Old Merchant Taylors

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The Galloping Major: The Rookie Card of the Greatest Goalscorer Who Ever Lived

Ferenc Puskás — A&BC ‘All Sport’ Series #54, 1954 — PSA 7, joint-highest graded Some cards need their story told. This one needs its story contained — because Ferenc Puskás lived enough football for five careers, and all of it starts, for British collectors, with a small sepia card handed out with chewing gum in […]

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• Cigarette Cards
• Football
• Graded Cards
• PSA
• Vintage Cigarette Cards

The Wrong Man: How a 124-Year-Old Mistake Came to Light

Or: what happened when a sharp-eyed follower looked more closely at our Alex Raisbeck card than Ogden’s ever did

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• Graded Cards
• PSA
• Vintage Trade Cards

Suzanne Lenglen & Frank Fisher — Original Snapshot Photographs, c.1920s

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• Graded Cards
• PSA

Pokémon Promos — Grading Results & Availability

PSA Grading Results: Japanese Pokémon Promos — Five 10s, Three 9s Last month we featured a collection of ten Japanese Pokémon promotional cards that had arrived at CardHawk for PSA grading. The first eight have come back, and the results are in. Five PSA 10 GEM MINT. Three PSA 9 MINT. Eight for eight on […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

On the Grading Desk: Japanese Poncho Pikachu, Munch “The Scream” & Team Skull Promos

Ten cards arrived at CardHawk this week that stopped us in our tracks. A client has submitted a set of Japanese promotional cards spanning three of the most collectible modern Pokémon promo series — the Poncho Pikachu cosplay cards, the Munch “The Scream” collaboration, and the Team Skull Pikachu pair. All in immaculate condition. All […]

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• Cigarette Cards
• Cricket
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Prince Ranjitsinhji, Sussex — Taddy & Co. County Cricketers, 1907

A PSA 6 (EX-MT) tobacco card of cricket’s first global superstar, issued in the year he ascended to the throne of Nawanagar. One of only seven examples graded by PSA. Cricket’s first global superstar In the summer of 1896, a battle was being fought in the committee rooms of English cricket that had nothing to […]

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• Football
• Vintage Trade Cards

Before Highbury: Powell of Woolwich Arsenal and one of the earliest Arsenal cards – if not the earliest

The Object This illustrated, shield-shaped football card depicts Powell of Woolwich Arsenal and dates to the early 1890s, a period when Arsenal was still establishing itself as a professional Football League club. Issued by J. Baines of Bradford, the card belongs to the earliest phase of football collecting, before the widespread introduction of mass-produced tobacco […]

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• Cricket
• Vintage Trade Cards

Brooklyn Cricket Before Baseball: A Signed Cabinet Photograph from c.1906

The Object This signed cabinet photograph dates to around 1906 and depicts H. A. Laurie, a documented participant and administrator in the Brooklyn and New Jersey club cricket scene during the closing years of the nineteenth century and the opening decade of the twentieth. Produced by a Toronto studio and personally signed and inscribed in […]

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• Football
• Graded Cards
• PSA
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Colinville Footer Gum “British International Football Stars” (1958)

Colinville Gum was a small producer of chewing gum based in Tooting, South West London. The company was active in the 1950s/1960s, during which time it produced a very small number of gm cards. All of the sets are instantly identifiable as they were all very small in size, and were black and white real […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

Batger & Co

The origins of the firm are somewhat sketchy, but records indicate that the Batger were a German family with a background in sugar refining, some of whom moved to Britain in the early 1700’s. From there, a Miss Elizabeth Batger was reportedly the founder of Batger & Co in 1748 for the business of producing […]

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• Cigarette Cards
• Football
• Vintage Trade Cards

D.C. Thomson “Footballers & Motor Cars” c1930

Issued across the DC Thomson c1930, this set of 24 cards is a little unusual in that the front of the card is a footballer, and the reverse is of a car – though not uncommon with DC Thomson as they produced several sets with the same format of different subjects front and back Producer: […]

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• Cigarette Cards
• Football
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D.C. Thomson “Adventure & Vanguard Football Photos” 1925

Issued across the DC Thomson “Adventure” & “Vanguard” comics in the latter half of 1925, each comic had a single card included each week – but there were 5 different cards issued every week so even if you bought both comics every week, you would still at best get 2 of the 5 cards, and […]

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• Cigarette Cards
• Football
• Graded Cards
• PSA
• Vintage Trade Cards

Reddish Maid “International Footballers of Today” (1965)

Reddish Maid Confections was a confectionery company based on Newark Road, Stockport – an area dominated by the cotton trade right up until the 1950’s. The confectionery factory was known locally as “The Toffee Works”, probably on account of its very popular Chocolate Covered Toffee which appears to have bene in production from the 1930s […]

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• Cigarette Cards
• Football
• Graded Cards
• PSA
• Vintage Cigarette Cards

