1960's Rock Stars, Pop Stars & Ice Cream Vans: The Kinks, Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones Mister Softee Trading Cards

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One particular ice cream franchise, Mister Softee, didn’t just hand out confectionary and ice cream from their vans. They also issued many series of trading cards, especially on rock stars and pop stars of the 1960s and 1970s

The card set pictured above is called “Lord Neilson’s Star Cards” and consists of 12 cards. I believe that the music newspaper “Record Mirror” helped contribute to the descriptions on the backs of the cards, and perhaps the pictures too.

The Kinks are featured on one of the cards. Although perhaps not the most commercially successful of bands from the British Invasion era, they were incredibly important and influential. Dave Davies was the first musician to popularize the power chord in the band’s first commercially successful single, “You Really Got Me”. This played a crucial role in the early development of the hard rock and punk rock genres. Dave Davies achieved his distorted guitar riff with a cone, but not an ice cream cone, by modifying the speaker cone on his Elpico amplifier. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes Ray Davies, his brother, as “Rock’s most literate, witty and insightful songwriter”.

This set also includes the Beach Boys, rising to fame with their tight harmonies and Brian Wilson’s knack for creating timeless hit singles. They even rivalled the Beatles at one point.

One important thing to note, is that this is the only Mister Softee card set I know of to feature an all black group, The Supremes. The choice of words in the description on the back isn’t very politically correct.

Alan Price, the organ playing wizard that gave The Animals its distinctive sound makes an appearance on card no. 12 along with the singer Chris Farlowe, who didn’t achieve the success he deserved.

This set also includes music legends such as Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, The Rolling Stones, Lulu, Manfred Mann, Georgie Fame, The Walker Brothers and a pop group with a name combining the nicknames of all the band members: Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mick and Tich.

Mister Softee, Lord Neilson’s Star Cards (12 Cards), 1967

Includes:The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Tom Jones, The Kinks, Manfred Mann, Julie Felix and Georgie Fame, Lulu, The Rolling Stones, The Walker Brothers, Alan Price and Chris Farlowe; Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich

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Coin Collecting is Sexy - 1890s-1900s Brothel Token Paris Aux Glaces, Rue Stainte Apolline, France

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Who says that coin collecting isn’t sexy?! The token pictured above is a brothel token coin. The obverse side features the name and address of the brothel, Aux Glaces, 25 Rue Stainte Apolline, Paris. The reverse reveals a nude angel and rooster, a design similar to that on French gold coins of the period, perhaps intending to mock the state. Paris was the art centre of the world when this token was issued, late 19th to early 20th century. It’s not too difficult to imagine famous artists wandering into the Les Glaces brothel and using their token to purchase a drink at the bar before joining a Parisian beauty of their choice.

1890s-1900s Brothel Token

Aux Glaces, 25 Rue Stainte Apolline, Paris

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Magic Tricks and Puzzle Cigarette Cards ( Collectables )

During a time when there was no television or computers, and even books were still quite expensive, people had to find other ways to amuse themselves. Not too long ago many people were still superstitious and labelled anything strange and unusual as magic. Tobacco companies identified a gap in the market and realised that the average, information-starved person hungered for knowledge about the strange world around them. From 1870s-1930s, tobacco companies issued cigarette cards in packets of cigarettes on numerous topics. One of those topics was magic tricks and puzzles.

I've listed a small selection of magic trick and puzzle cigarette cards. I've provided scans of a sample card from each set and I've tried to list as many card titles as possible.

Name Of Set: Tricks and Puzzles (Black Back)

Manufacturer: Gallaher

Issue Year: 1933

Card Number: 100

Card Titles: A trick with a clothes brush, The three-square puzzle, Self luminous steam, The three dozen match puzzle, Two Square match puzzle, A coin problem, Making a pack of cards spring from one hand to another, A fancy flourish, To put ale and water in a glass without mixing them, A puzzle with a match,Making a basket, Match box trick, How to make a paper tree, Indestructible match box, Atraction and replusion, Bottle and straw, A good game for two, To change the contents of two glasses without using a third, Subtraction puzzle, How to break glass in any direction, The resin grapes, Onion juice as a sympathetic ink, The cross puzzle,Communication of thought, The nine puzzle, The marked penny, The Garrison Puzzle, The square puzzle, Balancing penny, A simple trick, Park drive match tick, The acrobatic card, Bottle and penny trick, To balance one ball on another, The moat puzzle, On line puzzle, How to make smoke rings with a box, To tie a knot in a hand-kerchief without letting either end go, The Three-coin trick, The 6-square puzzle, To separate oil from water, The four into three square puzzle, To pick up a sixpenny piece from a saucer of water without wetting your fingers, The shot rabbit, To draw a design upon a piece of paper, The match trick, Cigarette paper trick,Joke with a match, The revolving penny, Squeezing the shilling, Removing the Domine, The wine bottle puzzle, How to hear guns of an imaginary fleet firing, Fun with a threepenny bit, How to plung a piece of white paper into an inkpot filled with ink without blackening it...

