead Lynch was granted a free transfer at the end of last season but did not take long to get fixed up again. A good type, Lynch has been studying at University and has excellent coaching experience which will go a long way in helping the youngsters." Now our card tells us that he "Has been with Celtic since 1935 and is now doing grand work in coaching the youngsters". This seems to suggest that the shamrock cards came first, because Parkhead is the Celtic Ground, so after he had been there for twelve years it would have been 1947 - and our card, issued in 1948.
Sunday, 9th February 2025
Here we have something long associated with love and romance, and that is picking flowers for your sweetheart. I am not so keen on cut flowers, and think it far better to have a plant that will grow in your garden for many years as a permanent reminder, even once the lover, and the love has gone away.
Associating flowers with romance is another Victorian invention. They created a whole language of what flowers meant, either as a single stem or in combination with others. Some say this was because they were too tightly laced to express their feelings in words, but it seems likely that they just enjoyed knowing that the recipient would have to look closely at the bouquet and find out what it meant. Several plants meant secret love, and were no doubt delivered anonymously. But if you sent someone a carnation, that was pretty much the end, for it means I do not love you, or we cannot be together. Though whilst the first statement is the end, there are ways around the second if the vibes are strong enough.
A very attractive card from a lovely set, and the colours are so bright. The title is not on the cards, but this scan was a donation from Mr. Sharpe, and he also knew the title so I am doubly grateful. The numbers are rather well hidden too, but they are in one of the corners. He also supplied us with this list of some of the cards, and would love to know the ones he is missing :
- Tulipes - Tulipa - Tulpen [Velma] - Tulips
- Viola Odorata - Veilchen [Kakao] - Violets
- Mimosas - Mimosa - Mimosen [Chocolat Suchard] - Acacia Blossom
- Oeiletts - Dianthus Caryophyllus - Nelken [Miilka] - Carnations
- Crocus Sativus - Krokus [Schokolade Suchard] - Crocuses
- Tournesols - Helianthus Annuus - Sonnenrosen [Milka Suchard] - Sunflowers
Monday, 10th February 2025
Here is a spot of "Romance Sentimentale", the classic tale of a young man singing whilst his lady love plays the piano - except that they are frogs. It reminds me of the saying that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before one turns into a handsome prince. I have to say I rather like frogs and I am very sad that they no longer frequent the pond in the back garden. indeed, but with frogs. Such fun, and frogs are fairly musical, when they go a-wooing with their croaking serenades.
In several countries, frogs are thought of as good fortune, possibly because they shape-shift as they grow older in order to survive; first the spawn and the tadpole, and then the growth of lungs so that they can come out of the surface. This us almost certainly why they are also connected with magic and witchcraft, and their parts, especially their eyes, were often included in love potions by people of the Jewish faith.
That which I have selected for this set may not be the title, but it translates to "Animals dressed up", and for the want of anything else it can stay temporarily. They are definitely anthropomorphised, or portrayed doing things that are more normal for humans.
There seems to be two sets, based on the fact that sometimes the words "CHOCOLAT FELIX POTIN" are all the same size but much more spread out along the top of the card, and at other times they appear, as ours, to have a larger first letter ("C", "F", and "P") at the start of each word. I am not really sure how to denote this so I have gone for [CH] and [Ch] respectively, though the words are all in capitals. It is starting to appear that you can find the same card with either version.
Some also say "VOIR AU VERSO", which make it appear that there is a description on the back, but if you turn it over there is an advert. I have marked these with a *V*, and you can find the up and down style capitalization with and without it. So maybe there were three sets? Or four, if anyone has an all large capitals card which also says "VOIR AU VERSO"?
