Are you all ready for the convention? It starts in just a few hours, you know. Read fast, and get going....
This week went quite well, but I did things that took me away from sitting here typing, lots of things to get ready for the convention, and to move forward into the future. However I did manage to complete most of this by Thursday night, simply by starting earlier, something I seldom do, but something I will try to do more of in future. And it was helped by the fact that every date I wrote down not only was the right date, but I found a card for it, more or less straight away.
The card that took the longest was Thursday`s, but I am still not entirely happy about Monday`s back, it is very light ink on brownish board, and if I make the background light I lose the wording, whilst if I make the wording dark I cannot read it for the background. So if anyone wants to supply a better scan of their reverse (and all the cards in the set are the same), we would be most grateful.
Ferrero [trade : chocolate : O/S - Italy] "Safari" (19??) 10/??
Let us start with a centenary, the birth of Michele Ferrero, today in 1925. He was not the founder of the company, that was his father, who started it in his little cafe in Alba, Piedmont, Italy - but he did drive it forward, and make it into the second largest chocolate maker in the world.
Michele Ferrero joined his father`s company in 1949, and maybe it was not his choice, but he was the only child, and his father needed the continuity to keep the family with the name.
And it was also he who made "Nutella", from a chance discovery, that if you added vegetable oil to their chocolate and hazelnut paste, it would make it flow more freely, freely enough to make it into a spread. Though he did not do this entirely alone, he had the help of Francesco Rivella, a food scientist, who started working at the factory in 1952, a short while after the spread had started to be sold, though in its original form it hardened with time, and became difficult to extract from the jar.
Oddly, though, I have also discovered that it was Francesco Rivella who suggested the name of Nutella, but not until 1964
Anyway, Michele Ferrero did indeed drive the company on, so much so that he became the richest person in Italy, and one of the richest in the world. In 1997 he decided to slow down, and handed the reins over to his sons, Giovanni and Pietro. Sadly Pietro died fourteen years later. Michele Ferraro died in February 2015, aged eighty-nine.
Though we have featured a Nutella card before, in our newsletter for the 1st of February, 2025 (scroll down to Wednesday the 5th of February), this item is branded for Ferrero. However it is not actually a card, it is a wrapper.
Wrappers may not immediately seem cartophilic, but wait - for many modern card collectors, especially those who collect football, film and television cards, do buy the packets that their cards originally come in, and others buy the boxes that sat on the counter until the last pack was sold, and then they were generally just discarded.
So why not add wrappers to your collection if you like them?
And if you want some inspiration, have a look at this amazing website, from Czechoslovakia.
As far as our subject, the raccoon, he actually comes from North America. Our card, unintentionally humorously, says its common, or vulgar name is Procione Lavatore, but actually "Lavatore" means to wash, because the raccoon is often seen dipping its food into water, as if to wash it. The truth is that they are not washing the food, they are examining it - and even more intriguingly, the water softens their hands so that they can have a better feel of what their newly found food is.
American Tobacco Company - group issues - `Helmar (Turkish) Cigarettes` brand [tobacco : O/S - USA] "Historic Homes" (18) Un/50 - A565-100 : A54-49 : ABC/T.68 : USA/T.68
Today, April 27th, 1822, Hiram Ulysses Grant was born. We know him better as Ulysses S. Grant.
Hiram was the name of his mother`s father, and it seems likely that the S. recorded her maiden name, for she was born Hannah Simpson. Curiously, the Ulysses was amongst many names that were put in a hat, and shaken, and this was the one drawn out.
In 1823, his family moved to Ohio, and grew, enormously, for suddenly there were five children, not just Ulysses. One of these was called Simpson too. This sudden influx of children made life hard for his family, and Ulysses was sent away to school, aged just five.
When he was eighteen, he was nominated to go to the United States Military Academy, at West Point,New York. He did not settle in well at first, but his skill at horsemanship soon gained him admiration from his fellows. He graduated after four years, and believed himself set for the U.S. Cavalry, but instead of that he ended up in an infantry regiment, of foot soldiers, in Missouri, where he met his future wife, the sister of one of his friends. They were married in 1844, and would eventually have four children. But two years after his wedding he was sent to Louisiana, and then to Mexico, for the Mexican-American War. When the army was at war, life there was exciting, but at other times, life dragged.
His next assignment was to California, where gold had been discovered, in order to maintain the peace should any troubles break out between prospectors. Whilst he was in California, he got in a spot of trouble, and resigned.
The house on this card was where he went to after leaving the Army, in 1854. It tells us that the land had been given him by his father-in-law, to make a homestead on, and maybe do some farming. However the land was poor and most unsuitable for crops or animals, and the house was also much more ramshackle than it looks on this card, there is a photo of it at wikipedia/USGh. They stayed here just two years, then left. He was heavily in debt, and took any job he could get to repay it, even selling firewood. Then, on April 12, 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter, starting the American Civil War. Six days later, U.S. Grant had signed himself up to fight.
By the end of the War, U.S. Grant was commander of the army, and in 1868 he became the President of the United States, being re-elected in 1872. After that he decided to retire, and tour the world.
He died on July 23, 1885
This set is catalogued in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as :
- HISTORIC HOMES. Sm. 68 x 52. Unnd. (50). "Helmar" brand issue. See ABC/T.69. Ref USA/T.69 ... A54-49
However by the time of our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, there has been quite a change, and it now appears as :
- HISTORIC HOMES. Sm. 68 x 52. Unnd. (50). "Helmar" brand issue. Ref USA/T.69 ... A565-100
(A) Front varnished, back with (a) "Factory 7" (b) "Factory 30" wording
(B) Front unvarnished, back with "Factory 7" wording only.
