An Introduction to Card Collecting

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OVERVIEW

Before being bitten by the Cartophilic bug, I had not given cards much attention. Weren't they mainly issued in packs of Brooke Bond Tea or in packets of Bubble-Gum? That's certainly what I remember from my childhood. I considered them to be somewhat trivial in nature and worthy of only limited interest.

Nowadays things are very different as I've discovered that the range of subjects covered and the standard of production are both quite high (particularly when it comes to sets issued prior to the 1920s). Early trade cards & chromolithographs (chromos) from 19th Century & early 20th Century European companies provide an even greater diversity of material. This is often of extremely high quality reflecting the craftsmanship of the period and ideal material for, in particular, the thematic collector. These earlier cards are not, however, the prime focus of this article as they are largely regarded as being outside of the mainstream of collecting in Britain - a situation which, through The Card Mine, I am steadily improving.

Many sets of cards are, in effect, mini-encyclopaedias covering a multitude of themes. Some are interesting from an informational standpoint whilst others are simple attractive to look at. To someone with a strong collecting streak the sets offer neatly packaged (and, quite importantly, achievable) targets to obtain which themselves can be developed into one or more thematic collections. Moreover, Cartophily is a well-established and reasonably well documented hobby.

This article is a combination of my experiences as a cartophilist along with some information about the mainstream hobby (as it is structured in Britain).

When I started to become (seriously) interested in cigarette & trade cards it didn't take me long to realise that I needed to decided which sets to collect. With such a wide range of topics to choose from I found it necessary to make a list of (initial) subjects/themes and then to find out which sets fell within those categories. Such a task is not as daunting as it would first appear as there are a number of excellent, and well illustrated, books on the hobby.

BOOKS ON CARTOPHILY

Three "general" books worthy of mention are:-

PRICING

Underpinning all these, however, are the standard Price Lists issued by the two largest dealerships in the hobby. It is quite easy to look up the Catalogue Value of the vast majority of "British" Cigarette & Trade Cards (or sets) you may wish to obtain. This is not quite the same as saying that every card is always available (or, if so, in "acceptable" condition). However, even the rarest cards have a value attached to them and the entries are updated on an annual basis.

The London Cigarette Card Company are based at Sutton Road, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 6QP (Tel: 01458 273452). They issue two separate catalogues covering Cigarette Cards and Trade Cards. Murray Cards (International) are based at 51 Watford Way, Hendon Central, London, NW4 3JH (Tel: 0181 202 5688 or, for International Calls: dial (+44) 181 202 5688). They are currently one of the few dealers in England who have an e-mail address and can be contacted at murraycards@ukbusiness.com. Their catalogue covers both Cigarette and Trade Cards within a single volume. Murray's 244 page Leibig Catalogue is a comprehensive listing which includes cross-referencing to both Sanguinetti and Fada catalogues. It also contains details of a small selection of Cibils and Stollwerck sets.

Murray's Catalogue is widely used within the hobby to provide a standard baseline price for sets and individual cards. Consequently, it will quickly become the most-used and well-thumbed book any card collector (in Britain) is likely to own. If you decide to collect cigarette and trade cards this is the undoubtedly the first item that you should buy.

MAGAZINES

To provide a picture of What's On and What's Happening in the hobby there are two monthly magazines. The main magazine is "Card Times" which is issued by David Stuckey of Magpie Publications, 70 Winifred Lane, Aughton, Ormskirk, Lancs, L39 5DL, England (Tel: 01695 423470). This has a wide range of features and advertising and a Diary of club meetings, fairs and auctions for the coming month. The magazine is issued 11 time a year (the "Summer Special" covering July & August). For details of dealers, a range of other advertisers and for finding out about events throughout the country, this is definitely an indispensable publication.

CLUBS

There is a network of Collectors Clubs spread throughout the country of which many are branches of the Cartophilic Society of Great Britain. Details on the society can also be obtain by sending a SAE to the Membership Secretary at 63 Ferndale Road, Church Crookham, Aldershot, Hants, GU13 0LN. To join the Society you need to be sponsored by 2 existing members so it would be as well to attend a local branch meeting in your area. Benefits of membership include a monthly magazine (the "Cartophilic Notes & News"), a club lending library, discount of club publications and an approvals service.