Name Of Set: Tricks & Puzzles

Manufacturer: Richard Lloyd and Sons

Issue Year: 1935

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Amusing Tricks and How To Do Them

Manufacturer: Carreras

Issue Year: 1937

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: To Lengthen a Handkerchief, Thread Will Not Burn, Squares and Triangles, The Vanishing Coin, The Wandering Rubber Band, The Spoon Dances, Where's The Coin, Spotting The Card, The Jumping Card, The Wandering Ring, The Sugar Torch, Walk Through Postcard, Restoring Burnt Thread, Name Unseen Colours, Unbreakable Match, Bewitched Walking-Stick, The Magic Matches, The Balancing Coin, The Wandering Pen, Card Magic, Vanishing Threepenny-Bit, Telling Time By Clairvoyance, Find The Coin By Touch, Lift Three Matches With One, The Weeping Pencil, Handkerchief From Match Box, Rescuing a Submerged Coin, Rejoining Torn Paper, Matter Through Matter, A Mathematical Mystery, The Ghostly Gathering, A Flying Egg, Handerchief Holds Water, A Divided Apple, Tinfoil Will Burn, Finding The Chosen Card, Unspillable Match Box, Coin and Needle Trick, To Eat a Candle, Restoring a Broken Bootlace, The Magic Matchbox, The Magic Numbers, A Match Joke, A Writing Trick, The Rope Handcuff, Orange From a Ball of Wool, Four Kings Take a Journey, The Unwinding Trick, A Bluff Card Trick, and The Extra Cigarette.

Name Of Set: Magical Puzzles

Manufacturer: R and J Hill

Issue Year: 1938

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Magic Water, How to make Smoke Rings, To put Ale and Water in a Glass Without Mixing Them, To Obtain Bell Effect With A Spoon, A Match Joke, Bottle and Straw Trick, How To Join String In Your Mouth, How To Tie a Knot In A Piece of String - Without Letting Go Of The Hands, To Turn Sixpence into One-and-Six, Is It Possible?, How To Float A Needle On Water, How To Make a Penny Stick On The Wall or Door, The Match and Coin, Match Trick, The Vanishing Spots, The Broken Match, The Burnt Thread, Rubber Ball Trick, Egg Trick, The Spirit in the Handkerchief, A Good Catch, To Pass Yourself Through A Playing Card, The Walking Coin, Fire-Resisting Paper, The Magic Match, A Draught-Board Problem, The Moving Bottle, How To Balance a Pencil on your Finger, Try Your Lung Power, The Mesmerized Match, How To Turn a Tumbler of Water Upside Down Without Spilling the Water, Mystic Production of Handkerchief, The Mysterious Ring, Ring and Wand Trick, A Wonderful Thought-Reading Trick, How Many Pins?, Magic Water,The Magic Production of a Coin, Producing Ribbon From a Tangerine, Balancing a Coin on the Hand, How To Reverse the Positions of Two Coins Without Touching Them, Disappearing Sixpence, The Magic Coin, Pulling the Handkerchief Through the Leg, Tell a Card By Magic, The Disappearing Coin, How To Spin A Penny by Friction, How To Balance Fifteen Matches On One, and Telling The Reds From The Blacks By Weight,How is it Done?

Name Of Set: Optical Illusions

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1923

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Circles Appearing as Hexagons, Long and Short Lines, Four Crooked Bars, Nine Cubes, Light and Dark Bricks, Cloisters, Pillars in Perspective, Spiral,Object Out of Perspective, The Deceptive Shapes, Book and Tube, Circle and Dot, Changing Arches, Balls and Glasses, Triangles and Star,Length of Lines, Length of Lines, Cog Wheels with Rotary Movement, Ball and Cup, Letters Appearing Out of Upright, Lines Appearing not Parallel,Rotary Movement, Cheese,The Wire Box, and Deceptive Lines.

Name Of Set: Optical illusions

Manufacturer: Godfrey Phillips

Issue Year: 1927

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: The Scotsman, The Black Toucan, The Parallel Lines, Can You Read This? The Cubes, The Birds, The Grey Smudges, The Rabbit, The Disappearing Line, Do These Wheels Revolve? The Elusive Line, Illusion of Distance, The Stairs, The Distorted Oblongs, The Diamond? Contrast, The Spiral, Which is the Longer? The Perfect Square, Hexagons or Cicles? The Two Circles, Illusion of Area, Colour Contrast, The Two Squares, and The Lines.

Name Of Set: Puzzle Series (normal size)

Manufacturer: Major Drapkin

Issue Year: 1926

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Chelsea Pensioner, The Bandit, The Mountaineer, The Falconer, The Native American, Arab, Remeo and Juliet, Poacher, Snake Charmer, The Mandarin,Dancer, Town Crier, The Trapper, The Sailor, Watchman, The Bowman, The Beefeater, Huntsman, The Highwayman, The Gladiator, Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday, The Monstrel, The Shepherd, Trader, and The Smuggler.

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Napoleonic Jeton Battle of Leipzig Commemorative Medal Defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, 1813

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This Napoleonic jeton/token was issued by the Allied Nations to commemorate the decisive defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Leipzig, 1813. Following this significant battle, with his European military presence in tatters, Napoleon retreated back to France but was finally captured and exiled to the island of Elba in the following year. The historical significance of this jeton makes it exceptionally sought after. A view of the war torn city of Leipzig is shown on the one side of the jeton and the other side features the busts of the main two coalition leaders: Franz II Emperor of Austria, and Alexander I of Russia.

I think we can all agree that Napoleon was a significant historical figure and didn’t achieve what he did through pure luck. Napoleon was able to exploit the fresh ideas of great theorists of his day to transform his highly motivated but ramshackle army into a formidable fighting force that would conquer most of Europe. These new ideas included such simple but effective tactics as speeding up the marching pace, encouraging his soldiers to live off the land so they weren’t as reliant on vulnerable supply routes, and creating plans with many alternative objectives so that he could turn the unpredictable nature of war to his advantage.