Kinney Bros [tobacco : O/S - USA] "Military Series" - untitled (1890) Bkld/50 - K32-14.1.2 : X2-224 : N.224
Today, in 1788, Maryland became the seventh state of the Union. It was part of the original colonisation of America, though Spanish explorers had got there first, in the 1500s, and they discovered that Native Americans were already well established.
In 1608, Captain John Smith of Virginia, who we know better as the husband of Pocahontas, reached the region, and wrote of the wonders he found. Then, in 1632, King Charles I gave this area to a George Calvert, chartering the area as a colony, and planning to make Mr. Calvert the first Lord of Baltimore, but unfortunately Mr. Calvert died before the charter could be signed, so his son hurriedly became the second Lord of Baltimore.
Charles I also gives us the name Maryland, after his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, and also the name of the first city, St. Mary`s. But there was quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing about the area of the new colony, with parts being claimed by Pennsylvania and Virginia, and then, in 1791, by the new District of Columbia. However, eventually, the area we pretty much know as Maryland today was agreed upon as its boundaries.
This is rather a long set for a newsletter, but I will use another of the variations as a Card of the Day some time and shift the full description there. The problem is that there are many variations, which are described in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as :
- MILITARY SERIES (A). Sm. 70 x 35. 622 known. See ABC/224 and X2-224. Ref. USA/224. ... K32-14
- Coloured Background Types.
1. Inscribed "7" on front. Unnd. (50). Back (a) "Notice" (b) "This is.."
2. Inscribed "8" on front. Bkld. (50)
3. Inscribed "9" on front. Bkld. (30)
4.. Style as (1)-(3) without numeral. Unnd (50)
5. Foreign 1886 Types. Unnd (50)
6. Remainder of Coloured Background Types. Unnd. (26)
- Plain White or Lightly-Coloured Background Types. Unnumbered.
7. U.S. Army and Navy (51)
8. U.S. State Types (85)
9. U.S. and Foreign Types (60)
10. England and N.G.S.N.Y. (50)
11. Foreign 1853 Types (50)
12. Foreign Types 1866 (50)
13. Remainder of Plain Background Types (20)
The listing under X.2/224 is even longer, but it starts with the following :
- X.2/224. MILITARY SERIES. (A) Small size. Front in colour. Backs printed in brown. Issued by Kinney. Unnumbered series, 622 subjects. Cards are sometimes found overprinted on back with names of tobacconists, etc. the subjects are listed on pages 13-23 of the American Book of Checklists; a summary of the 13 sub-sets, together with the numbers of the subjects in each sub-set follows. Front "styles" refer to the illustrations in Fig. X.2/224-A, back references to the illustrations in Fig. X.2/224.B
The illustrations and the lists will be scanned and entered asap.
By the time of our updated World Tobacco Issues Index this listing has been altered to :
- MILITARY SERIES (A). Sm. 70 x 35. 622 known. Cards exist overprinted in black on back "M. B. Weidler - 31 West King Street - Cigars - Tobacco" and also overprinted on front "Smoke Le Flor de Curtis - Most Popular 10 cent Cigar". Ref. USA/224. ... K524-240
- Coloured Background Types.
1. Inscribed "7" on front. Unnd. (50). Back (a) "Notice" (b) "This is.."
2. Inscribed "8" on front. Bkld. (50)
3. Inscribed "9" on front. Bkld. (30)
4.. Style as (1)-(3) without numeral. Unnd (50)
5. Foreign 1886 Types. Unnd (50)
6. Remainder of Coloured Background Types. Unnd. (26)
- Plain White or Lightly-Coloured Background Types. Unnumbered.
7. U.S. Army and Navy (51)
8. U.S. State Types (85)
9. U.S. and Foreign Types (60)
10. England and N.G.S.N.Y. (50)
11. Foreign 1853 Types (50)
12. Foreign Types 1866 (50)
13. Remainder of Plain Background Types (20)
Chocolat TORRAS [trade : chocolate : O/S - Spain] "Histoire de la Segunda Guerra Mundial 1939 - 1945"/ "History of the Second World War 1939-1945" (1958) 160/190
Today in 1901 saw the birth of a child who would also grow up to be a military leader, but in Japan. Hirohito was the hundred and twenty-fourth emperor of Japan after Emperor Jimmu, whose rule reportedly began in 660 BC
Hirohito is the longest reigning Japanese emperor of them all. He remains Japan's longest-reigning emperor, and was very popular in Europe in the 1920s, even making a trip to Great Britain in 1921, whilst his father was still the emperor - astoundingly, this was the first time any Japanese royalty had travelled abroad. Part of his charm was the fact that Japan had fought on our side in the First World War - this is why you often see the Japanese flag as part of silks and cards showing "Flag of the Allies".
In 1924, he was married, and the couple would go on to have seven children.
His father died two years later, and he became emperor. This was slightly different than being crown prince and regent, and involved a lot of things that were felt best for the country, irrespective of his personal feelings. And hence, when the Second World War started, Japan was now on the side of Germany.
We will never know of his own beliefs, but we do know that he who made an impassioned radio broadcast begging the Japanese forces to surrender after the atomic bomb had first been dropped on his country. He was also one of the few axis leaders who were not prosecuted for war crimes after the war, supposedly because it was felt that keeping him in place would prevent rebellion and another, as yet unknown leader stepping up. However he did have to play down the Japanese belief that the emperor was descended from the divine, and he was forced to see a redrafting of the constitution to reflect this fact
He died in January 1989, and his eldest son took over as emperor. He then abdicated in 2019, and was succeeded by his eldest son
I know a lot less about our set. It is usually known as "Segunda Guerra Mundial", which is what appears on the cards - however the full title of the set appears in the album on page three, beneath a drawn montage of, working clockwise from the top right, aeroplanes, divers with a torch, a man with a rifle and another laying on the ground with binoculars, and a flight of parachutes, with a warship in the middle of the circle these create. More parachutes appear on the front cover, with paratroopers, and on the back cover with the product as the cargo.
