General Auction including Antiques & Collectables, Gold & Silver (14% Buyers Commission)
This lot comprises a collection of vintage cigarette and trade card albums primarily dating from the 1930s and early 1940s. The albums were issued by prominent British firms including W. D. & H. O. Wills and John Player & Sons, both branches of the Imperial Tobacco Company (of Great Britain & Ireland), Limited, as well as a Brooke Bond picture card album. The collection features several thematic sets including Life in the Royal Navy (c. 1939), Air Raid Precautions (c. 1938), An Album of Aeroplanes (Civil) (c. 1934), two copies of The Sea-Shore, and The Saga of Ships. The albums are constructed from printed card and paper covers with interior pages designed to hold lithographic colour-printed cards. The Aeroplanes album features photographs by C. A. Sims of The Aeroplane and includes cards of the Spartan Cruiser and Westland Wessex. The Royal Navy album includes illustrations of the Marine Guard of Honour and Piping the Side. The Air Raid Precautions album documents social history through illustrations of sandbag defences and fire-fighting equipment. Several covers bear the handwritten ownership inscription K. I. Adamson or Keith Adamson. The original retail price of Price One Penny is printed on most covers.
Condition report:
The collection is in aged, used condition. Covers show typical toning, edgewear, and creasing consistent with handling. Significant foxing and spotting are visible on several covers, most notably on The Sea-Shore and Aeroplanes volumes. Minor water staining or damp-related discoloration is present on some edges. The interior cards appear to be generally well-preserved and are either pasted or slotted into their designated positions. However, the albums are sold as found and have not been individually collated for completeness.
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