History of Cigarette Cards

The first cigarette cards were issued in 1875 with cards depicting actresses, baseball players, Indian chiefs, and boxers. They were issued by the Allen and Ginter tobacco company. As well as being considered to be the first cigarette cards, they were also one of the first modern promotional schemes for any manufactured product. Other tobacco companies soon followed suit.

Some very early cigarette cards were printed on silk which was then attached to a paper backing. Each set of cards typically consisted of 25 or 50 related subjects, for example famous football players, Boy Scouts or British butterflies. They were discontinued in order to save paper during World War II, and never fully reintroduced thereafter.

Notable cigarette cards

The most famous single cigarette card came from American Tobacco Company's Sweet Caporal cigarettes. Part of their "T206" set, it featured baseball player Honus Wagner, a Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop (now a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame). Wagner objected to the publication of the card, either because he did not want to promote cigarette smoking by children or because he was not being paid, or both. At any rate, the card was withdrawn and at most a few dozen remain in existence. Its current value exceeds one million dollars. Recently, a different Wagner cigar card, made when he was a minor-leaguer with the Louisville, Kentucky Colonels has surfaced. Only one of these is known to exist.

Perhaps the most famous, and sought-after, set of cards is the untitled series of cards issued by Taddy and known by collectors as "Clowns and Circus Artistes". While not the rarest cards in existence (there are a number of series in which only one known example remains), they are still very rare and command high prices whenever they come up for auction.

Resurgence

Doral, an R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company brand, started printing cigarette cards in the year 2000. These are considered to be the first cigarette cards from a major manufacturer since the 1940s. The first set of "DORAL Celebrate America" cards featured the 50 states in two releases, 2000 and 2001. Later themes include American festivals, cars, national parks, and 20th century events.