Sanitarium [trade : cereal : O/S - New Zealand] "Cavalcade of Cards" (1962) /50 - SA2-12
Another centenary now, because the first ever Melbourne Motor Show started today, April the 30th, 1925, at the Royal Exhibition Building.
Right until 2010, there were two motor shows in Australia, the Melbourne International Motor Show, and The Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. However in 2010 it was decided to change this and only have one a year, which would alternate between Sydney and Melbourne.
This set also had an album, and we chose it because the front of that album shows a motor-show. Some time I will add a photo.
I have selected what is regarded by most as THE Australian motor car, the Holden, but I have mentioned that car before, as our Card of the Day for the 17th of October, 2024, so the car on this card may change in the future. At which time i will add a description of those wheels.
The card code we use here is an unusual one, and it leads you to the original Australian and New Zealand Index, RB.30, published in 1983. In there you will find this set listed twice, firstly under section one of the Sanitarium issues, for cards issued in New Zealand, which is our version, where it appears as :
- Cavalcade of Cars. Nd. (50). Caption front and back. Issued 1962. ... SA2- 12
and then in section two of the Sanitarium issues, for cards issued in Australia, where it appears as :
- 1960-1 Cavalcade of Cars. 73 x 48. Nd. (50). As set SA2-12.. ... SA2- 117
The "1960-1 code is indeed the date, so the Australian cards were issued two years before the New Zealand ones.
The easiest difference to spot between the two is the address on the back. The New Zealand version says that you send your cards to Box 5011, Papanui - whilst the Australian one has the bottom not as an address, but as "SANITARIUM HEALTH FOOD CO. / Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne. / Hobart, Adelaide, Perth"
Some time I will find the back of this card in that version and paste it in.
W.D. & H.O. WILLS `Embassy` brand [tobacco : UK - Bristol] "Wonders of the World" (1986) Un/56 - W675-292.B
This card marks the formal dedication of the Empire State Building, today in 1931. It was not particularly grand an event though, all that happened was that the President, Herbert Hoover, pressed a button and turned on the lights. He was not even at the Empire State Building, he was at the White House. But it did mean that the The Empire State Building was now complete, and also the tallest building in the world.
In fact the site was formerly owned by John Jacob Astor, and had once been the Waldorf Hotel. However, by the 1920s, it was an old building, growing more and more costly to maintain, and also fashions had changed, as had the places to be, they were all now in another location, not so handy to reach if you stayed here. So the Astor family decided to build a new hotel on Park Avenue, and they closed this one in May 1929.
It was bought by Bethlehem Engineering Corporation, for offices, but they could not raise the funds, and defaulted on a loan. Therefore the land was resold to a group of investors, calling themselves Empire State Inc., with no firm plans other than to build the tallest building in the world.
This set only appears in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, under Wills section 3.B, for "Embassy and other issues in the 1980s". In actual fact, the promotion started in September 1986 and ended on the 31st of March 1987
It is catalogued as :
- WONDERS OF THE WORLD ... W675-292
(A). Sm. 80 x 35
(B) Md. 80 x 47
(C) Md. 90 x 47.
Unnd. (56)
Liebig [trade : meat extract : O/S - South America] "I Tresori" / "Truffles" (19) S.1031
And now let us close this section of the newsletter as we began. with a toothsome treasure, this time a truffle, for today is #NationalTruffleDay.
Out of the six cards that make up this set, I have chosen the curious fact that truffles are really oddly pungent, and so they are usually sniffed out by dogs, which is what is going on here. However dog people will know that the sort of smell which attracts a dog is not exactly the sort of smell you would like to feast on.
This set was issued in several versions, ours being the Italian. And over the weekend, because I need to get an early night, I will add all the gen and the lists of the cards in their various languages.
This week's Cards of the Day...
... have been discovering the 1925 F.A. Cup Final.
Saturday, 19th April 2025
This card was chosen because the footballer, Ernest Needham, played for Sheffield United, one of the teams contesting the 1925 Cup Final. Sadly, Ernest Needham was not on the field at the 1925 F.A. Cup Final, though he was still alive to see Sheffield United lift the cup, and only fifty two years old.
He was born near Chesterfield on the 21st of January 1873 and started out with local side Waverley. He was then signed up for Staveley Wanderers, which changed the course of his future, as his new team played Sheffield United in 1891 and their manager snapped him up. He played for Sheffield United almost immediately, and right until 1910, through one of their best ever times, seeing them not only promoted, but winning the F.A. Cup twice, in 1899 and 1902, the year this set was issued. And he captained them thereafter, until 1905. He was also on the England international football squad, captaining that once, but only once, in 1901. And he was in just under fifty F.A. Cup ties. .
He was a great all rounder, like many footballers of the time, playing both cricket and football. Cricket lasted longer, and he played, for Derbyshire, until 1912.
In 1910 he retired. We do not know why, he was only thirty-seven, but he had been injured some years before, the nature is not specified but we know it changed his playing style and also his position on the field, from an attacking right hand midfielder to a left half.
The photographer who took this picture was James Russell & Sons, and they were not just in Crystal Palace, as shown here, they had other addresses in London, plus premises in Windsor, and Southsea. The Windsor connection is especially telling because he was a Royal photographer, not just of our Royal family, but of overseas ones, when they were visiting from abroad. They were in business from 1883 until 1908, and for the last nine years had premises in Baker Street.
