Thursday, January 31, 2019

When is a T Card not a T Card?

I realize that I am going heavy into my horse themed tobacco card set and have virtually ignored my sports card collection.  I am guessing this turn doesn't interest many of you, so I feel a quick explanation is in order.

I haven't forsaken my sports card collection, but I have put it on hold for a short time. I have been going to the OKC card show 4-6 times a year since 2011.  I've also been a periodic attendee at a very small monthly show at a local LCS. Both show are pretty much always the same sellers and while their inventory does change, they are routine experiences.  That isn't bad, but sometimes I'll go a couple shows without making progress on my sets.  I've only attended one non-local show and that was the National last year in Cleveland. I intend to change that.

While the Tristar show in Houston is a tempting destination, it is also a 7 hour drive from here.  That distance makes it, at a minimum. an overnight stay.  I'm not ready to take on that expense. So, I've decided that I may go to a show in the Dallas area on February 16 (proximity to Valentines Day may alter that plan.) It is a small show, with only 45 tables, but with different sellers it may be productive.  Because it is in the North Dallas suburbs, I am only looking at a 3 hour drive which means I can do it in a day.  Additionally, there is a larger, 200 table show in Dallas from April 26-28 that I may also go to.

Anyways, back to the subject at hand.  The post title may seem cryptic, but it is a marginally clever play on words.  Most of the cards in this collection have been the traditional Jefferson Burdick cataloged T (for tobacco) cards.  The cards I am about to show are not amongst those T cards.

So, when is a T card not a T card?  When they are tea cards. (Geddit?)


These cards were distributed with Typhoo tea in Great Britain in 1935.


Typhoo tea was created in 1903 by John Sumner, Jr the proprietor of a pharmacy/grocery in Birmingham, England for sale in his store. As these things are wont to do, Typhoo has changed hands numerous times over the years. It was part of Cadbury-Schweppes from the late-60s through the mid-80s.  It still exists as a brand controlled by the Indian company, Apeejay Surrendra Group.


While I have not done significant research into their card offerings, it does appear that they did offer cards with their products from the mid 1920s through the 1930s and again from the mid1950s through at least 1976, when they actually offered a Doctor Who set.

The cards are approximately 1-7/16" by 3-7/8" in size. As such they don't fit into any available storage sheet.  I have had to put them into a 6 pocket sheet, which is both too wide and too tall for the cards, but it was the best I could find.

This set, 25 cards strong, has horses as the subject. Although it is a bit odd that some cards focus on various breeds of horses, while others focus on horses by their use.  You can samples of each above,

The back is basically an advertisement for where the Typhoo customer can purchase golf and/or tennis balls.  Go figure.

What I am listening to: East Side of Town by Lucinda Williams


2 comments:

  1. 7 hour drive to hit up the TriStar show? That's quite the voyage. I complain about a 1 hour drive. Although my buddy and I might take a trip down to Southern California to go to Frank and Sons in a few weeks. That's probably around 7 hours too.

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