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The years before the Second World War were the heyday for cigarette cards. Most cigarette manufactures produced them, initially as stiffeners for the paper packets and then inserts to the 10 and 20 cardboard packets. The major manufacturers were Wills in Bristol and Players in Nottingham. The latter produced some lovely cards and one such set (of 25 cards)  in my collection is Picturesque Cottages issued in 1929. Here is one from the set. One must marvel at the lovely artistry, just for fag packets. 

Cigarette%20card%201_zpsdwt50fzl.jpg

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This is the first posting of the cards in the pre-war Players set of motor cars. Not every member is a car buff, so I will be interspersing cards of different subjects to try and please others. The in

I had a set from WW2 by Wills about all the different jobs in the Royal Navy,they're somewhere in the roof space I think,when I used to smoke I collected a series of British army uniforms cards by Craven "A",managed to collect the whole set but left them with first wife when I buggered off.

Thanks for posting these Chulla,are you going to post more like you have with your other pictures?

 

Rog

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Another nice Player's card, from the 1930 set Portals of the Past. I will put a couple more on this thread, but if no interest shown will not bother with any more.

 

Cigarette%20card%204_zpsluetrwgj.jpg

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I had a prized collection of fag cards and Brooke Bond tea cards, up until the time I left my blazer at Noel street baths following a junior school swimming lesson. When I got my jacket back my pockets had been emptied and all my worldly possessions were gone! I'm not bitter though...Life's too short.

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Broxtowelad,I remember the Brooke Bond cards,had a few mesen,Chulla,keep em coming,my memory is being jogged each time you post em,thanks

 

Rog

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I'd completely forgotten about these, but I seem to have a few survivors of Brooke Bond cards.

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And a few more cards from Armitage's pet foods, who were (are ?)  based in Nottingham; the address at the bottom is 29 / 31 Castle Gate.

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Picturesque London (1931, and British Naval Craft (1939).

 

We used to pin the ship cards on to a dart board and throw darts to hit below the waterline.

 

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Cigarette%20card%205_zpsacnfdptw.jpg

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Gallaher produced some nice cards. They were slightly smaller than the standard size and had 48 cards to a set instead of 50. Here we have four of them - Dogs (1936), Butterflies and Moths (1938), Famous Jockeys (1936) and Wild Flowers (1939). The Wild Flower set was especially pleasing, with its gold frame.

 

We used to lean a card against the wall and with a card between two fingers flick it to try and knock it flat. Whoever did would get all of the cards lying around that had not been successful.

 

Cigarette%20card%207_zpswf3ajyxu.jpg

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Players and Wills produced nice albums to stick the cards in. This is a page from Cycling (1939). Is that our PeverilPeril on his velocipede?

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Here is a page from Motor Cars (1936 or 1937). The page has a Rover - especially for Pianoman.

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Sportsmen were popular subjects on cigarette cards. This set has Speedway Riders (1937)

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Cricketers were a popular subject.  this set was issued in 1938.  The four others are trade cards (not cigarette cards. This set of cricketers Texaco Trophy Cricket Cards was issued in the 1980s and given away with petrol at Texaco filling stations. Left to right the players are  Clive Lloyd, David Gower, Allan Lamb and our own Derek Randall. There were only 12 cards in the set.

 

Edit. Benji, Hardstaff is pictured below. Can only show what's on the cards, he is the only Notts player shown. 

Cricketers%20cards_zpsfzt9svle.jpg

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Particularly like the bicycle ones Chulla,especially the recumbent bike in the set and small piece of it's history,keep em coming

 

Rog

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Wow Chulla, these cards have brought back so many memories. My Grandad used to smoke Craven A and had many sets of cigarette cards that somehow disappeared after his death.

The bicycle cards reminded me of the racing bike he had, it had wooden wheels, cane I think, he kept it in an old wooden shed in the garden that always smelled of creosote. One of those smells that immediately take you back to another time.

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Some card sets were instructional or educational. Here are a couple of pages of Wills, Safety First from 1934, dealing with road safety.

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These sets give Hints on Association Football (1934), an Ogdens set on  Air Raid Precautions (1938), Garden Hints (1938) by Wills and How Films Are Made (1934) by Morris. 

How%20to%20cards_zpsqqtr81hy.jpg

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Military subjects were common cards. These four show Ship's Badges (Wills 1925), Army Corps Divisional Signs (1924 or 1925), RAF Badges (1937) and Army Badges (Gallahers)

 

That's it for now. I have lots more and will post them later in the year.

 

Military%20badges%20cards_zpsnz40rayb.jp

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  • 11 months later...

Now that the Ben motoring cards have finished, if the petrol-heads among you would like me to post cigarette cards showing pre-war cars, I will. An example is above, showing a page of three. I have two Players albums, each with fifty cards.

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This is the first posting of the cards in the pre-war Players set of motor cars. Not every member is a car buff, so I will be interspersing cards of different subjects to try and please others. The info text on the cards is in a fairly feint type, so you might have to enlarge screen to read.

 

Cars_p5.jpg

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