1813 Commemorative Jeton / Medal for Napoleonic Battle of Leipzig

Info:The Battle of Leipzig (German: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig) or Battle of the Nations, fought on 16–19 October 1813, was one of the most decisive defeats suffered by Napoleon Bonaparte. Busts include Franz II Emperor of Austria and Alexander of Russia, legend around "Ietton"; view of battle, city in background. By Steiner

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Queen Victoria's Royal Funeral on Commemorative Cigarette Cards by Ogden's Tabs, 1901

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This little card set was issued to commemorate the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. As well as featuring the late queen, ironically dressed in mourning clothes, it also includes the newly proclaimed King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Patriotic cards like these played an important role in Duke’s propaganda campaign in what is known as the Tobacco Wars.

W. Duke and Sons, a US tobacco firm, had strategically acquired the British tobacco company Ogden’s with the sole purpose of taking over the British tobacco market. The slogan “British Made by British Labour” printed on the backs of this card set and other similar card sets revealed Duke’s ploy to subtly win over the British smokers’ support and ease his takeover plot. His plan, as with Queen Victoria’s reign, eventually came to an end. Many of the major British tobacco companies formed a strong alliance and forced Duke to retreat back across the Atlantic Ocean.

Ogden's, International Interest (Tabs Type Issues), 1901 (3 cards)

Includes:Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, Queen Alexandra

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Lighthouse Cigarette Cards and Trading Cards (Collectables)

Lighthouses have been saving the lives of seafarers for thousands of years. The Pharos of Alexandria is the earliest known lighthouse and was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world. The traditional lighthouse is fast becoming a rarity as they become replaced by more sophisticated electronic navigation aids - radar beacons, radio beacons and satellite systems.

Maritime antiques are extremely popular on eBay and lighthouse cigarette cards are avidly sought after, especially since only a few sets were devoted purely to lighthouses. I've listed a small selection of cards sets containing lighthouses below. I've provided scans of a sample card from each set and I've tried to list as many card titles as possible.

Name Of Set: Lighthouses

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1907

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: British Lighthouses

Manufacturer: Societe Job

Issue Year: 1925

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Longstone's Lighthouse, North Unst , Smalls Lighthouse, The Wolf Lighthouse, St. Catherine's Lighthouse, The Chicken Lighthouse, Skerryvore Lighthouse, The Bell-Rock Lighthouse, St. Anthony's Lighthouse, The Longships Lighthouse, The Flannan Lighthouse, The Bishop Rock Lighthouse, The High Lighthouse, Cromer Lighthouse, The Eddystone Lighthouse, Beachy Head Lighthouse, Maplin Lighthouse, Isle of May Lighthouse, South Foreland Lighthouse, North Foreland Lighthouse, Holyhead Lighthouse, Plymouth Breakwater Lighthouse, Portland Breakwater Lighthouse, Hartland Point Lighthouse, and Bressay Lighthouse.

Name Of Set: Lighthouses

Manufacturer: British American Tobacco

Issue Year: 1926

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Anvil Point Lighthouse Swanage, Great Orm Lighthouse Llandudno, Skerryvore Lighthouse, North Unst Lighthouse North of Britain, Inner Farn Lighthouse, Portland Lighthouse, North Foreland Lighthouse, The Needles IOW, Old Lighthouse Removed to Avonmouth, Lizard Lighthouse, Dungeness Lighthouse, Spurn Head Lighthouse, Penninis Lighthouse St. Mary's ScillLundy Isle Lighthouse Disused, Landguard Lighthouse, Bishop Rock Lighthouse, Trevose Head Lighthouse, Smeaton Tower, St. Anthony's Falmouth, Godrevy Lighthouse, Dubh Artach Lighthouse, South Foreland Lighthouse St Margaret's Bay, Sea Houses Lighthouse, Pendeen Lighthouse, Round Island Lighthouse, Longships Lighthouse, St. Agnes Lighthouse Disused, Flannan Islands Light Station, St. Catherine's Lighthouse IOW, Chapman Lighthouse, Chicken Rock Lighthouse, Berry Head Lighthous Brixham, South Light Lundy Island, Flamborough Head Lighthouse, Early History, Longstone Lighthouse, Douglas Lighthouse, Souter Point Lighthouse, Cromer Lighthouse, Bell Rock Lighthouse, Eddystone Lighthouse, Whitby Lighthouse, Coquet Lighthouse, Beachy Head Lighthouse, Hartland Lighthouse Hartland Point, Bamborough Lighthouse, Corbiere Lighthouse, Wolf Rock Lighthouse, Lowestoft Lighthouse, and Barra Head Lighthouse.

Name Of Set: Lighthouses (NZ)

Manufacturer: WD and HO Wills

Issue Year: 1926

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Towers S1032

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1912

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: The Seven Wonders of The World S451

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1895

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

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History of British Military Uniforms Evolution on Trading Cards by Nabisco Foods Ltd, 1971

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This nicely illustrated card set includes British military uniforms through the ages. The first two cards are devoted to the English Civil War period: card no. 1 features one of Oliver Cromwell’s Roundhead Pikemen, 1642, and card no. 2 depicts a confident looking Royalist Cavalryman, 1645. The following card in the series catapults us into the Napoleonic Wars, showing us an Officer of the Royal Horse Artillery, 1809.

An officer of the 11th Hussars, from the time of Crimean War, is pictured in this set on card no. 5. It is thought that British soldiers introduced the concept of cigarette smoking to the UK after seeing their Russian counterparts smoking tobacco rolled up in tubes of thin paper. So, perhaps cigarette cards owe their existence to the Crimean War. A less conspicuous and more practical looking khaki uniform of an Officer of the 2nd Life Guards is shown on card no. 10, from the Boer War period. The final two cards show a couple of ceremonial uniforms from when this card set was issued, 1971.

