Auction #15 - October 2023
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/29/2023
he American Tobacco Company (ATC) issued a number of sets to be inserted into packages of cigarettes sold overseas--mostly in the UK--in an effort to combat the newly formed British American Tobacco (BAT) company. The "Tobacco War" era as it was called was one of fierce competition for the cigarette tastes of the UK and European market. To that end, both the ATC and BAT created card sets as inserts into their packages for this lucrative market. Most all of these sets were cataloged by Burdick in the T400-T499 range. Many are quite scarce and are most frequently found still in the UK rather than in the United States. In many instances, artwork was used from previous sets from Kinney, Kimball and other 19th century popular series. In other instances, new artwork was commissioned.
The T458 Set was cataloged as such by Jefferson Burdick in the American Card Catalog. The set features artwork similar to the T420 American Tobacco Company playing cards but with blue backs advertising for W.S. Kimball. Within the field of the cards, there is also advertising for "Old Gold, High Grade, Fragrant Vanity Fair, Premiere Qualite". More recently, the CSGB (Card Society Great Britain) has re-classified this set as N179 to put it into the U.S. 19th Century grouping with the Kimball cards. Given the card stock is thinner like the other cards cataloged in the T400-T499 range, and Burdick et al put it in that range to begin with, I feel it's best left there. However, both classifications are included for the issue.
This lot of (15) cards are in Good to EX condition averaging around VGEX. This is a great lot of these tough cards that represents about 30% of a complete set.
T458 American Tobacco Company Kimball Playing Cards Lot of (15) Cards
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