As I was busy curating “my sports museum” (See Post #2532), I stumbled across a set of oddball cards that I was never able to identify until just yesterday. I got them years before as part of a baseball collectors club Spring Training event that I would attend every year. The host would give us each a grab bag filled with unusual memorabilia. The backs of these cards were virtually unreadable, and I always wondered why they were included in my gift bag. The lithographs on the front, that had nothing to do with baseball, were also badly worn and required a magnifying glass to make out the words. I set them aside for a “rainy day,” that finally arrived out of boredom. It was obvious that they were very old, so I did a number of searches to determine their origin and value. The cards measure 1-7/16″ x 2-5/8″ which is considered by many collectors to be the standard tobacco card size. 

One of these cards is definitely from the N85 Duke Tobacco Postage Stamps set issued in the late 1880’s. The card stock includes an open white space where stamps of the day could be glued in place. It may very well be the oldest thing that I own, but not very valuable. There are also two other cards from the series “Types of all Nations” including China and West Indies, plus a final Duke brand titled “Barbed Loach.” These types of cards predated the popularity of baseball players. 

The letter-followed-by-number refers to the catalog designation assigned by Jefferson Burdick in his book The American Card Catalog. I have at least seven other cards in my collection from various American Tobacco Companies. The T206 is known as the “White Border” set due to the distinctive white borders surrounding the lithographs on each card. They date beginning in 1911 and considered to be the landmark set that features some of the most expensive baseball cards in history like Honus Wagner, Eddie Plank and the error cards of Larry Doyle and Sherry Magee.

Most card nuts such as me can recite the legendary story of Honus Wagner and his aversion to tobacco. He demanded that his likeness not be associated with the product, so his cards were destroyed, leaving only about 50 remaining in circulation. Supply and demand dictates that owning one is like possessing the crown jewel. 

The T205 (gold borders) was the first in the series of these baseball cards (1909 to 1911) distributed through cigarette and loose tobacco packs in 16 different brands. I also have a T207 (brown background) that started distribution in 1912 and consisted of 200 unnumbered cards, plus several variations. Finally, I own an M 101-5 from the 1916 Sporting News series. 

I then found an article written by British author, Ben Johnson, identifying this hobby of collecting cigarette cards as “Cartophily.” “They were originally given away in cigarette packets as a marketing gimmick, primarily to encourage people to buy more cigarettes. They eventually evolved however, into miniature reference books with fine illustrations and detailed texts that captured snapshots of the social history of the day.”

“The origins of these cards can be traced back to 1880’s America, when blank cards known as ‘stiffeners’ were put into paper packets in order to stiffen the packaging and protect the cigarettes from being crushed and bent. Shortly after this, some bright spark had the idea of using the cards for advertising purposes by printing pictures and words onto them.”

“In 1888 W.D.& H.O. Wills became the first British cigarette manufacturer to include cards, again originally for advertising purposes; however, in 1895 they issued their first general interest set titled Ships & Soldiers. This no doubt represented the target market for their product.”

“At a time when most common folk were barely literate, these beautifully produced full color cards quickly established a popular following. Cards were organised in sets, usually of between 25 – 50 cards, featuring a common topic or theme and were designed to be collected as a set.”

“The W.D.& H.O.Wills, Kings & Queens set issued in 1897, was the first to have short notes on the back to give some background of the featured monarch.”

“Other early sets include those from John Player & Sons and Ogdens cigarettes, which appeared around 1900. Subsequent sets were produced on subjects as diverse as weapons, transport, racehorses, sportsmen, etc.”

“By the early 1900’s cigarette cards had established an almost fanatical following with thousands of different sets being issued by more than 300 cigarette manufacturers, all competing with each other to sell their products and establish brand loyalty. In those days it was a common sight to see children standing outside a shop asking ‘can I have your fag card Mister’.” 

In 1917 due to a shortage of materials caused by the First World War, production of cards ceased, and they did not reappear again until 1922. Sets issued throughout the 1920’s and 30’s represented the Golden Age of card collecting, and covered almost all aspects of nature, transport, sport, etc. 

“The subjects of the cards could also reflect the moods and concerns of the times: for example, during the run up to World War II, sets were issued such as Air Raid Precautions. In contrast, other sets such as those bearing pictures and specifications of aircraft were banned by the government, presumably to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.”

“In 1940 the British wartime government again banned cigarette cards citing them as “a waste of vital raw materials”. In the aftermath of the war any hope of a return to the Golden Age of cigarette cards were dashed by rationing and the high cost of raw materials.”

In the U.S., card collecting shifted from tobacco to candy and gum, but has seen a modern resurgence in commercial distribution. Interesting enough, my observation is that the only series that seemed to lead to prosperity on the part of any cartophilist is baseball. Otherwise, it’s simply an entertaining past time.