Nabisco Foods Ltd, British Soldiers, 1971 (12 cards)

Roundhead Pikeman 1642,Royalist Cavalryman 1645,Officer Royal Horse Artillery 1809,Private Sutherland Highlanders 1854,Officer 11th Hussars 1855,Pioneer Scots Guards 1866,Sgt Major Greadier Guards 1870,Private Royal West Kents 1887,CO Argyll and, Sutherland Highlanders 1895,Officer 2nd Life Guards 1900,Pipe Major Scots Guards,Officer Royal Horse Guards,

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1930's Wild Animals Tiger Lion Polar Bear Otter Red Kangaroo On Cigarette Cards by Godfrey Phillips, 1936

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This set of animal cards was issued during a time when animal welfare was not top priority. Wild animals, many that are rarer than the old cigarette cards that depict them, were mercilessly hunted and turned into items of vanity: fashion accessories and wall mounted trophies. Clues to societies’ primitive attitudes towards them can be found in the descriptive text on the backs of some cards, such as that on the card featuring the supposedly “Common Otter”: “Its fur is of considerable value”. This nicely illustrated, slightly embossed card set includes a good selection of animals from around the world, including the tiger, lion, zebra, Kangaroo and many more.

Godfrey Phillips, Animal Studies, 1936 (30 cards)

Includes:Striped Hyena,Indian Rhinoceros,Lion,Tiger,Common Eland,Northern Fur Seal,Elk or Moose,Caracal,Reindeer,Camel,Polar Bear,Muscat Gazelle,Indian Wild Boar,Elephant,Cape Buffalo,Hippopotamus,Chamois,Fox,Walrus,Common Otter,Burchell's Zebra,Tasmanian Devil,, Puma,Guenon,Red Kangaroo,Cheeta,Clouded Leopard,Badger,Black-Backed Jackal,Mandrill

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Horse Racing Trading Cards and Cigarette Cards (Collectibles) 1880s-1930s

People have been racing horses for thousands of years. The cigarette set "Races - Historic & Modern", issued by Carreras in 1927, shows the different types of horse racing through the ages.

Horse racing has been closely associated with gambling for many years and I'm sure many of us have been tempted to have a flutter at some time. Tobacco companies were quick to take advantage of the popularity of horse racing and produced many sets from the 1900s-1930s, especially Ogdens Ltd.

It would be impractical to list every racehorse cigarette card set ever issued and so I've listed a small selection of the more rare and unusual ones. I've provided scans of a sample card from each set and I've tried to list as many card titles as possible.

Horse Racing Card Sets

Name Of Set: A Jockey's Career (S226)

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1888

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Owners, Racing Colours & Jockeys (Blue Back)

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1906

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: J. Plant, George McCall, W. Higgs, H. Randall, A. Templeman, C. Trigg, JH Martin, Frank Bullock, Kempton Cannon, Jack Jarvis, William Griggs, H. Blades, George McCall, Frank Bullock, George McCall, JW East, W Saxby, Herbert Jones, Jimmy Hare, Bernard Dillon, F. Hardy, Jimmy Hare, JH Martin, H Randall, Bernard Dillon, W Halsey, William Griggs, W. Higgs, Danny Maher, Otto Madden, Barrington Lynham, F. Hardy, Bernard Dillon, H. Blades, Barrington Lynham, Danny Maher, Danny Maher, Bernard Dillon, Otto Madden, A. Templeman, E. Wheatley, Kempton Cannon, E. Wheatley, H. Randall, Mornington Cannon, H Randall, Herbert Jones, Wornington Cannon, Otto Madden, and Herbert Jones.

Name Of Set: Racehorses

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1907

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Cicero, Spearmint, Bachelor's Button, Ferndown, Carbine, Gorgos, Florizell II, Gamecock, Lally, Bend Or, Donnetta, Ard Patrick, Cherry Lass, Galopin, Keystone II, Cloister, John O' Gaunt, Moifaa, Flying Fox, Ascetic's Silver, Kirkland, Persimmon, Diamond Jubilee, La Fle'che, Epsom Lad, Volodyovski, Sainfoin, Traquair, Slieve Gallion, Perdita II, Sceptre, Victor Wild, Santoi, Ladas, Velocity, Melton, Troutbeck, Minifesto, St. Simon, Jeddah, Hackler's Pride, Black Arrow, Orme, Zinfandel, Imari, Rock Sand, Galtee More, Roseate Dawn, Isinglass, and Pretty Polly.

Name Of Set: Racing Series (26-50)

Manufacturer: EW Anstie

Issue Year: 1922

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Captain Cuttle, Royal Lancer, Devizes, Pogrom, Music Hall, Re-Echo, Steve Donogue, C. Elliott, Beary, V. Smyth, E. Gardner, Mr Brown, Racing at Newbury, Racing at Goodwood, Sandown Park, The Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree, Concaster Races, Racing at Ascot, Parade for the Derby, Lady James Douglas, Egerton House Stables at Newmarket, Mr Fred Darling's Stables at Beckhampton in Wiltshire, A Visit to Mr. Alec Taylor's Stables at Manton in Wiltshire, and Tattenham Corner.

Name Of Set: Prominent Racehorses of The Present Day, 2nd Series

Manufacturer: W&F Faulkner

Issue Year: 1924

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Chosroes, Diophon, D'Orsay,Druid's Orb, Eastern Monarch, Ellangowan, Golden Boss, Knight of the Garter, Moabite, Mumtaz Mahal, Obliterate, Papyrus, Purple Shade, Roger de Busli, Saltash, Scyphius, Sergeant Murphy, Silurian, Straitlace, Teresina, The Night Patrol, Top Gallant, Tranquil, Triumph, and Verdict.