The cards that have been found so far are recorded by the title, but I have also added the animals, as this is not always apparent from the title. They are :
- Consultation savante [donkeys] - [Ch & Ch*V]
- En avante deux [bears] - [CH & Ch]
- La carpe et la brochet [fish] - [CH & Ch*V]
- Le dejeuner du lion [lion] - [CH & Ch]
- Le rat de ville et le rat du champs [rats, though we say the town mouse and the country mouse] - [CH & Ch & Ch*V]
- Le retour de la noce [pigs] - [Ch*V]
- Les Fins Diplomates [foxes] - [CH]
- Menage de tigres [tigers] - [Ch & Ch*V]
- Romance Sentimentale [frogs] - [CH & Ch]
- Une affaire d`honneur [rabbits] - [CH]
Tuesday, 11th February 2025
Oh what a lovely set! And it is even better now I know the title and the Fada and Sanguinetti numbers.
The word "Cherchez" translates to "search for", and relates to the fact that there is something hidden in the picture, though I will be honest, I cannot ever see these sort of things. However the next part of the title on each card is slightly different, namely
- CROQUET - Cherchez l’amour. Ou est le quatrième joueur? -
[search for the lover. Where is the fourth player (our card) - BICYCLING - Cherchez le chien. Ou est le troisieme bicycliste?
[search for the dog. Where is the third cyclist] - HORSE RACING - Cherchez le coureur. Ou est la deuxieme amazone?
[search for the racer. Where is the second Amazon?] - HUNTING - Cherchez le Lievre. Ou est La Chouette?
[search for the hares. Where is the owl?] - LAWN TENNIS - Cherchez le joueur de lawn tennis. Ou est le nain?
[search for the player of lawn tennis. Where is the dwarf?] - ROWING - Cherchez le petit pêcheur. Ou est le spectateur?
[search for the little fisherman, or maybe woman. Where is the spectator?]
Now I showed these to someone else and they instantly spotted what I never would have, and that is that the title is a clue. In our case, "search for the lover" is actually search for Cupid, who is pictured on the card, and if you look about him you will find the fourth player. I can`t, even now, but I hope you do, and, more importantly, that you have fun.
And I have just been told, that you can have even more fun, because the cards are shown online courtesy of the Jerry Slocum Mechanical Puzzle Collection at the Indiana University in Bloomington.
This set was issued in several versions, French, German, and Spanish - and there was a follow up set, Sports II, in horizontal format, but without the hidden object to discover, the following year. There must also have been a "Sports I", somewhere, but as to whether or not it had a hidden object I do not know.
Wednesday, 12th February 2025
Lets start with the song, "Somebody Loves Me", which was written, both the words and the music, by Hattie Starr, and sung by Josephine Sabel. However neither of these ladies names appear on this card, only the name of the publisher does, and that was Willis Woodward & Co., of 842-844 Broadway, New York.
Hattie Starr actually appears on two cigarette cards from Duke`s "Actors and Actresses" (N.145-7) and you can see both of them online at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This either means that she was also an actress, or that the set included theatrical and musical personalities from in front of, and behind the screen.
i have also found Josephine Sabel, on a Little Rhody Cut Plug card, at Ohio State University This was a brand used by Geo. F. Young & Bro., who also sold "Grand Victory" cigars. At one time they were based at 29, Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island. I don`t know much else about them yet, but will look them up tomorrow.
Anyway, to our card, and it looks like this is the first "Songs" card used, so it becomes the home page for the whole group.
These sets are first recorded by Jefferson Burdick, in an earlier edition of his American Card Catalogue than I own, as :
T410 - Illustrated Songs.
1 - Actresses, with frameline (50) TW46 and 47 [valued at 20 cents each]
2 - Actresses, no frameline (102) TW48, 49, 50 [valued at 15 cents each]
3 - Songs Illustrated (25) and Dancers (25) TW51, 52 [valued at 20 cents each]
4 - Songs Illustrated (50) TW53, 54 [valued at 20 cents each]
5 - Songs Illustrated (25) brown backs, TW55 [valued at 40 cents each]T457 - 25 Popular Songs and 25 Dancers (50) Duke backs, as T410-3 [valued at 20 cents each]
I know that they appear in that first, because in our original Tobacco War Booklet, RB.18, published in 1951, where they fill the whole of section III, that section is subtitled as "Songs & Dancers Series - Burdick Nos. T410 and T457". However my Burdick catalogue, from which I quote above, already uses the TW codes to cross reference to our Tobacco War book, published in 1951.