We have been told that "Cinderellas" were first sold in 1888, the same year as "Wild Woodbines". They were a penny for a packet of five cigarettes, and their brand advertising featured a pretty young girl trying to dry a plate and peel potatoes by a rather smoky fire, presumably modelled on Cinderella. I am most taken with her red woollen stockings, by the way. Another advert of the time shows her barefooted, in less well kept clothing, feeding the birds.
The set first appears in our Wills Reference Book part II, as W/22. There is quite a lengthy description too, of :
- 22. 66 FOOTBALL SERIES
Fronts printed in black, with white border. Series title inset at top with number, player`s name inset at base with photographer`s credit below. Backs in bronze blue : two different advertisements :-
- "Wills`s Cinderella" Cigarettes (Nos. ending in 1. 4 and 7 from 1-50 and Nos. 51, 53, 57, 60 and 63)
- Wills`s Wild Woodbine" Cigarettes (All other numbers) [see Card of the Day for 21 October 2021]
There are at least three different kinds of card :
(a) Pure white (coated) both sides
(b) Pure white on fronts, cream buff backs
(c) Pure white on fronts, dull grey backs.
There also appears to be a series printed on a card which has a pronounced dirty pink tint. The back colouring varies considerably from bronze blue to a chalky blue shade. Fronts vary in shade from grey-black to black.
Two varieties of card No.18 - "W.J. Foulkes" - exist: (a) head and shoulders portrait (b) three-quarter portrait. Probably two distinct printings could be made up of each which would include one of the above cards. Cards are known with the subject title in (a) small and (b) larger lettering.
Although this set is similar to Clarke`s "Footballers" it is not identical. In all cases the club or team is quoted on the Wills but omitted on Clarke`s cards, and there are other minor differences. Issue date : 1902.
Printed by E. S. & A. Robinson, Ltd.
So this sets up a few questions for you to answer.
Firstly, the curious nature of the advertisement numbering, as to especially the final run. This rather suggests that it was planned to be a set of fifty cards, or perhaps fifty two - in which case the uniformity of the numbering would have been preserved - but for some reason they added these extra sixteen and let the advertisements fall where-ever.
Finally, whilst we have a year date of 1902, there is no month of issue, unless any Wills specialists know of it?
Now when it comes to the World Tobacco Issues Indexes, as you might imagine, most of the above is missing. All the original volume says for the set is :
- "FOOTBALL SERIES. Sm. Black and White. Nd. (66) Vari-backed, two advertisements. See W/22" ... W62-81
and this is further curtailed in the updated volume, by exchanging "Black and White for "B&W".
However the later version does give us another lead to follow, because instead of W/22 as the spur off we have H.81. Unfortunately, that confuses things still more, because if you remember the quote from above, which stated that "Although this set is similar to Clarke`s "Footballers" it is not identical. In all cases the club or team is quoted on the Wills but omitted on Clarke`s cards, and there are other minor differences.". But now H.81 says :
- H.81 FOOTBALL SERIES (titled series). Fronts in black and white. Numbered series of 66.
Pre 1919 Clarke
Wills.
This suggests that the sets must be more than similar, or why link them together? And even more strangely, both were issued in the same year, 1902.
Now my trusty 1950 London Cigarette Card Catalogue adds that the retail price of the Clarke`s version was 10/- to 25/- a card, or £75 a set, with the Wills one coming in a lot cheaper, just 2/6 to 7/6 a card, or £25 a set. This could simply reflect that Wills was based in England, so the distribution area was pretty widespread, as opposed to Clarke, who was based across the water in Dublin.
But if we have a Clarke`s researcher somewhere, maybe you can tell us of your thoughts ?
Sunday, 20th April 2025
This gave us the "Cup" though a rather different one to the idea of a trophy also being a cup. In fact this is a link back to ancient times, when people would toast the winner of sporting events, and the winner would get to keep one of the cups as a souvenir.
This is an unusual card for Brooke Bond. For one thing it is not part of a set, it is a stand alone advertisement card, though there was another one issued, slightly later, but still within 1963. And that was the year that "Crown Cup" was launched. However "Crown Cup" was not tea, it was instant coffee.
This is the easiest one to acquire, and it just asks "Why is Crown Cup" medium roasted?"
The other one is a special offer which allowed you to send away for three special "Crown cups and saucers".
And I will add the gen tomorrow, ran out of time a bit. Thanks for your patience.
Monday, 21st April 2025
And here we have the other team "up for the 1925 cup", Cardiff City.
Our footballer was Alfred Thomas "Alf" Sherwood, representing Cardiff City, and like our Sheffield man, he was not on the field in the 1925 Cup Final either, but he was alive as well, for he was born on the 13th of November, 1923, near Aberdare, only a ball kick from his home ground of Aberaman Athletic F.C.
It was also but a stones throw from the coal mining industry, and when he was in his teens he was drafted as a "Bevin Boy", a scheme named after Ernest Bevin, who decided that some young men should not go overseas to war, but to stay at home and keep Britain supplied with coal.
He did have some time off, and in 1942 joined Cardiff City F.C., after being spotted in a non-league friendly, presumably one which pitted local talent against the forces, and raised money at the same time.
His first F.A. match was in 1946, which is when football returned to normal. And he stayed with Cardiff until 1957, when he joined Newport County. He did not stay there long, and then he found employment as a security officer for the National Coal Board. He died in 1990.
We have a home page for these Carreras "Turf" package issues, with our Card of the Day for the 18th of February 2024, and it lists all the sets. Also on there you will find out all about our blue package issues, plus the other Carreras sets which used "Turf" as brand, though I have not yet had time to link in the Australian ones.
Our original World Tobacco Issues Index lists these under the following heading :
- HOME ISSUES. Printed on inner slides of `Turf Cigarettes` - one on 10s, two on 20s packings. Front in blue. When cut off, cards are `Turf` brand issues. Listed in order of issue.