Name Of Set: Winners of the Turf, Large

Manufacturer: Alexander Boguslavsky Ltd

Issue Year: 1925

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Sergeant Murphy, Mr. RB Davidson, Ellangowan, Top Gallant, Chivalrous, Simon Pure, Diligence, Captain Cuttle, Papyrus, Brownhylda, Mumtaz Mahal, Eastern Monarch, Weathervane, Happy Man, Druids Orb, Saltash, Epinard, Sicyon, Straitlace, Triumph, Tranquil, Rose Prince, Verdict, Shaum Spadah, and Silvo.

Name Of Set: Derby Entrants 1926

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1926

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Apple Sammy, Artist Glow, Booklet, Buckler, Colorado, Comedy King, Coronach, Finglas, Friar Wile, Gay Lothario, Grandlight, Grassmoor, Happy Recruit, Harpagon, Jessel, Lancegaye, Legionnaire, Lex, Lightning Artist, Pantera, Phanarite, Pharan, Review Order, Rosehearty, and Swift and Sure

Name Of Set: Jockeys, and Owners' Colours

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1927

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: W Alford, JR Anthony, G Archibald, A Balding, M Beary, H Beasley, A Berry, J Brennan, A Burns, T Burns, J Caldwell, J Canty, B Carslake, J Childs, F Dempsey, J Dines, S Donoghue, P Donoghue, G Duller, C Elliott, E Foster, F Fox, G Hulme, J Kirby, R James, H Jelliss, RA Jones, F Lane, J Leach, H Leach, TE Leader, W McLachlan, W Marland, J Marshall, F O'Neil, R Perryman, T Pryor, FB Rees, G Richards, J Sirett, C Smirke, W Speck, G Stern, JA Taylor, J Thwaites, G Walsh, T Weston, MA Wing, F Winter, and H Wragg.

Name Of Set: Prominent Racehorses of 1933

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1933

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Brown Betty, Brown Jack, Canon Law, Chatelaine, Colombo, Colorado Kid, Concerto, Coup De Lyon, Dastur, Delaneige, Dick Turpin, Felicitation, Foxhunter, Goldon Miller, Gregalach, Harinero, Hyperion, Insurance, Jim Thomas, Kellsboro Jack, King Salmon, Light Brocade, Limelight, Loaningdale, Lo Zingaro, Mannamead, Master Vere, Maureen, Meadow Rhu, Medieval Knight, Merenda, Montrose, Mrs Rustom, Muscatel, Myrobella, Nitsichin, Pharacre, Raymond, Rodosto, Roi De Paris, Sans Peine, Seminole, Solenoid, Statesman, Tai-Yang, The Abbot, The Blue Boy, Umidwar, Versicle, and Young Lover.

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1900's Naughty Vintage Erotica Latin American Risque Girl In Underwear on Tobacco Cards by Pesquera

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Tobacco cards of pretty, scantily clad women were extremely popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century amongst the male dominated smoking market. This card set, issued by Pesquera, features a mischievous and restless Latin beauty in various seductive poses in and out of her bed. Although it is tame by today’s standards, this set of cards would have been considered quite shocking when it was issued.

Pesquera (Mexico), "El Despertar de la Coqueta" , 1900s (10 cards)

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Beauty Through The Ages Vintage Erotica Latin American Cigarette Cards by Pesquera, 1910s

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What is beauty? Many scientists believe that some elements of beauty are both universal and timeless, such as symmetrical faces and bodies. However, views on the perfect shape and dimensions about those axes of symmetry vary dramatically through the ages. Obviously buxom ladies were much more acceptable when this set of risque tobacco cards was issued by Pesquera in the 1910s. The cards depict a woman in various states of undress. Although it doesn’t really show much in the way of nudity it does reveal her underwear, which would have been quite shocking in the early 20th century.

Pesquera (Mexico), "Despues del Baile", 1910s (15 cards)

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Hollywood Movie Stars Marilyn Monroe Charlie Chaplin Jean Harlow John Wayne Match Box Labels

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This set of match box labels will ignite interest in collectors of movie memorabilia, from the Silent Era through to the Golden Age and beyond. Silent legends Rudolph Valentino and the timeless comedian Charlie Chaplin are honoured in this set. The legendary lady who conquered both the early silent movies and the difficult transition to the “talkies”, Joan Crawford, appears in this set also. A plethora of cinematic Golden Age heartthrobs make an appearance: Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn and James Stewart. The ultimate glamour icon, Marilyn Monroe, unleashes her seductive charms on one label and her inspiration and role model, Jean Harlow, on another.

Not much is known about when this elegant set of labels was actually issued but I think we can safely assume that it was brought out in either the late 1960s or 1970s, since most of the actors and actresses depicted are long since dead but John Wayne was still very active in movies right through until 1976.

The Cornish Match Company, Hollywood Stars (Matchbox Labels), 1960s or 1970s(18 cards)

Includes:Edward G Robinson, Marilyn Monroe, Jean Harlow, Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Clark Gable, Rudolph Valentino, Charles Laughton, Lawrence Olivier, Joan Crawford, John Wayne, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis,, James Cagney, Cary Grant

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Vintage Space Travel Trading Cards and Cigarette Cards (Collectables)

Space Trading Cards

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Early astronomers used the position of celestial bodies to create calendars and to aid navigation. A number of cigarette card sets were issued on astronomy. The cigarette card set "Romance of the Heavens", issued in 1928 by WD & HO Wills, is interesting since some of the cards display an artist's impression of the landscape of several planets, including Mars. "The World of Tomorrow" card set, issued in 1936 by Stephen Mitchell, is extremely popular and makes predictions about future space travel.

