Tobacco & Gum Cards

Like baseball cards in the United States – their Lacrosse counterparts from both Canada as well as the United Kingdom are an integral part of any noteworthy lacrosse memorabilia collection. To not have a chapter dedicated on this subject matter would have left a huge void in what I had initially set out to do. A bit of brief history on the origin of such cards yields some interesting results. The cigarette card was introduced as a packet stiffener to add integrity to paper cigarette packets in the late to middle 1880’s. In other words, cigarettes were not initially packed in sturdy small boxes like most are today. So in order to protect the cigarettes from bending or ultimately snapping and rendering them as useless, cards were inserted to provide an extra layer of firmness in order to protect its contents. They also served a dual purpose. A simple piece of blank cardboard or thick paper could have done the trick, however, the producers of these cigarettes recognized this as an opportunity to reach out to a greater population and viewed this somewhat as an effective supplement to their own individual advertising campaigns.

1878

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1890

1901

W.D. & H.O Wills's Ltd.

Sports of All Nations set Canadian Lacrosse Card # 43 of the set issued in 1901.

Ogden’s Guinea Gold Cards: Produced from about 1894 to 1907 primarily in the United Kingdom but also to a lesser degree in overseas markets. This set are extremely difficult to find in good condition due to the black stock of the card and the likelihood of it chipping down to brown cardboard once dinged against a hard surface. All 3 cards from this set were issued with blank cardboard backing. No writing, No description, No dating. No numbering. Left: Ogden’s Cigarettes 1902 CH Scott. Center: Ogden’s Cigarettes 1902 Meddlesex vs Essex Lacrosse Match. Right: Ogden’s Cigarettes 1902 Woodford Lacrosse Team.

According to Lee Towersey of www.cigarettecards.co.uk, W.D.& H.O. Wills were the pioneers in advertising and promoting their product and towards the end of the 1880's issued small cards with pictures and text. Their debut is believed to be circa 1890. Wills issued their first general interest set in 1895 titled "Ships & Soldiers". Much of their success can be attributed to the fact they these tiny little works of art filled a void that existed in that there were no mass distributed periodicals that contained pictures or illustrations in bulk. Newspapers were full of poor print and advertisements. As a result, it is not much of a surprise that these beautiful, well-produced color cards were in heavy demand. The Kings & Queens set of 1897 is one of the initial sets to contain short notes on the back referring to the subject illustrated. Prior to this issue, most backs were either blank or contained unrelated text. From about 1901 Cigarette Cards really caught on and thousands of different sets were issued by over 300 tobacco companies all competing for a share of the market. Some of the more popular subjects that were produced involved Butterflies, Yachts, Steamships, Celebrities, Flowers, Birds, Sporting Events, and numerous World War I related themes. Many sets are still regarded as miniature story-books with illustrations. Most children of the time would stand outside smoke shops and other stores that sold cigarettes, asking smokers for their cards. They were then kept to make up sets and sometimes would be used to try and win more by playing games with the cards, much like “flipping baseball cards” was in the 1970’s and 1980’s in the United States. Unfortunately most cards were damaged when played with, making them now almost worthless as condition to collectors of today is quite important.

1910

Murad Cigarettes produced a set of 150 cards in 1910 that were issued in 6 separate series of 25 cards each. It was a celebration of the sport of lacrosse as it was played by the top educational institutions of the day. Below are 4 cards from that set: Hobart, Stevens Technology, Swarthmore, and Johns Hopkins University.

In 1917 a shortage of materials due to the First World War stopped the production of cards and they did not reappear until 1922 with the Wills set "Do You Know" which was so popular a further three sets were issued over the next eleven years covering the same subject. Sets followed covering wild animals, aviation, motor-cars, motor cycles, military, railways and many fields of sport. If there is a particular subject you are interested in, chances are you can get Cigarette Cards on it! In early 1940 production of cards ceased once again because of wartime restrictions, and any hope of a return to the era of Cigarette Cards were dashed by the high cost of materials after the war. Cards that have been produced since usually tend to fit into the “reproduction” designation as they are usually copies of expensive sets which people can't afford to buy and are usually used for framing purposes. All reproduction sets that I am aware of are usually clearly marked within the bottom margin of the back of the card to let you know they are not the original issue.