Of the independent clubs, the Timperley Card Collectors Club hold regular monthly meetings near Altrincham, Cheshire. There is a monthly magazine ("The Bugle") and a live auction at every meeting. The club prides itself on its relaxed & friendly atmosphere and initial entry is by invitation. Details can be obtained from the Secretary (Brian Hilton) of 5 Hillside Gardens, Darwen, Lancs, BB3 2NJ.

STORAGE

Having started to amass your collection, one of the first issues to be resolved is how you are going to store your collection. This is a relatively straightforward business as the majority of cigarette & trade cards are, or are close to, a standard size (approx. 35mm x 67mm). A few cards (notably some trade issues) are smaller than average but most variations range from the standard size up to postcard dimensions.

The most common album is designed to take a double row of standard sized cards which are held in a plastic 10-pocket page. There is a range of additional page formats each designed to hold a number of cards of specific sizes. A4 size binders (as well as larger ones to hold Postcard-sized material) are available from certain outlets the largest of which being: Rob Roy Albums of "Crosshall", Chelsfield Village, Near Orpington, Kent (Tel: 01689 828052).

A nice presentational touch is to use interleaves between the plastic pages holding the cards. These are available from a few, but not many, dealers and are usually black (although you can occasionally find them in other colours).

FRAMING

For a few of the select sets, one option is to have them properly framed. That is to say in double-side glass frames so that both the fronts and backs can be read. Many sets really do look very attractive when treated in this manner but the cost of doing so can become quite prohibitive. As a general rule a frame for 50 cards costs between £25-£30 so (even if you have unlimited wall space) you have to be somewhat selective in the sets displayed in this manner.

CARD FAIRS

Having read all the books & magazines; sorted out how you want to store your collection; memorised the prices of a few of your target sets and tucked a copy of Murray's Catalogue under your arm for reference, there is the little matter of how & where to acquire some cards.

An excellent starting point is to attend one (or more) of the many Cards Fairs held in throughout the country. Card Times will give you a list of forthcoming events which are held throughout the country.

Picture Postcard Monthly (15 Debdale Lane, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5HT - Tel: 0115 937 4079) is another good source for "Fair Hoppers" as it includes a 3-month diary of forthcoming events. Many Postcard Fairs (and, for that matter, Stamp Fairs) are attended by dealers who carry stocks of Cigarette & Trade Cards. It is, however, best to check with the respective organisers (to confirm if there will be any such dealers attending) before travelling a great distance to an event - unless, of course, the advertising clearly states that Cigarette Card dealers will be present. The fairs themselves are, on the whole, quite relaxed events in which collectors are often presented with chairs to sit on whilst browsing through a dealers albums. However, if you like the rough & tumble of a packed event, the Annual National Convention of the Cartophilic Society can be "quite challenging" during its peak time.

Fairs are a great way to expand your collection. Just when you thought you were running out of sets to collect, up pops a specimen from a set you haven't noticed before and away you go again. There's nearly always something of interest lurking on a dealers table somewhere in the hall.

COLLECTING BY POST

If you can't get to a fair, there is a large network of dealers (and collectors) who sell & swap cards by post and increasingly via the internet. Following Links on the internet will take you to an increasing number of sights these days and you can make a start at the The Card Mine's Links Page.

For additional (non-internet) card hunting Card Times is a good place to start as it contains a wide range of adverts from the larger dealers down to collectors classified adverts.

It's all a matter of identifying what you want and then shopping around.

CARD AUCTIONS

A number of dealers produce an Offers/Auction Catalogue and increasingly these are becoming accessible via dealers websites on the internet.

As for Live Auctions, there are a number of regular events held across the country and Card Times is a good place to find out where & when they take place.

CONDITION OF CARDS

So far, I am conscious that I may be painting an extremely rose-coloured picture of cartophily. In reality, it is not all plain sailing as there is the little matter of condition to take into account.

Even the "best quality" sets can contain the odd card which is slightly substandard. Buying odds (or "types" as they are called in cartophilic circles) can be equally problematical as you do so without the aid of the other cards in the set. The process can be very frustrating and lead you to buy the same card twice or even more.

One particular set drove me crackers in this way and, although it is now complete, I feel sure that I've bought just about every card at least twice! Thank goodness they were only 40p each.

What exactly constitutes acceptable condition invariably differs from one person to another. An experienced collector will often accept a poor condition copy of a rare card as a "marker" until such times as a better copy becomes available. At the end of the day though, this is and always will be a matter of personal choice.

Please e-mail if you found this article useful and/or have any questions or suggestions to improve its content or layout.

    

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