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.

If you would like to find out more about the poultry cards featured in this blog please click here.
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