Sadly, the cigarette card era came to a sudden end in WW2, due to severe paper rationing and, later, cost cutting. The trade cards continued the space saga where the cigarette cards left off. They chart the space race, from the launch of the first man-made item into space to man landing on the moon.

I've list below a small selection of space related cigarette card and trading card sets. I've provided scans of a sample card from each set and tried to include all card titles.

Name Of Set: Constellations

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1903

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Those Pearls Of Heaven

Manufacturer: John Player and Sons

Issue Year: 1916

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: The Pointers and the Pole Star, Bears - Great and Little, The Great W, The Mighty Hunter- Orion, The Dog - Star, The Starry Girdle, The Bull, The Heavenly Twins and The Crab, The Lion, The Virgin and the Scales, The Scorpion, The Archer and the Goat, The Water - Bearer, The Fishes and the Ram, Twinklers, Paths and Pearls, The Wanderers, The Sun's Family, The Swift One - Mercury, Venus - Godess of Love and Beauty, A Weird World - Moon, The Ruddy World- Mars, The Giant - Jupiter, The Ring - Wearer - Saturn, Symbols of the Near and The Far, and Our Special Star - The Sun.

Name Of Set: Astronomers II S1110

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1921

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Romance of the Heavens

Manufacturer: WD and HO Wills

Issue Year: 1928

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Hailey's Comet, One Theory of the Formation of the Moon, Neap Tides, Spring Tides, A Shower of Meteors, A Lunar Crona, Typical Lunar Craters, Lunar Craters, The Earth as Seen From the Moon, Earth Shine, Mock Moons, Phases of the Moon, Portion of the Moon's Surface, The Dumb Bell Nebula, A Spiral Nebula, The Inner Planets, The Outher Planets, Jupiter, Two Views of Mars, An Imaginary Landscape of Mars, The Surface of Mercury-Imaginary, Saturn, Saturn's Rings, Two Views of Saturn, The Dark Sid of Venus-and Imaginary View, The Sunlit Sid of Venus-and imaginary view, Cassiopeia and Pole Star, The Composition of a Star, The Evolution of a Star, Two Gian Stars, Leo, The Milky Way, Orion, The Pieiades, The Pole Star and the Plough, The Southern Cross, Variable Stars, The Aurora Australis, The Aurora Borealis, The Cause of Auroras, Solar Corona, Electrical Discharges from the Sun, An Eclipse, An Eclipse of the Sun Viewed from the Moon, The Midnight Sun, Shadows and Rainbows, Solar Prominences, Typical Sun Spot, and The Zodiacal Light.

Name Of Set: Out Into Space ("Issued In..")

Manufacturer: Brooke Bond

Issue Year: 1958

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: The Sun, Moon and its Phases, Eclipse of the Sun, Eclipse of the Moon, Seasons, Moon - Effect on Tides, Rotating Earth, Planets - Orbits, Planets and Their Moon, Minor Planets or Asteroids, Planets - Sizes, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Comets, Metoers (Meteorites), Zodiac (Path of Creatures), Zodiac Symbols (Northern), Zodiac Symbols (Southern), Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, Polaris ( Pole Star ), Ursa Minor ( The Little Bear ), Ursa Major ( The Great Bear ), Canis Major ( The Great Dog ), Cygnus ( The Swan ), Crux ( Southern Cross ), Pegasus ( The Winged Horse ), Hercules, Cassiopeia, Perseus, The Milky Way, Aurora Borealis, Radio Telescopes, Composition of a Star, and Astrolabe.

Name Of Set: The Conquest of Space

Manufacturer: Beano Ltd (Gum)

Issue Year: 1956

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Stepping-stones to Space, The First Aeronaut, First Parachute Descent, The First Airship, Lilienthal's Glider, The First Aeroplane, The First Aeroplane, Ballon of the 1900's, Aeroplane of the 1920's, The Graf Zeppelin, Upper-air Research Baloon, DH Mosquito, Jet Propulsion, Gloster-Whittle Jet Aircraft, The Flying Bedstead, Guided Missiles, The Earth's Atmosphere, Principle of the Rocket, The Earliest Rockets, The Congreve Rocket, Line-throwing Rocket, Rocket-propelled Aeroplane, First Liquid-fuel Rocket, Rocket Fighter-plane, The Rocket Motor, Douglas Skyrocket, Stratosphere Air-liner 1, Stratosphere Air-liner 2, Stratosphere Air-liner 3, Lay-out of a Space Rocket, Martin Viking No.9, First Space Travellers, Space Suit, Human Centrifuge, Weightlessness, Step Rocket 1, Step Rocket 2, Step Rocket 3, Space Station, Building a Space Station, Space Ship, Refuelling in Space, Return of a Rocket, Surveying the Moon, Moon Rocket, Exploration of the Moon, Moon Base, Worlds to Explore, Mars, Venus, and Mercury.

Name Of Set: Space Mysteries

Manufacturer: Barratt

Issue Year: 1965

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Saturns Rings, Is There Photographic Proof of Spaceships, Project Bluebook, Pilots and Spaceships, Airliners and Spaceships, Who Said Flying Saucer, Asteroids,Scotland 19th Century, Spaceships From the Sea, The Coniston Saucer, Mars, Ancient Egypt, Men To-Day And Spacemen, Indian Legends, Tragedy, Sky Drama, Spaceships From The Moon, Great Things In The Sky, An Early Saucer, Our Mystery Moon, Spaceships Landing In the Middle Ages, The Australian Saucer, The First American Sighting, The Sussex Spaceship, and The Space Spindles.