FAMOUS FOOTBALLERS. Nd. (50) Issued 1951 ... C18-110
Thanks to J.S. Cards we also have a list of the pairings on those double slides :
- 1. John Aston (Manchester United & England) - 27, Nat Lofthouse (Bolton Wanderers & England)
- 2. Willie Redpath (Motherwell & Scotland) - 40. Eddie Baily (Tottenham Hotspur & England)
- 3. Laurie Reilly (Hibernian & Scotland) - 32. Neil Franklin (Hull City & England)
- 4. J. McPhail (Glasgow Celtic & Scotland) - 31. Les Medley (Tottenham Hotspur & England)
- 5. Johnny Carey (Manchester United & Ireland) - 39. Jack Lee (Derby County & England)
- 6. Willie Waddell (Glasgow Rangers & Scotland) - 29. Willie Bauld (Heart of Midlothian & Scotland)
- 7. Allen Brown (Blackpool & Scotland) - 26. Alf Sherwood (Cardiff City & Wales)
- 8. Ron Burgess (Tottenham Hotspur & Wales) - 36. Laurie Hughes (Liverpool & England)
- 9. Wilie Woodburn (Glasgow Rangers & Scotland) - 35, Len Shackleton (Sunderland & England)
- 10. George Young (Glasgow Rangers & Scotland) - 33. Jack Froggatt (Portsmouth & England)
- 11. Johnny Morris (Derby County & England) - 46. Gordon Smith (Hibernian & Scotland)
- 12. W. McNaught (Raith Rovers & Scotland) - 28. Bert Williams (Wolverhampton Wanderers & England)
- 13. Bobby Evans (Glasgow Celtic & Scotland) - 42. Jim Dickinson (Portsmouth & England)
- 14. Johnny Hancocks (Wolverhampton Wanderers & England) - 37. Frank Bowyer (Stoke City & England)
- 15. Henry Cockburn (Manchester United & England) - 34. Alf Ramsay (Tottenham Hotspur & England)
- 16. Ted Ditchhouse (Tottenham Hotspur & England) - 47. Billy Wright (Wolverhampton Wanderers & England)
- 17. Walley Barnes (Arsenal & Wales) - 30. Wilf Mannion (Middlesborough & England)
- 18. Redfern Froggatt (Sheffield Wednesday & England) - 43. Billy Liddell (Liverpool & England)
- 19. Roy Bentley (Chelsea & England) - 50. Leon Leuty (Notts County & England
- 20. Bobby Langton (Bolton Wanderers & England) - 44. Willie Watson (Sunderland & England)
- 21. Jackie Milburn (Newcastle United & England) - 45. Roy Paul (Manchester City & Wales)
- 22. Stanley Mortensen (Blackpool & England) - 49. Harry Johnston (Blackpool & England)
- 23. Billy Steel (Dundee & Scotland) - 48. Jack Vernon (West Bromwich Albion & Ireland)
- 24. Trevor Ford (Sunderland & Wales) - 41. Tom Finney (Preston North End & England)
- 25. Bill Eckersley (Blackburn Rovers & England) - 38. Eddie Turnbull (Hibernian & Scotland)
And he also has a set of these uncut doubles for sale right now.
By the time of the updated World Tobacco Issues Index there had been a bit of a change round, I suspect because it was a bit harder to find the sets in the listing. Therefore they have been relisted in alphabetical order, as :
HOME ISSUES. Printed on inner slides of `Turf Cigarettes` - one on 10s, two on 20s packings. Front in blue. When cut off, cards are `Turf` brand issues. Listed in order of issue.
- FAMOUS FOOTBALLERS. Nd. (50) Issued 1951 ... C151-660
Tuesday, 22nd April 2025
Here we have the venue of the 1925 F.A. Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, but not on a football card, on a wrestling one. Therefore I imagine there are lots of football collectors who will be seeing this card for the first time tonight. It is the only card of the stadium in this set, but there was also a series two of this set, and that also has Wembley Stadium, but from the inside, looking at the arena, which is actually on the pitch, and up into the spectators areas. That is card two, of set two, if you find anyone breaking a set - because most people who buy this set are interested in the wrestlers, and probably regard the Wembley card as not that exciting.
The event that this set commemorates was rather a strange one, because it was held at Wembley stadium, on Saturday the 29th of August, 1992, but it was on Sky pay-per-view television on Monday the 31st of August, presumably to remove anything unwarranted that had occurred. It was the fifth "Summerslam", but the first one to be staged in another country than North America. This was actually not originally the plan, it was set to go to Maryland, in North America, but because wrestling had gained a bit of a following, due to it being screened on Sky TV, it was thought that holding an actual event in England may lead to extra revenue, plus a greater audience for future events.
Returning to football, the first F.A. Cup Final to be held at the stadium was on the 28th of April 1923, and that is mainly remembered for the fact that thousands of fans attended without even having tickets, just on the off chance, and when they could not get in they used the scaffolding and ladders from the building site that would become the Wembley Exhibition to attempt to gain access. The ground held 127,000 fans, but it is estimated, with no way of really knowing, that at least double that number tried to get in, and many of them succeeded.
The second F.A. Cup Final was on the 26th of April 1924, just three days after the British Empire Exhibition had opened. This was a calmer affair and it was rigorously stressed that only fans with tickets would be allowed to enter the stadium. It was also pouring with rain.
The third F.A. Cup Final was ours, on the 25th of April 1925.
Wednesday, 23rd April 2025
So here we have a player who scored the only goal of the 1925 F.A. Cup Final, Fred Tunstall, thirty minutes into the match.
