CARS GIVEN WITH SOAP, DRINK AND CIGARETTES

Lochee reader ANDY WALKER resurrects the debate about cigarette cards, first featured in BwB on September 1.

In his latest offering to this column, Andy said, “Without doubt, the inclusion of football cigarette cards was a blatant marketing ploy.

“The idea was innovated for the masses to buy and help boost sales, but it must be remembered cigarettes were not the first product to be promoted.

“For example, the earlier advertising boards at Celtic FC were against drink because of the misery it caused families throughout Scotland.

“It is with this in mind that the manufacturers of Pears Soap in 1900 produced a small card inside a bar of soap.

“The first manufacturer of football cards in packs was J. Baines Ltd., of Bradford and Barnsley, who sold them for 40 years from 1880-1920.

“An unusual name to be associated with cigarette cards was Three Nuns Tobacco, manufactured by J. & F. Bell.

“F. & F. Smith, of Glasgow, who later became part of Imperial Tobacco, issued a set of 120 footballers in 1900 known as ‘Smith's Brown Backs’.

“Ogdens issued cards known as ‘Tabs’ between 1899-1904. These featured sports and a general interest series.

“The reign of Queen Victoria saw the introduction of ‘collectors’, i.e. the collecting of stamps.

“In the general interest of this, Ogdens’ production was the Ibrox Disaster of 1902.

“The packets where the photos were cut from were called ‘clips’.

“In 1910, Cope Brothers’ ‘Noted Footballer Clips Cigarettes’ issued a massive set. Celtic players were listed as numbers 401, 404, 406 and 407.

“A set of 195 cards — ‘Footballers given with Solace cigarettes’ — was also issued from 1910, and Celtic players were numbers 121-135.

“In 1908, the F. & J. Smith ‘Footballers’ set of 100 had doubtful selling practices as numbers 1, 13, 53 and 54 were never issued. Six Celtic players appeared in this set.

“Was this a ploy for the cigarette-makers to dupe the public knowing that they would continue to buy in the hope of getting the ‘full set’?

“In 1916, Cohen Weenen & Co. issued a set called VC heroes. William Angus, who was with Celtic, was no. 79. This issue was to keep the public aware of what people gave up to serve in the forces, and we should always remember.

“Magazines started giving cards away in 1910, and the first issue was of 15 different Scottish teams.

“The Glasgow newspapers started distributing team photos, roughly 12 x 10 and coloured, obviously to boost newspaper sales, but 1910 seems to be the year when the photo was put inside a cigarette packet.

“Postcards soon got in on the production for collectors — teams, action shots and portraits. The education authorities jumped on the bandwagon and saw this as a way in which to help the masses read.

“Periodically, The Nelson Lee Library gave away postcard-size issues of ‘Top Ten’ Scottish footballers in 1920.

“The Magnate Library gave away a series with a comic each week.

“Buyers of the Boys Magazine, from 1922-23, would find ‘Coloured studies of International footballers’ inside.

“In the 1920s, a whole mass of production cigarettes, postcards, inserts, magazines and newspapers issued booklets, team photos, stars and a whole host of football-related items. A new ploy was to collect 20-25 cards and exchange them for team photos.

“The Topical Times annual issued free cards (8x3) of top footballers in the 1930s. Indeed, D. C. Thomson didn’t stop there as, to readers of The Sunday Post, they gave away a series of 20 British and foreign teams on large sheets of card with two holes punched in the centre.

“In 1936, the Ardath Tobacco Co. issued a set of 165 Scottish Football teams, Lochee Harp being one.

“The exploitation of the football fan was seen as a marketing dream.

“The first time cigarettes went on sale inside Celtic Park was on October 13, 1906, when Aberdeen were beaten 2-1.”

See illustrations of the cards at the foot of this column.

WAS BIG YOGI URE IN FREWS BAR?

TOMMY BELL, of Downfield, Dundee, couldn’t believe his eyes recently — and he is enlisting the aid of BwB readers to confirm what he saw.

“Two weeks ago, I was sitting in my car at the Coldside roundabout around 2.45 pm on a Saturday afternoon,” he said.

“Dundee United were playing Kilmarnock that day — and several Killie fans were around the entrance to Frews Bar.

“It looked as if they were just coming out of the pub on their way to Tanny. I’m positive Ian Ure — big ‘Yogi’ — was among them.

“I know it’s a long time since Ure played for Dundee, but he was up at Dens a couple of years ago and I saw him then — so I know what he currently looks like. Can any of your readers confirm if it was him?”