Wills’s “Football Series” 1902

Known as “The First Great Centre Forward”, Gilber Oswald Smith plied the majority his trade for Corinthians between 1892-1903, where he netted an astonishing 132 goals in 137 games. He then moved to Casuals for one season, scoring 42 in 29. He also made 20 appearances for England, scoring another 11 goals. Not too bad […]

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• Cigarette Cards
• Football

Scerri’s “International Footballers” c1935 (Malta)

Producer: Scerri’s Cigarettes, Malta Date: c1935 Set Size: 25 Card Size: 56mm x 35mm Format: Real Photo #1. J. Bambrick (Chelsea) #2. R. Gurney (Sunderland) #3. J. Marshall (West Ham) #4. H. Hibbs (Birmingham) #5. A. Craig (Chelsea) #6. E. Sagar (Everton) #7. J. Barker (Derby County) #8. H. Carter (Sunderland) #9. R. Westwood (Bolton […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

Liam Devlin & Sons, Dublin

Liam Devlin was born at 59 Waterloo Street, Derry City, on 18 June 1877. He moved to Greenock in Scotland shortly before 1900, and in 1907 married Margaret McDermott in St. Mary’s Church, Greenock. In 1913 Liam and Margaret moved to Kilmarnock where they took ownership of the Crown Hotel on the High Street. Here […]

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• Cigarette Cards

W.D. & H.O. Wills, Bristol

“BOXERS” 1911 Overseas Green Star & Circle issue Size 63mm x 36mm. 36 Card Set. Issued Overseas. “BOXERS” 1911 Overseas Scissors issue Size 63mm x 36mm. 36 Card Set. Issued Overseas.

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• Vintage Trade Cards

Chix Confectionery Co, Slough

“Famous Scottish Footballers” (1954) – 24 Cards #1. James McGowen (Partick Thistle) #2. George Johnstone (Raith Rovers) #3. F. Martin (Aberdeen) #4. Andy Leigh (Raith Rovers) #5. Harry Yorston (Aberdeen) #6. Thomas Ledgerwood (Partick Thistle) #7. Sammy Cox (Rangers) #8. Charlie Fleming (East Fife) #9. Sammy Stewart (East Fife) #10. John Hather (Aberdeen) #11. Harry […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

Barratt & Co, Famous Footballers A.12

Famous Footballers Series A.12 “Famous Footballers A.12” (1964) – 50 Cards #1. Joe Baker (Arsenal) #2. John Connelly (Man Utd) #3. George Eastham (Arsenal) #4. Gordon Milne (Liverpool) #5. Billy McNeill (Celtic) #6. Keith Peacock (Charlton Athletic) #7. Jimmy Greaves (Spurs) #8. Alex Hamilton (Dundee) #9. Alan Mullery (Spurs) #10. Fred Pickering (Everton) #11. Ron […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

John Connell & Co, Melbourne

John Henry Connell was born in East Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia on 25 May 1860. The son of Dubliner William Henry Connell and Londoner Mary Ingall, Connell spent his early days working in The Prince’s Bridge Hotel in Melbourne, known colloquially as Young & Jackson’s, and later took on the lease of The Railway Hotel in […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

Sunnyvale (Bailey’s Agencies)

If you have additional information on Sunnyvale/Baileys Agencies please do get in touch as we would love to know more about this fascinating company and its history. “Footballers Series” (1948) – 16 Cards These cards were issued in booklets with 8 pages of 2 cards each, stapled together on the left hand margin, however they […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

Teasdale & Co Ltd

Teasdale & Co was a confectionery & chocolate producer based in Carlisle, England. The company was founded in 1839 by a Thomas Holstead, though in 1872 the company name changed to Isaac Teasdale, and was later incorporated as Teasdale & Co Ltd in 1898. The company continued to trade until 1963 at which time it […]

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• Football
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Boys’ Friend

“The Boys’ Friend” was first published by The Amalgamated Press, and started life on 29th January 1895, running until it’s final issue on 31 December 1927, at which point it was combined with another Amalgamated Press stalwart, “The Triumph”. 4 sets of cards were produced during 1911, all of which featured just 3 cards each. […]

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• Trade Cards

Reeves’ Chocolate, Glasgow

Reeves’ Chocolate and Cocoa was a chocolate and confectionery maker, based on the corner of Barrowfield Street and Stamford Street, Glasgow from the early 1900s. The company was started by a Mr. Frank Reeve, a Quaker who was born in Leighton Buzzard. Interestingly other famous Quakers include Mr Cadbury and Mr Fry, of chocolate making […]

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• Football
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A&J Donaldson, Glasgow

A & J Donaldson, Glasgow “Sports Favourites – Golden Series” (c1950) – 64 Cards #1. W. Waddell (Rangers) #2. R. Evans (Celtic) #3. W. Steel (Derby County) #4. G. