Poultry: Vintage mini sets

Ever wonder where Topps Allen and Ginter gets ideas for mini series? Well, it is nothing new really; most of us know the history of cigarette cards and the wide variety of sets that were inserted. We have all seen baseball players and other athletes, however what about the more obscure sets that became today's culinary curiosities or step right up sets? Though A&G has been around for a long long time, other companies have been doing the same thing. Tobacco companies foreign and domestic all utilized the picture card sets and here are just a few particular cards from English tobacco companies such as John Player and Sons (branch of the imperial tobacco co.) and Gallaher Ltd in London.

These might not be valuable vintage Allen and Ginter Annie Oaklay or 1887 Allen and Ginter Baseball card, but they are vintage minis all the same.


These two cards are part of a Fables and Their Morals mini set presented by Gallaher Ltd. These two cards are from the 1920's:

The below five cards were part of John Player and Sons 50 card mini set presenting the poultry of the world.

This card, from Godfrey Phillips Ltd, which may have become America's Phillip Morris, I'm not sure but the logo on the back is comparable. However, this card from the 30's I believe is too of chickens, but is labeled "Featherweights" on the bottom as these too roosters are about to go at it. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

You may be wondering why the heck a grown man owns tobacco cards of chickens? I have a perfectly good reason for you..Luckily. My family comes from a long line of chicken farmers, and for whatever reason these picture cards were passed down through the generations, now bestowed upon me who hasn't dealt with chickens since I was 6 or 7. Lucky me, but then again, how can you turn down 90 year old cigarette cards right?