Antique Cigarette Card Album and Cards Circa 1910s
Rare find! Antique album to hold collectible "cigarette card" merchant trading cards included with cigarettes. The Arts & Crafts-inspired design of the front cover places the album in the 1910s plus or minus. The album is about 1/2 full - although cards could be placed on both sides of the album's pages, the cards are only on the right side. The binding is solid and the pages are in good shape overall. The album covers are hard. Dark green decorative endpapers.
There are 172 antique cards: flowers, animals, ships, military flag/insignias, and more. Most cards are in a slot but some are loose. I left them as I found them.
Signs of age and use: Some fading and light wrinkling to the green cloth covers, and bumped corners. Most of the slits and bands are intact but a few are worn. One page has a bite out of it (shown). The paper is thicker and is of good quality. The album is old but it was well cared for.
Antique album 7 3/4" x 9 1/2" x 1+" (when full). (33 pages x 2 sides =) 66 pages. (4 x 2 =) 8 pages at the end are empty.
"Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands.
"Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible cards with their packages of cigarettes. Cigarette card sets document popular culture from the turn of the century, often depicting the period's actresses, costumes, and sports, as well as offering insights into mainstream humor and cultural norms."
Info from Wiki. Thank you for looking! 2024
Product code: Antique Cigarette 2024 Card Album And Cards