Our book starts with a briefish summary, but then sorts the sets out in a slightly different way to Mr. Burdick, though it is easy to sort them out because of those codes. This reads :
The nine Song series in this section can be recognised by the Song stanzas which occur on the backs of all the Song cards issued by A.T.C. The Dancers series under item 52 is included since it forms part of the Duke issue under Item 51.
The section has been sub divided as follows, one card each of the Song series being illustrated in Fig.IIIItem 46. Songs "A". With framelines. Captions in black, thin closely-spaced letters
Item 47. Songs "B". With framelines. Captions in brown, thicker letters wider spaced
Item 48. Songs "C". No framelines, with border. Captions in small type, all except one in quotation marks.
Item 49. Songs "D". No framelines, with border. Captions mostly in large type, all in quotation marks.
Item 50. Songs "E". No framelines, with border. Captions without quotation marks.
Item 51. Songs "F". No framelines or border. Size 70 x 36 m/m. Back in black
Item 52. Dancers
Item 53. Songs "G". No framelines or border. Size 66 x 38 mm. Back in green. Captions in very large letters
Item 54. Songs "H". No framelines or border. Size 67 x 38 mm. Back in green. Captions in small letters
Item 55. Songs "I". No framelines or border. Size 70 x 37 mm. Back in brown
All series were issued by A.T.C. Items 51 and 52 were also issued by Duke. Most of the cards bear copyright dates of songs on backs, and the series can thus be dated with fair accuracy. It appears that one series was issued during each of the years 1895-6-7-8 and 1900, with two series in each of the years 1899 and 1901
As this is a very lengthy section I will scan and attach the checklist of just our set now, and the others will appear on the pages of the other sets as and when they are featured. I will say that I have slightly amended this list as some of the words used on the original cards, and repeated in the book, are words which I, and many other people, object to. And so I have replaced them, with a line.
A few of the ladies featured on the cards have been identified, including ours, though it is slightly incorrectly quoted as Maxime Elliot, and not Maxine. She was born Jessie Dermot on February the 5th, 1868, in Rockland, Maine, and became an amazingly popular actress and businesswoman, even running a theatre, and becoming involved with the silent film industry. She was also rumoured to have had liaisons with many prominent people, including King Edward VII, though her one true love, the New Zealand World Number 1 tennis player Anthony Frederick Wilding, ended in tragedy, for he was killed in action during the First World War. This changed everything for her, and she not only moved to Belgium, but threw herself into raising funds and support for the Belgian War Relief. She never married, or maybe even loved, again. She did make a few silent films, notably "Fighting Odds" in 1917, but in 1920 she retired, and little is known of her later life, only that she died in March 1940, in Cannes, France, aged seventy-two.
Returning to the cards, the next appearance of the group is in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, as :
SONGS "A" (A). Back in black (25). See RB.18/46. Ref. USA/T410-1 ... A52-154 [A560-590]
A. Thick board, size 70 x 39
B. Thinner board, size 67 x 39SONGS "B" (A). Back in black (25). See RB.18/47. Ref. USA/T410-1 ... A52-155 [A560-595]
A. Size 70 x 39
B. Cut to 67 x 39SONGS "C" (A). Back in green (25). See RB.18/48. Ref. USA/T410-2 ... A52-156 [A560-600]
1. First 25 designs
2. Second 25 designsSONGS "D" (A). Back in green (25). See RB.18/49. Ref. USA/T410-2 ... A52-157 [A560-605]
SONGS "E" (A). Back in green (27). See RB.18/50. Ref. USA/T410-2 ... A52-158 [A560-610 - see below]
SONGS "F" (A). Back in black (25). See RB.18/51 and X.21/51. Ref. USA/T410-3 ... A52-159 [A560-615]
A. Size 70 x 39. Back with tiny scroll at base
B. Size 67 x 39. Back without tiny scroll.SONGS "G" (A). Back in green (25). See RB.18/53. Ref. USA/T410-4 ... A52-160 [A560-620]
SONGS "H" (A). Back in green (25). See RB.18/54. Ref. USA/T410-4 ... A52-161 [A560-625]
SONGS "I" (A). Back in brown (25). See RB.18/55 and X.21/55. Ref. USA/T410-5 ... A52-162 [A560-630]
There is not much difference in the updated version of this work, save new codes, which appear in brackets after the original ones - and the fact that since the original Tobacco War reference book was published in 1951 it too has been updated, and prefixed as reference book RB.118, though the code suffixes behind the diagonal lines remain the same as those showing above. However there is a change to one of the sections, which now reads :
SONGS "E" (A). Back in green (27). See RB.18/50. Ref. USA/T410-2 ... A560-610
A. Caption in brown
B. Caption in black
Thursday, 13th February 2025
This shows a ring, which most ladies seem to think is the grandest prize of all. Not so sure that applies to me, but then I am more of a free spirit, and do not like the idea of marriage very much, for friendship is so much better, and can last forever.
The curious thing about this card is that the reverse advertises another set - "Histoire Naturelle (or Natural History)... 96 photographies d`animaux.." This was comprised of sixteen sets, each having six subjects. Now it appears that if you forwarded twelve chromos and ten centimes in stamps, you would get either a whole set, or part of a set, of the animal cards. There was also a special album, for fifty centimes in stamps. Now I just have to find the Natural History set and see if I am right!
All the cards in this set have an inset which shows an item made of precious stones (or Pierres Precieuses), which is captioned with the name of the stone, which comes first in our listing, and then its virtues, or what is is supposed to guard against or heal. The main part of he card is a large cartoon which relates to that meaning. So in our case we have an emerald, as a ring, which is a brilliant yellow colour, and its virtues or qualities are that it gives inspiration and a talent which is not always understood - hence the cartoon is a man serenading where he thinks his lover lives, but it appears they have given him the wrong address.
As the cards are unnumbered, we have a list, or the starting of one, and many thanks to all who have already helped to add to it, as well as to those who will email me with more in the future. And do note that there is sometimes more than one card for the precious stones, showing another item made of that material. We found this out the hard way, after most of this list had been supplied, so I had to get back to those and ask for more info.
So far, we have :
- Ambre (Amber) - necklace
resine fossile jaune citron - chasse la maladie [people outside a pharmacy] - Chrysolithe (peridot) - a shield shaped stick pin top -
couleur jaune verdatre - fait retrouver les objets perdus {a man returning a wallet] - Corail Noir (black coral - a ring -
confiance dans sa force [a fairground strong man] - Corail Rose [pink coral] - a necklace with a nose shaped stone
aide a la dentition des enfants [three woman and a baby] - Corail Rose [pink coral] - a necklace with a pearl shaped stone
innocence, jeunesse, enfance [group of girls one skipping] - Emeraude [emerald] - a ring
brillante couleur verte - inspiration, talent incompris [a serenading man] - Hydrophane (opal) - hat or stick pin top -
opaque, couleur grisatre, transparente dans l`eau - tranquillitie, patience [fishing] - Jade - a bowl -
translucide, plusieres nuances - fermete impetoyable, autorite [gendarmes and a tramp] - Jais (jet) - a buckle -
couleur noir, brillant - coeur en paine [a man watching a couple, sadly] - Jais (jet) - a necklace -
couleur noir, brillant - protege contre les voleurs [thieves on a roof] - Lapis Lazuli - a buckle ring -
bleu de ciel ,opaque - gouts artistiques [an art gallery] - Oeil de Lion, agate oeillee (Lion`s Eye?) - a stick pin top -
protege contre brigands [fighting off robbers] - Sarde (sardonyx) - a pendant -
variete d`agate, couleur rouge translucide prosperite des affairs [a shop cashier] - Topaze (topaz) - a brooch -
brilliante couleur jaune d`or - indique ou sont caches les tresors [finding a pot of gold]
Friday, 14th February 2025
I have sadly been unable to find this statue, but I will keep looking.
This is a huge, and complex set, and our original reference book to the issues of R. & J. Hill, RB.2, published in 1942, lists them with amazing detail, and several lists, which I was going to scan and add within the text, but decided to type in as one of the groups goes over to another page and it would have been too awkward to rework the scan. I am in two minds about these lists, as in the book the lists are numbered, but the cards themselves are not.
The entire listing of this group therefore appears as :
1899, Jan.
30 STATUARY PHOTO-CARDS. Size 1 7/16” x 2 ¾” (untitled series). Fronts, printed black and white, with margins, letterpress process from screen blocks. Dull finish – not varnished. Backs plain. White card. Titles are in black on base of statue except “Diana” which has the name in white letters, evidently engraved afterwards. Unnumbered and for convenience referred to as Series “A”
30 STATUARY PHOTO-CARDS. As above, but PINKY CARD. Dull finish – not varnished. Backs, “R. & J. Hill’s” etc., in fancy lettering, printed in black ink. Unnumbered and for convenience referred to as Series “B”
30 STATUARY PHOTO-CARDS. Similar to “B” but – WHITE CARD and fronts glossy – varnished. “Young Bacchante” has the title in white letters, evidently engraved afterwards by hand. Unnumbered and for convenience referred to as Series “C”
The subjects in “A”, “B” and “C” are identical, but some new engravings were used for “C” as some of the statues are larger and “The Toilet” has a different plinth.
30 STATUARY PHOTO-CARDS. Size 1 7/16” x 2 ¾” Brownish printing on front without margins. Dull finish – not varnished. Backs fancy lettering, as “B” and “C”. Whitish card. Subjects appear to be similar to “A”, “B” and “C”, but some new engravings must have been prepared as “The Three Graces” statue measures 2 9/16” from top to bottom, whereas it is 2 3/32” in set “A”. Unnumbered and for convenience referred to as Series “D”
Detail, series “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”
1. Amazon
2. Angel
3. Angelican
4. Daphne
5. Defending the Pose
6. Diana
7. Dreams
8. Echo
9. Hunter
10. Indian
11. Maiden
12. Niobe
13. Nymph and Cupid
14. Prisoner of Love
15. The Bagnante
16. The Bather
17. The Toilet
18. The Three Graces
19. Tinted Venus
20. Venus
21. Venus Bisetti
22. Venus, by Canova
23. Venus, by Copeland
24. Venus Mallekena
25. Venus Rising from the Sea
26. Waiting
27. Water Nymph
28. Young Bacchante
29.
30.Series “B” and series “D” are both believed to be very rare, in each case the compiler has only seen one card, but this is sufficient to prove the existence of sets.
30. STATUARY PHOTO-CARDS (untitled series).. Size 1 9/16” x 2 13/16”. Entirely different subjects from “A”, “B”, “C” and “D”. Titles in black on base of statue, these are difficult to read and “Maquette”, “Daphne and Chloe” and “Love” have all been engraved in by hand, which causes the white lettering. Glossy finish – varnished. Whitish card. Backs, printed in black ink – plain letters – with advertisement for “Hill`s Badminton Smoking Mixture”. Unnumbered and for convenience referred to as Series “E”
30 STATUARY PHOTO-CARDS. Similar in all respects to “E” but fronts printed with a greenish-black ink. This is quite distinct from the ink used in “E”. Unnumbered and for convenience referred to as Series “F”
Detail, series “E” and “F”
1. Bather
2. Canagra
3. Cassandra
4. Cephale and Procrix
5. Confidence
6. Cupid
7. Cupid and Psyche
8. Daphne and Chloe
9. First Attempt
10. First Dreams of Love
11. Flora and Zephyr
12. Fortune
13. Gloria
14. Goddess of the Feast
15. Happy Dreams
16. Immortality
17. Joan of Arc
18. Love
19. Marquette
20. Mercury
21. Mignon
22. Music
23. Orpheus and Eurydice
24. Playmates
25. Psyche
26. The African
27. The Bathers
28. The Messenger of Love
29. The Slave
30. The Spinner1901/2
30 STATUARY PHOTO-CARDS. (untitled series). Size 1 7/16” x 2 ¾”. Entirely different subjects from “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “E” and “F”. Fronts, black and white printing, with margins. Titles are inserted by type – white lettering – and away from statues. Printing by lithography. Dull finish – not varnished. Extra panel below subject with white lettering, “Issued only with Hills Cigarettes”. Backs, advertisements for “Black and White Whisky”. Toned “off-white” card.