Name Of Set: Space Travel

Manufacturer: Granose Foods Ltd

Issue Year: 1957

Card Number: 16

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Moon Fleet

Manufacturer: T. Wall & Sons (Ice Cream) Ltd

Issue Year: 1967

Card Number: 48

Card Titles: Planet Earth, The Moon, Rockets - How They Work 1, Rockets - How They Work 2, Satellite Orbits, Vostok, Mercury, Gemini, Man In Space, Orbital Redezvous 1, Orbital Redezvous 2, Ranger Moon Probe, Moonflight Orbits, Surveyor, Moon In Close-up, Far Side of the Moon, Moonflight Plan, Space Training 1, Space Training 2, Spaceport USA, On the Launch Pad, Awaiting Lift-Off, Lift-Off, In Parking Orbit, Weightlessness, Between Earth and the Moon, Apollo Mooncraft, Moonbug Seperation, Descent to the Moon, Touchdown, Men on the Moon, Lunar Lift-off, In Lunar Orbit, Return to Earth, Apollo Splashdown, Building a Space Station, Recoverable Boosters, Return to the Moon, The Lunar Base 1, The Lunar Base 2, Moon Tractor, Lunar Spaceport, The Solar System, Spaceship to Mars, Landing on Mars, Exploring Venus, Close to Jupiter, and Robots to Pluto.

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Early Vintage Erotica Striptease Latin American Tobacco Cards by Pesquera, 1910s

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The early cigarette manufacturers seduced the mainly male dominated market with tobacco cards depicting pretty girls. This was incredibly shocking for the straight-laced 19th century, and initially there was a lot of opposition from puritanical sections of society. These cards fell short of complete nudity and are considered rather tame by today’s standards. Some Latin American and North African cards were a little bit more revealing. Pesquera (Mexico) produced a number of risqué series, including the one pictured in this blog that seems to depict a drunken lady in an erotic striptease.

Pesquera (Mexico), "Decepcion", Green Back, 1910s (14 cards)

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1920's Zoo Animals Zebra Tiger Polar Bear Chimpanzee On Trading Cards by Jacob Biscuits, 1924

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The zoo is a very controversial place. Some insist that they are essential in the preservation of endangered wildlife whilst others maintain that they are cruel and contribute little to conservation. The one fact that is indisputable is that mankind’s insatiable thirst for natural resources means that the only place left for most wildlife to take refuge will probably be the zoo. This reminds me of the Native North American predicament in the late 19th century. Ironically, it’s probably only a matter of time before humans too will be joining their zoo captives, imprisoned by their superior robotic successors.

As well as providing a biscuit snack for millions of people Jacobs issued a number of trading card sets to satisfy the public’s hunger for knowledge, and in this case zoo animals. The featured card set includes the unmistakable zebra. I’ve seen it used in a similar manner to horses but, as stated on the back of card no. 6, “they are not easy to tame”. This might explain why they didn’t catch on as well as horses. This set also includes the brown and polar bear, which are not as tame as the teddy bear. The tiger, pictured on card no. 13, is classified as endangered but they have increased dramatically in numbers in captivity, which could be seen as one of the zoo’s success stories, depending on how you look at it. Two of mankind’s closest relatives, the chimpanzee and orang-utan, are also included in this breath taking zoo set.

Jacob and Co's Biscuits, Zoo Series, Green Back, 1924 (25 cards)

Includes:Llama,Lion,Siberian Bears,Kangaroo,Giraffe,Zebra,Orang-Utan,Common Seal,Macaque,Flamingo,Sambur,Hippopotamus,Tiger,Pelican,Polar Bear,Kagu,Cheetah,Crocodile,Sea Lion,Chimpanzee,Penguin,Wart Hog,porcupine,Malayan Tapir,harnessed Antelope

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Oldest Antique Clock and 1st Ever Watch Egyptian Water-Clock 16th Century Clock-Watch Wells Cathedral On Cigarette Cards by John Players, 1928

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Despite mankind’s many astounding achievements, time travel remains the reserve of science fiction writers, cult TV dramas and dreamers. Interestingly, Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol is considered by some to be one of the first full depictions of time travel, both back and forward. Although we have little control over time, mankind has come a long way in devising ingenious mechanisms for observing and measuring this invisible quantity.

The cigarette card set featured in this blog includes one of the earliest clocks of all time, an Egyptian water-clock, circa 1400 BC. The first ever watches date from the early 16th century, made possible by the invention of the coiled spring as a motive power. The pocket-watch shown on card no. 12 was a latter version, which included a protective cover with pierced holes over each hour, before the days of glass. The second oldest surviving clock in England appears on card no. 4, Wells Cathedral clock. My favourite clock in this set is the Ship Clock on card no. 7, circa 1581. It’s a mechanical masterpiece whose detailed crew figures come to life at a set time.