Like all things that evolve, the cigarette pack itself became sturdier over the years and some even migrated, in many cases, from cardboard to tin – as a result, the card was no longer required as a “stiffener” so it transitioned to play the role of a “special insert”. I have not been able to conclusively determine when the first card that depicted a Lacrosse player was produced – but I have found an early single card that was produced by Huntley & Palmers in 1887 as part of a multiple sports set that included cards that also feature the likes of baseball.

1912

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1925

If you were a smoker or a collector in the early 1900’s through late 1930’s, you would have begun to amass a number of cards and faced with a decision concerning the storage of them. Most cigarette companies issued Albums where you could simply slip the card into a space that held down the card at each of the 4 corners with the use of a flap. John Player, Wills, Pattreiouex were some of the companies that provided such albums. However, there were some manufacturers that issued albums that required the card to be glued down in order for you to store and display it within the album.

Some of the cards pictured within this site are graded cards. In other words, someone has acquired a card and submitted it to a company like Professional Sports Authenticator a.k.a. PSA or Becket – just to name two of the more currently popular companies. These companies have experts on their staff and rigid grading processes that seek to ensure an equal and consistent review of each card that comes through their doors. Providing approximate prices or valuations on these cards is not an exact science if the card is not professionally graded because condition then becomes a matter of subjectivity. Therefore, the prices that are displayed will depend on whether the card pictured has been professionally graded or not. If a grade is provided that the most recent appropriate estimate will be used. If a card is not graded then I will provide a range that will include Excellent – Mint 6 to Near Mint to Mint 8..

Interest in these cards has dramatically increased over the past two years as the popularity of Lacrosse has grown in the United States – primarily at the Collegiate and High School levels. More specifically, in a recent online auction, a high grade Newsy Lalonde commanded a price tag on the north side of $1,200. Pricing can be a very tricky matter though. Quite often cards are sold during Live or Online Auctions and therefore, the price realized is based upon the presence of two or more individuals and the dollar amount that each is willing to pay. It would be much less complex if one could simply walk into a store to purchase at a commonly accepted price. However, scarcity of such items has dictated this particular means of commerce

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1930

I have observed numerous auctions where the price realized for a card was 30% or more less than the suggested market price. I have also experienced it to the other extreme – all because of the intense desire of two individuals present at a particular live auction. However, the laws of supply and demand still remain strong in today’s market. More specifically, I have witnessed auctions for professionally graded cards where the price commanded was 10-15 times what it may have reached if the card were not professionally graded. This can be attributed to the fact that Lacrosse card collecting is still in its infant stages and that total number of professionally graded cards available remains extremely low and in many cases there may only be one graded card for a particular player within a particular year and in that is the case –then the sky is the limit....

Old School LAX Freak

This card (below left) was issued by Goodwin & Company in their Old Judge cigarette factory in New York City in 1889. It's number 32 of the set and is part of the Games & Sports Series. The set features many well known games of the day and some that perhaps have lost their following over the years such as Pigeon Shooting, Snow Shoeing, and Skittles.

Huntley & Palmers Biscuits (left): Card # 16 that was produced in 1878 was part of the first known multiple sport set to include lacrosse. Other sports featured within this set were baseball and boxing. The back of the card is printed entirely in French.

Donaldson Brothers 1890 New York (left): Back reads "Smoke and Chew Little Rhody Cut Plug". The set contained illustrations of female modeling numerous types of sports and liesure activities.

1910 ITC C60 Set
1911 ITC C59 Set
1912 ITC C61 Set

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ITC Lacrosse

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Sanella or Astra Margarine: This is card #55 from a set that contained 112 cards in total. It was issued by a German Margarine company in 1932. The cards were meant to be glued into an album that was provided by the company. The company gave out one card for every half pound of margarine sold and the album could be order by mail. The front of the card depicts two female centers facing off. The back of the card is printed entirely in German. Most are found with the Sanella branding - however, for a very short period - after a company name change - the cards were produced with the Astra name.

1901

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Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada: C60 Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde of the Vancouver Lacrosse Club

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1. 1910 ITC Ed "Newsy" Lalonde