Despite that claim to fame very little seems to be recorded about him online. He was born in Darfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, on the 28th of May, 1897, though this is disputed by all cards that I have found - even ours. They all seem to go for "Wombwell", and card No.1 of "Adventure and Vanguard Football Photos" expands this to say he "Was born at Low Valley, Wombwell, a few miles from Sheffield, and after playing in district junior football was secured by Sheffield United."
We know that one of those local teams was Darfield St. George`s. This name suggests it was connected with the Church, possibly a means of entertaining small boys who may otherwise get themselves into trouble, or maybe an adjunct of Sunday School.
From there, he is said to have moved over to Scunthorpe and Lindsey United, but Gallaher`s "Famous Footballers" card 11/100 tells us that "He was playing for Scunthorpe United when the Bramall Lane authorities secured his transfer, and were so convinced of his ability that they at once installed him as Gillespie`s partner on the left wing on December 20th, 1920." Bramall Lane, of course, is Sheffield United, with whom he scored our fateful F.A. final goal. But was Scunthorpe and Lindsey the same as Scunthorpe United?
This quick appearance on the pitch is also commented about on our card, which says "Tunstall was playing in the ranks of Scunthorpe United when Sheffield United persuaded him to sign a registration form in December 1920. Tunstall did so, and the very next day turned out for his new side against the Spurs, thus jumping into the senior side right away"
This goal is actually recorded on the Gallaher`s "Famous Footballers" card, where it reads "Fred Tunstall, who had the supreme satisfaction of scoring the goal which won the Football Association Cup for Sheffield United in 1924-24 season".
Then there is a bit of confusion, for our card tells us that he was an International, for England, whilst the Gallaher`s "Famous Footballers" card tells us that "He was awarded his Scottish cap early in 1923". "Adventure and Vanguard Football Photos" does not mention a side, but does say that he "Has five `Caps` to his credit against the home countries, also against France".
He stayed with Sheffield United until the end of 1931, then moved to Halifax Town. But in 1937 he moved again to Boston United, a team he must have been very fond of as he left the playing field in 1940 but continued to manage them right through the Second World War, only leaving in 1948. By that time he was fifty-one years old. However, he must have missed it, as he returned as manager in 1952, for two years, and then in 1964 for one further year, aged sixty-seven. And he died, just five years later, still in Boston.
As far as general information, Gallaher`s "Famous Footballers" card tells us that he was "A strong, speedy winger, he centres and shoots superbly". Whilst "Adventure and Vanguard Football Photos" adds that he "Soon gained a name because of his brilliance on the wing, accurate centering, and powerful shooting", plus it tells us that he played as "Outside left", and also gives his size, as "Height 5-ft. 7 1/2- in. Weight 12st."
This card may say it was "Given with Triumph" but that was a boy`s paper from the Amalgamated Press stable, and it is so listed under their name in our original British Trade Index, where it is catalogued as :
FAMOUS FOOTER INTERNATIONALS. Md. Black. Nd. (24) Dated 25-9-26 to 11-12-26. (C) (T) ... AMC-5
The "(C)(T)" needs a bit of explaining; it means that this set was a split issue, some of the cards coming in "Triumph" (T) and some in another paper, "Champion".
This listing is not updated in any of the British Trade Indexes which followed, unlike some sets, where more information was discovered after the book went to press. However it does appear in our updated British Trade Index which superseded all the previous four, and it is listed therein as :
FAMOUS FOOTER INTERNATIONALS. (C) (T). 76 x 51. Black. Nd. (24) Dated 25-9-26 to 11-12-26. ... AMA-150
Here are two comparative lists.
The first list is by the number on the card, and it also makes a note of the fact that some of the names differ between that shown on the front and that shown on the back - starting with card 1, which has R. Pym on the front and Richard Pym on the reverse. Some cards are the same front and back, in which case there is only one name, not two separated by a forward slash.
- R. Pym / Richard Pym (Bolton Wanderers and England) - "Champion" - 16-10-26
- J. Townrow / John Townrow (Clapton Orient and England) - "Triumph" - 13-11-26
- S. J. Wadsworth (Huddersfield Town and England) - "Triumph" - 23-10-26
- S. C. Puddefoot / Sid Puddefoot (Blackburn Rovers and England) - "Champion" - 20-11-26
- R.E. York (Aston Villa and England) - "Triumph" - 25-9-26
- G. H. Green / George Henry Green (Sheffield United and England) - "Champion" - 4-12-26
- F. Osborne / Frank Osborne (Spurs and England) - "Champion" - 2-10-26
- H. Chambers / Harry Chambers (Liverpool and England) - "Triumph" - 11-12-26
- J. Fowler (Swansea and Wales) - "Champion" - 30-10-26
- F. Titmuss / Frederick Titmuss (Plymouth Argyle and England) - "Triumph" - 27-11-26
- T. Farquharson (Cardiff City and Ireland) - "Triumph" - 6-11-26
- F. Tunstall / Fred Tunstall (Sheffield United and England) - "Triumph" - 9-10-26
- W. R. Robb / W. Robb (Glasgow Rangers and Scotland) - "Champion" - 13-11-26
- J. McMullan (Manchester City and Scotland) - "Champion" - 11-12-26
- W. Cresswell / Warneford Cresswell (Sunderland and England) - "Champion" - 6-11-26
- H. Gallacher / Hugh Gallacher (Newcastle United and Scotland) - "Champion" - 9-10-26
- F. Keenor / Fred Keenor (Cardiff City and Wales) - "Triumph" - 4-12-26
- J. Hutton / John Hutton (Aberdeen and Scotland) - "Triumph" - 20-11-26
- W. McStay (Celtic and Scotland) - "Champion" - 25-9-26
- W. Harper / William Harper (Arsenal and Scotland) - "Triumph" - 30-10-26
- M. Russell / Moses Russell (Plymouth Argyle and England) - "Triumph" - 16-10-26
- J. A. Mackie / John Alexander Mackie (Arsenal and Ireland) - "Champion" - 27-11-26
- A. L. Morton / Alan Morton (Glasgow Rangers and Scotland) - "Triumph" - 2-10-26
- H. Bedford / Harry Bedford (Derby County and England) - "Champion" - 23-10-26
The second list is sorted by order of issue, and uses the name on the front of the card simply because that is shorter in many cases. I have added a zero to make the dates line up better though. This has revealed that a card was issued in each of the papers every week, and what that really meant was that you would only get a complete set if you forked out of your meagre pocket money for two papers a week instead of your usual one, hence increasing the sales revenue to Amalgamated Press.
- 25-09-26 - "Champion" - W. McStay (Celtic and Scotland)
- 25-09-26 - "Triumph" - R.E. York (Aston Villa and England)
- 02-10-26 - "Champion" - F. Osborne (Spurs and England)
- 02-10-26 - "Triumph" - A. L. Morton (Glasgow Rangers and Scotland)
- 09-10-26 - "Champion" - H. Gallacher (Newcastle United and Scotland)
- 09-10-26 - "Triumph" - F. Tunstall (Sheffield United and England)
- 16-10-26 - "Champion" - R. Pym (Bolton Wanderers and England)
- 16-10-26 - "Triumph" - M. Russell (Plymouth Argyle and England)
- 23-10-26 - "Champion" - H. Bedford (Derby County and England)
- 23-10-26 - "Triumph" - S. J. Wadsworth (Huddersfield Town and England
- 30-10-26 - "Champion" - J. Fowler (Swansea and Wales)
- 30-10-26 - "Triumph" - W. Harper (Arsenal and Scotland)
- 06-11-26 - "Champion" - W. Cresswell (Sunderland and England)
- 06-11-26 - "Triumph" - T. Farquharson (Cardiff City and Ireland)
- 13-11-26 - "Champion" - W. R. Robb (Glasgow Rangers and Scotland)
- 13-11-26 - "Triumph" - J. Townrow (Clapton Orient and England)
- 20-11-26 - "Champion" - S. C. Puddefoot (Blackburn Rovers and England)
- 20-11-26 - "Triumph" - J. Hutton (Aberdeen and Scotland)
- 27-11-26 - "Champion" - J. A. Mackie (Arsenal and Ireland)
- 27-11-26 - "Triumph" - F. Titmuss (Plymouth Argyle and England)
- 04-12-26 - "Champion" - G. H. Green (Sheffield United and England)
- 04-12-26 - "Triumph" - F. Keenor (Cardiff City and Wales)
- 11-12-26 - "Champion" - J. McMullan (Manchester City and Scotland)
- 11-12-26 - "Triumph" - H. Chambers (Liverpool and England)
Thursday, 24th April 2025
Here we have Tom Parker, shown in his Arsenal strip, but before joining them he scored one of the goals that took Sheffield United into the 1925 F.A. Cup Final. Unfortunately he was playing for their opponents, Southampton. In fact Mr. Parker must have got out of bed on the wrong side on the morning of the 28th of March, 1925, and travelled to Stamford Bridge, for he not only scored an own goal, but he missed a penalty, and was a factor in the goal that Sheffield did score to take them through to the final 2-0.
I have had this set on my radar for some time but it is a bit too technical and the description way too lengthy to include as a diary card.
It first appears in our original British Trade Index, but the list there is numbered, and the cards are not. Therefore I have replaced the numbers with bullets. There are a few names which are listed differently on the card when compared to this list, and a note of those has also been added. The text, otherwise, reads :
- FOOTBALL "STARS". Sm. 62 x 36. Caricatures on black background, inscribed "Copyright BCH/HLZ". Unnd. (100). Four back wordings each subject found with either both the "A" or both the "B" wordings.
A Backs - (a) "Barratt`s Xmas Club Boxes are the Best. Order Yours Early"
- (b) "Tarrab Brand Rock is the Best"
B Backs - (c) "Barratt & Co`s Sweets are Pure"
(d) "Buy Barratt & Co`s Sherbet Novelties"
- H. Adcock, Leicester City (A)
- S.W. Austin, Manchester City (B)
- T. Avey, Fulham (A)
- A. Barrett, Fulham (A)
- F. Barson, Watford (B)
- M. Bell, Hull City (B)
- Syd Bishop, Chelsea (B)
- A Black, Millwall (B)
- D. Blair, Clyde (B)
- W. Blyth, Birmingham (A)
W. Blyth, Arsenal (B)- J. Bradford, Brimingham (B)
- W. Brae, Ayr United (A)
- T. Bradshaw, Bury (A)
- Norman Bullock, Bury (B)
- G Camsell, Middlesborough (B)
- H. Chambers, West Bromwich (A)
- Jack Cock, Millwall (A)
- J. Collins, Swansea (B)
- J. Cookson, West Bromwich (A)
- W. Cresswell, Everton (B)
- A. Cunningham, Glasgow Rgrs (A) - the card has the full title "Glasgow Rangers"
- Len Davies, Cardiff City (A)
- W. Davies, Notts County (A)
- Dixie Dean, Everton (A)
- Jim Dimmock, Spurs, (B)
- J. Elkes, Spurs (B)
- J. Fort, Millwall (B)
- Hugh Gallacher, Newcastle Utd (B) - the card has the full title"Newcastle United"
- Vivian Gibbons, West Ham (B)
- J. Gibson, Aston Villa (B)
- W. Gillespie, Sheffield Wed (A) - the card is actually inscribed "Sheffield United".
