Does anyone know about Civil War cards that came in tobacco cans?
September 2, 2010 by
Filed under civil war battles
I have several cards that are the same size as baseball cards, but they are scenes of Civil War battles. I was told they once came in tobacco cans between 1870 to 1920, but I’m unable to find out if this is true. I have taken them to different Civil War museums, but they will not tell me anything, they just try to buy them from me. I would appreciate any information you may have on these cards, or know where I could find out more about them. Thanks.
This mentions Civil War general tobacco cards:
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa/tobacco.html
Here are some issued in England in 1888:
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Issued%20by%20Ogden%27s%20Branch%20of%20the%20Imperial%20Tobacco%20Co.%20(of%20Great%20Britain%20%26%20Ireland)%2C%20Ltd.%20(1888)%22
Here is a list of (I think) more recently released cards:
http://www.bobheffner.com/cwn/a_indexfront.shtml
First off, it’s not the museum people you need to talk to but the COLLECTORS.
They are collected and treated exactly like baseball cards.
Beginning in 1875, cards depicting actresses, baseball players, Indian chiefs, and boxers were issued by the US-based Allen and Ginter tobacco company.
Other tobacco companies such as Goodwin & Co. soon followed suit with sport players, actors & actresses, historical places of interest, etc.
Cigarette cards…. what they are called ….. are trade cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands….. NOT tobacco cans.
Antiques Road Show just had an older lady who had an entire box of these things.
Her entire collection was worth somewhere between $500 and $1000.
However, some “series”, as they are called, are worth twice that.
The Honus Wagner card from the American Tobacco Company’s went for $2 MILLION by itself.
I can’t look it up for you because I don’t know the Brand Name / Cigarette-Tobacco Company that issued the card.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigarette_card
Cigarette and Trade Card Valuation
http://www.cigandtrade.com/
Cigarette Cards: ABCs, at the New York Public Library Digital Gallery
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?topic=all&collection=ABCsofCigaretteCards&col_id=161
Catalogue of heraldic tobacco and trading cards
http://www.ngw.nl/catalogue/tobacco.htm
Duke University / Wake Forest University have the own private collections of these
Duke Tobacco Company Cigarette Cards, at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University
http://collections.zsr.wfu.edu/?page=object&OUTPUTXSL=cig_cards.xsl&pm_CL=534&hier=collinfo534&tree=o&api_1=GET_COLLECTION_XML&pm_POI=534&hier=collchildren&tree=o&pm_GS=25&api_2=GET_CHILDREN_GROUPS&pm_POI=534&hier=ggc534&tree=o&pm_CGI=1&api_3=GET_GROUP_CONTENTS
The GOOD thing about these cards is that they WERE American made, not British, since they wouldn’t have a done a Civil War Series …… and all those companies were in one section of the coastal South East.
They ARE highly collectable and highly recorded.
I did not see a Civil War Series at all which means there is a very, very good chance that it is the ONLY Civil War Series done by ONE company ….. therefore very well known by the collectors.
Get up on one of those website and ask about the Civil War Series.
Good luck man!
Go to http://www.bobheffner.com/cwn , There is a list of cards put out on the civil war. But they were by topper in the early 60. If you go there and click on the cards it will show you a picture of the front and backs. Hope this will help.