John Player and Sons, Clocks - Old and New, 1928 (20 cards)

Includes:An Egyptian Water Clock about 1400BC,A Water-Clock of Clepsydra about 300 BC,Hour-Glasses,The Glastonbury Clock Wells Cathedral,An Astronomical Clock Wimborne Minster,Early 17th Century Clock St Mark's Square in Venice,A Ship Clock about 1581,A Small, Astronomical Clock 1587,A Clock by Isaac Hebrecht 1589,A Clock by Bartholomew Newsam 1590,A Table Clock With Alarium,A 16th Century Clock-Watch,A Globe or Falling-Ball Clock about 1650,A Lantern Clock by Thomas Tompton,A Bracket Clock by Thomas Tompion, 1690,An Act of Parliament Clock 1797,A Long Case Clock by Thomas Tompion 1709,A Table Alarum Clock With Strike-A-Light late 17th Century,The Westminster Clock 1858,Modern Clocks Greenwich Observatory,
Horology,Ancient Clocs,Clock History,History of Telling the Time,Time Measurement

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Poultry Cigarette Cards (Collectables)

Poultry Cigarette Cards

Poultry breeding was extremely popular in the late 19th century and early part of the 20th century. During the heyday of poultry shows, there were many different poultry breeds that came in numerous colourful varieties. The prices of breeds fluctuated like stocks and shares.

A combination of misguided breeding and a shift towards mass production in farming led to the near extinction of many of the original breeds. Fortunately, there has been a resurgence of interest in old poultry breeds recently. This has been fuelled by a concern for the welfare of battery hens, a need for biodiversity to combat genetic diseases and a growing market for more traditional foods.

Tobacco and other companies issued cards on many topics with their products from the 1870s-1930s, generically termed cigarette cards. I've listed a small selection of poultry cigarette cards below. I've provided scans of a sample card from each set and I've tried to list as many card titles as possible.

Name Of Set: Fowls, Pigeons & Dogs

Manufacturer: JS Fry & Sons Ltd (Confectionery)

Issue Year: 1908

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Plymouth Rock, Golden Wyandotte, Silver-Pencilled Hamburgh, Ancona, Silver-Spangled Hamburgh, Jacobin, Rouen Drake Duck, Fantail, Homer, Black-Red Game, Norwich Cropper, Black Minorca, Langshan, Black Spanish, Orpington, Dragoon, Blondinette, Trumpeter, Aylesbury Duck, Spangled Old English Game, Brown Leghorn, Dorking..

Name Of Set: Birds & Poultry

Manufacturer: JS Fry & Sons Ltd (Confectionery)

Issue Year: 1912

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Silver Pheasant, Turkeys, Golden Pheasants, Ducks, Chicks, Cross-Bred Peacock, Silver Wyandotte Hen, Cross-Bred Hen and Chicks, Cock and Hen Pheasants, Cross-Bred White Leghorns, Plymouth Rock Hen and chicks, Guinea Fowls, Plymouth Rock Bantam...

Name Of Set: Poultry (1-25), (No Ogdens On Front)

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1915

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Wyandotes, Houdans, Andalusians, Buttercups, Yokohamas, Polands, Old English Game, La Fleche, Indian Game, Redcaps, Brown Leghorns, Cochins, Frieslands, Light Brahmas, Campines, Spanish, Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, Faverolles, Sebrights, Dorkings, Silkies, Plymouth Rocks, and Light Sussex.

Name Of Set: Poultry In The Life Of Man S1149

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1922

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Poultry Rearing and Management, 1st Series

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1922

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: The Transit of Day-Old Chicks, How to Make a Nest for a Sitting Hen, Fireless Brooder, Ventilation for Poultry Houses, Small Intensive House, Pegging Poultry Wire, Stretching Wire Netting, Gate and Fasteners for Poultry Run, Preparing Soft Food, Trap Nests, Testing Eggs for Fertility, Grit and Shell Box, Hospital for Poultry, Scratching Sheds, Sitting a Broody Hen, Dust Bath, Protecting the Sitting Hen From Rats, Scaly Legs, Cockerel or Pullet? Hopper Feeding, Chicken Water Fountain, Gapes, Fattening Coops, Chicken Lice, and The Sleigh House.

Name Of Set: Poultry Rearing and Management, 2nd Series

Manufacturer: Ogdens

Issue Year: 1923

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Foster Mothers, Orchard Poultry House, Wind and Sun Screens for Poultry, Plucking Poultry, Temperature of Foster Mother, A Field House, Sprouting Oats for Poultry, How to Make An Egge Tray, Lawn Brooder or Foster Mother, Suburban Poultry House, Hen Coop with Nursery, Roots for Poultry, Kibbling Mill, Protection for Chicks, Trap Nest, Egg-eating,Coop and Run for a Lawn, Hot Water Incubator, Hot Air Incubator, Cut Green Bone, Greens for Poultry, Markings of Feathers, How to Give Cabbages and Swedes to Poultry, Sharp Spurs , and Combs of Poultry.

Name Of Set: Poultry

Manufacturer: John Player and Sons

Issue Year: 1931

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Anconas, Andalusians, Laced Barnevelders, Dark Brahmas, Light Brahmas, Silver Campines, Black Cochins, Buff Cochins, Partridge Cochins, White Cochins, Derbyshire Red Caps, Dark Dorkings, Light or Silver Grey Dorkings, Salmon Faverolles, Indian Game, Modern Game Black Breasted Reds, Modern Game Pile, Old English Game Golden Duckwing, Old English Game Silver Duckwing, Old English Game Spangled, Houdans, Croad Langshans Black, Modern Langshans Black, Black Leghorns, Brown Leghorns, Buff Leghorns, White Leghorns, Black Minorcas, Spangled Russian Orloffs, Australorps, Black Orpingtons, Buff Orpingtons, White Orpingtons, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Black Plymouth Rocks, Buff Plymouth Rocks, White Crested Black Polish, Rhode Island Reds, Scotch Greys, Sicilian Buttercups, Sicilian Flower Birds, Blue Silkies, Light Sussex, Red Sussex, Speckled Sussex, Black Wyandottes, Partridge Wyandottes, Silver Laced Wyandottes, White Wyandottes, and Golden Duckwing Yokohamas.

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