The advertisement on the backs of these cards – “To H.M. The King. The Popular Scotch is “Black & White” Whisky. To H.R.H. The Prince of Wales” enables us to posit cards must have been issued after the accession of Edward VII, hence the suggested date. Unnumbered and referred to as Series “G”30 STATUARY PHOTO-CARDS. As above, but lettering in extra panel, “Issued only with Hill’s Cigarettes” changed to black letters on a white background, instead of white letters on a black background, glossy, “dead-white” card. Backs as Series “G”. Unnumbered and referred to as Series “H”
Detail, series “G” and “H”
1. A Florentine Sculptor
2. Armor and Psyche
3. An Evening
4. Architecture
5. Boy and Panther
6. Echo and Narcissus
7. Music
8. Nature Unveiling
9. Prolude
10. Spleen
11. Suzanne
12. Tennis
13. The Kiss
14. The Huntress
15. The Pearls
16. The Philosophy of History
17. The Pose
18. The Toilet
19. Under the Empire
20. Under a Lucky Star
21. Youth
22-30 ? ?(The compiler has not seen any cards 22 – 30, but in view of Hill's advertising assumes they exist.)
This is very different to the way they appear in our original World Tobacco Issues Index, where there are only three sets. However it appears that this has combined all the versions with the same cards, hence sets "A", "B", "C" and "D" above are now Set 1, sets "E" and "F" form set 2, and sets "G" and "H" bring up the rear as set 3. This very different way of listing them means, therefore, that they appear as :
STATUARY - SET 1 (A). Sm. 68 x 38. Back headed "R. & J. Hill`s Cigarettes" in fancy printing. Unnd. See Ha.218-1 ... H46-17
A. Brown front. Matt. 1 known
B. Black and white front (a) matt (b) varnished. 28 known.STATUARY - SET 2 (A). Sm. 68 x 37. Black and white various tintings including greenish-black. Back headed "Perfection vide Press". Unnd. (30). See Ha.218-2 ... H46-18
STATUARY - SET 3 (A). Sm. 72 x 40. Black and white. Back with advertisement for "Black and White" Whisky. Unnd. (25) See Ha.218-3 ... H46-19
A. Hill`s name panel white lettering on black background.
B. Hill`s name panel black lettering on grey background.
C. Hill`s name panel black lettering on white background.
Now this is slightly different again in the updated version of our World Tobacco Issues Index, and that reads :
STATUARY - SET 1 (A). Sm. 68 x 38. Back headed "R. & J. Hill`s Cigarettes" in fancy printing. Unnd. (30) See H.218-1. B & W front (a) matt (b) varnished. Proofs are known with fronts in brown, blue and claret, and on different coloured board... H554-250
STATUARY - SET 2 (A). Sm. 68 x 37. Black and white various tintings including greenish-black. Back headed "Perfection vide Press". Unnd. (30). See H.218-2 ... H554-255
STATUARY - SET 3 (A). Sm. 72 x 40. Black and white. Back with advertisement for "Black and White" Whisky. Unnd. (28 known) See H.218-3 ... H554-260
A. Hill`s name panel white lettering on black background. (21 known)
B. Hill`s name panel black lettering on grey background.(23 known)
C. Hill`s name panel black lettering on white background, subjects redrawn (4 known)
So another week has passed us by. What did we do with it? I hope that you spent it wisely, and learned of valuable things, though "value" is not always monetary. And that if you wanted to change things, whatever those things were, in order to follow your dreams, that you took at least one step towards them.
You may have noticed a new banner, which gives the dates of the forthcoming Annual Convention. If any of our dealers would like to write a little piece about their stocks and any special items they will be bringing, then please do, and we will add your words to the home page for that event
And now, to bed.