Monday, January 20, 2020

Cardboard History History of Cardboard 1920-1929

The Roaring Twenties, which, in just a short while, will be 100 years ago. (Can you tell I wrote this in December 2019?) Trading cards would be affected by the Great Depression but not all that much...more on that next time. Art Deco styling ruled supreme and classical styling underwent a resurgence in popularity, led by the coinage designs of Augustus Saint Gaudens.

1920
1920 Neilson's Automobiles

1921
1921 Gallaher's Animals and Birds of Commercial Value

1922
1922 Lambert & Butler's Motorcars

1923
1923 Mitchell's Famous Crosses

1924
1924 Player's Natural History

1925
1925 Wills's Life in the Tree Tops

1926
1926 Wills's Did You Know?

1927
1927 Wills's Engineering Wonders

1928
1928 Player's Products of the World

1929
1929 Player's Hidden Beauties

The second half of the 1920s are a gaping hole in an otherwise nicely progressing tobacco card collection. That is also the time period in which the NHL got cards for the first time, however, I don't expect to ever be able to afford any of them. The card representing 1929 was my first traditional tobacco sized card, a gift from a member of the now-defunct Non-Sports Card Forum. Unfortunately I do not remember who sent it to me. Updating my original caption: 1920, 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1928 were all part of the COMC Christmas present from my brother. Since I wrote up this series, I knew what years were missing, and was able to target them. That's also why I've held off on posting any more of this series, since I knew that I had quite a few coming to me. The 1920 Neilson's Automobiles is now my oldest car card...the first car cards date to 1911, at least that I'm aware of. Getting closer! It's a little bit rougher than I usually like to buy, but this set is exceptionally rare...the only reference I could find to it at all was the single card that was available on COMC, which is this one.

6 comments:

  1. I think the first time I have ever seen a card of a Loofah. I wonder if they used it as a body scrubber back in the 1920s.

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    1. They sure did! https://public.fotki.com/CardboardHistory/non-sports/non-sports-by-set/1926-willss-did-you-know/1926-willss-did-you-1.html

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  2. I always wondered what a loofah was. Seeing this card motivated me to look for a copy on COMC and read the back. Never realized the bathroom scrubber thing came from a gourd.

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  3. Interesting that they use the name "Apteryx" on that 1924 card instead of "Kiwi". Also, I'd like to buy some apples from that orchard on the 1928 card.

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    1. We have some apple orchards here in the Hudson Valley! Less than an hour's drive for you.

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