Cigarette Card Information

Cigarette Companies and Card Production

After James Duke had gained control of almost the entire American cigarette trade in the nineteenth century, he tried to achieve a similar status in the British market. At the time that he acquired the firm of Ogden's Ltd in 1901, there were 150 cigarette companies in the United Kingdom. The British recognized the danger of his takeover efforts and amalgamated into a large group called the Imperial Tobacco Company (ITC). It included such famous companies as Wills, Lambert and Butler, Player, Smith, Hignett, Ringer, Biggs and Adkins. Faulkner and Churchman subsequently joined this group. Resolution of this trade war resulted in the Imperial Tobacco Company and the American Tobacco Company operating independently in their respective countries and separating off their subsidiaries worldwide to form a joint company - British American Tobacco Company (BAT) - which operated in other areas in the world. All of these British and American companies issued enormous numbers of sets under their individual company and even brand names. Some of these sets were identical, originating from a common supplier.

Since it was predominantly men who smoked, the themes chosen were those considered most likely to attract them. Thus actresses, beauties and sports were popular themes. The many armed conflicts of the Victorian era gave rise to topics covering this sphere. There were three major periods of cigarette card production: 188O to 1900, 1900 to 1939, and, finally, 1945 to the present day. Each era produced an enormous number of sets but it reached its heyday in the period between the two World Wars when over 2 000 series were issued. Unfortunately, most of the cards produced before the Second World War have disappeared. It is interesting that during the earlier stages of the First World War a great deal of activity occurred, to take advantage of both the public's interest and to promote the war effort through propaganda. However, since the cards were very detailed, extremely accurate and had a wide circulation, they were subject to censorship. In 1920, J Taddy & Co. went out of business. Their cards were of an extremely high quality and only very limited numbers exist and, hence, prices tend to be very high for their sets.