Alpacas and Llamas Found In Tea Boxes

By Cathy Spalding

Page 3

Cigarette cards enjoyed a significant but relatively short life. Highly competitive marketing during the Tobacco War of 1901-1902 led to a tremendous increase in the number of cards put into circulation. World War I brought heavy restrictions on the use of raw materials. This severely limited the production of cards. Cards of any possible subject matter that was feared could aggravate the conflict were destroyed. Daily life began to ease with the end of the war allowing cigarette trade card advertising to hit a new high over the next 20 years.

               Llama Herd Card - Peru

It is, in fact, called the Golden Age of cigarette trade card manufacturing. A tremendous number of card sets were produced while Cartophilic clubs and shops sprang up in cities around the world in support of the collector. However, with the onset of World War II, the production of cigarette cards were again restricted or altogether banned. The UK wartime government officially banned their production as "a waste of vital raw materials." With costs rising significantly in every sector of the economy, the cards were never fully revived after the end of the war. During this same time period, other forms of color advertising such as magazines had become a much more cost-effective medium. Some European countries continued to produce cigarette cards on a very limited basis through about 1940. Major cigarette card manufacturers ended their production in the United States around 1910. There were a few who continued to produce them with a near complete end to all production worldwide by 1940.

Today, there are very few manufacturers of any trade cards. Cards may still be occasionally found in a few products such as tea or chocolate. But, even the most popular and largest trade card manufacturer of "tea cards" ceased card production in 2000. The modern concept of trade card production has taken on a different focus becoming "trading" cards through the promotion of popular sports figures, movies or games. The collection of series trading cards such as Star Wars, Pokemon, baseball or Magic cards is a strong, vital business and it is not typical that one must purchase a particular product in order to acquire a card.

Tobacco silks? Just after the turn of the century, cigarette companies began to compete heavily and by about 1915, smoking was becoming commonplace for both men and women. Amidst this intense competition for customers, the effect of trade card advertising needed a boost. An additional competitive edge was needed. Some companies began to offer pictures on silk within their packaging to influence the buying power of women. It worked. Women were eager to obtain these small pictorial rectangles of silk. Soon cotton and silk were woven together allowing the opportunity for brighter colors. Companies would often go the extra length to include instructions for making household items from these "silks" -- including quilts! Today, silks are usually much more valuable than the trade cards due to their more fragile nature.

This silk pictures a llama with the Chilean flag in the background. It is part of a 1915 national flags and emblems series issued by the Imperial Tobacco Co. of Canada.

Today, Cartophily enjoys a strong following. There are specialized auctions, conventions, periodicals, catalogs and museums devoted to trade cards. While there does not appear to be hundreds of these trade cards that feature alpacas and/or llamas, it is amazing the number that do. Where might one find one? I smile to say that Ebay is an all but sure bet! A large number of web sites can be found by typing "trade card" or "cigarette card" into a search engine. The Cartophilic Society of Great Britain offers a reading list including both the British Trade Index and the World Trade Index and a bi-monthly magazine.

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