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

Click Here To See More

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)

If you would like to find out more about the vintage erotica featured in this blog please click here.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it interesting!

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

Click Here To See More

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

If you would like to find out more about the classic film stars featured in this blog please click here.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it interesting!

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.

If you would like to find out more about the vintage space travel cards featured in this blog please click here.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it interesting!

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

Click Here To See More

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)

If you would like to find out more about the classic risque / vintage erotica cards featured in this blog please click here.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it interesting!

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

Click Here To See More

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

If you would like to find out more about the classic 1920's zoo animal cards featured in this blog please click here.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it interesting!

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

Click Here To See More

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

If you would like to find out more about the classic antique clock cards featured in this blog please click here.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it interesting!

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.
Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it interesting!