Newfoundland Antiques and Collectibles

Cartophily - collecting tobacco and other premium cards

Cigarette cards are trade cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands.

Beginning in 1875, cards depicting actresses, baseball players, Indian chiefs, and boxers were issued by the Allen and Ginter tobacco company. These are considered to be some of the first cigarette cards. Other tobacco companies such as Goodwin & Co. 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.

Newfoundland Cigarette Cards