- G. Goddard, Queens Pk. Rangers (A) - the card does use the abbreviation "Pk."
- A. Grimsdell, Spurs (B)
- Fred Keenor, Cardff City (A)
- W. Kirkham, Port Vale (A)
- W. Hardy, Cardiff City (B)
- N. Harris, Oldham Athletic (A)
- J. H. Hill, Burnley (B)
J. H. Hill. Newcastle United (B)- Fred Hopkin, Liverpool (A)
- J. H. Hulme, Arsenal (B)
- R. Iriving, Portsmouth (A)
- David Jack, Arsenal (B)
David Jack, Bolton Wand. (B) - the card has the full title "Bolton Wanderers"- A. Jackson, Huddersfield (A)
- Alec James, Preston North End (B)
- J. Jenkins, Brighton & Hove (A)
- Sam Jennings, Leeds United (B)
- R. F. John, Arsenal (A)
- J. Johnson, Sheffield Utd. (B) - the card does use the abbreviation "Utd."
- H. Jones, Blackburn Rovers (B)
- Fred Keenor, Cardiff City (A)
- W. Kirkham, Port Vale (A)
- J. Landells, Millwall (A)
- A. Lockhead, Leicester City (A)
- P. McCloy, Manchester City (B)
- R. McDonald, Clapton Orient (A)
- A. McGlory, Motherwell (A)
- D. McKinlay, Liverpool (B)
- J. McMullen, Manchester City (B)
- P. Maddison, Hull Ciity (A)
- A. L. Messer, Reading (A)
- F. Morgan, Notts Forest (B) - the card does use the abbreviation "Notts."
- D. H. Morris, Swindon (B)
- Alan Morton, Glasgow Rangers (B)
- J. Murdock, Airdrieonians (A)
- L. Murphy, Bolton Wanderers (A)
- E. O`Callaghan, Spurs (B)
- Reg Osborne, Leicester City (A)
- Tom Parker, Arsenal (B)
- W. Pease, Middlesbro (A) - the card does use the abbreviation "Middlesbro"
- Syd Puddefoot, Blackburn R. (B) - the card has the full title "Blackburn Rovers"
- Alf Quantrill, Bradford (B)
- F. Roberts, Manchester City (A)
- J. Ruffell, West Ham (B)
- J. Seddon, Bolton Wanderers (A)
- Jimmy Seed, The Wednesday (B) - this is what the card says, just "The Wednesday"
- S. Seymour, Newcastle Utd (B) - the card has the full title "Newcastle United"
- H. Skitt, Spurs (B)
- T. Smart, Aston Villa (B)
- Joe Smith, Stockport County (A)
Joe Smith, Wigan (A)- W. H. Smith, Huddersfield (B)
- Joe Spence, Manchester Utd (A) - the card does use the abbreviation "Utd"
- Clem Stevenson, Huddersfield (A)
- H. Storer, Derby County (A)
- J. Sykes, Swansea Town (B)
- A. Thain, Chelsea (A)
- J. Townrow, Chelsea (A)
- J. Trotter, Wednesday (A) - this is what the card says, just "Wednesday", not even a "The" as on card 76
- Fred Tunstall, Sheffield Wed (A) - the card is actually inscribed "Sheffield United".
- T, Vizard, Bolton Wanderers (A)
- S. Wadsworth, Huddersfield (A)
- W. Walker, Aston Villa (B)
- Victor Watson, West Ham (A)
- Jessie Whatley, Bristol Rovers (A)
- Owen Williams, Middlesboro (A) - the card does use the abbreviation "Middlesbro"
- A. Wilson, Chelsea (A)
- Charlie Wilson, Stoke (B)
- G. Wilson, Nelson (B)
- T. Yews, West Ham (B)
- R. York, Aston Villa (B)
As a little bit of humour, with hindsight, I typed this list in from out of the original British Trade Index and then turned over to see if there was anything else to add after the name list. There was, another name list. On the page I had been working on it was two columns numbered 1/23 and 51/74 and I had not noticed this, so I had to change all the numbers of those and add in the two columns I had just discovered overleaf
There is only one change to this list in our British Trade Index part two, and that adds a second card for S. Wadsworth, Huddersfield (A), of "S. Wadsworth, Bolton". We presume that it, too, has the (A) back pairing.
No more discoveries take place in parts three and four.
Friday, 25th April 2025
This is one part of a continuous series, split into many groups.These are :
- B. Prominent Politicians
- C. Reproductions of High Class Works of Art
- D. Reproductions of Famous Works of Art
- E. Polo Pictures
- F. Chess and Draughts Problems
- . Football Rules
- H. Cricketers and Footballers
- J. Footballers
- K. War Series
- L. War Series
The un-initialled set seems to be universally regarded as set G.
Our part, Series H, is catalogued in our original World Tobacco Issues Index as :
- SERIES H. Sm. 67 x 37. Nd. See H.282. Ha. 282. and X.1/H.282 ... M164-12
1. Cricketers.(20). Front (a) black and white (b) brown
2. Footballers. 33 known. Front black and white
By the time of our updated version of this book, there has been a discovery, and the text now reads :
- SERIES H. Sm. 67 x 37. Nd. See H.292. ... M970-250
1. Cricketers.(20). Front (a) black and white (b) brown
2. Footballers. 34 known. Front black and white
So if anyone knows who joined our squad in the intervening fifty years since the publication of our original and our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, do let us know.
And so I must close. Do nip along to the convention, if you possibly can, there will be millions of cards, and also a goodly amount of other things, and lots of cartophilic curiosities that you would never see at other fairs. And do tell your friends to come along too, as on Sunday there will be no admission fees, all are free to come in and wander and discover, perhaps for the first time, how wonderful cards are.
See you there! In just a few hours now......