The roots of the cigarette cards can be traced to the 1840s when "tradesman's" cards were issued by stores to publicize their business, comparable to today's business cards.

Starting in the 1880s, tobacco companies inserted printed cards into packs of cigarettes as "stiffiners" to protect the contents from being crushed.  While American tobacco companies initiated the practice, their British counterparts greatly expanded on the distribution of cards.

Hundreds of series of cards were produced, covering a diversity of subjects to appeal to a wide range of interests.  Subjects included flowers, sports, actors and actresses, motor cars and pets, to name but a few.   Series typically contained 25 or 50 cards.  Each card had an attractive color illustration on the front, with a narrative relating to the illustration on the back.

Each pack of cigarettes had one card.  The purchaser usually did not know which card was included in the pack, other than knowing which series it was part of.  Cards were collected in an album that could be purchased from a tobacconist for a nominal fee.  They were usually affixed in the album by moistening an adhesive on the back of the card (hence the name "sticky-backs" for the cards).

While the introduction of rigid cigarette packaging eliminated the need for a "stiffiner", English tobacco companies continued the distribution of the cards due to their great popularity.  The promotion finally ended around 1940 when the raw materials used to make the cards were diverted to the war effort.

Winter Sports
Issued by Lambert & Butler
Cigarettes in 1939

You can select 6 of the cards
to be matted in the print

We also cut the backing board
so you can read the reverse side
of the cards which have an interesting
narrative on each Ship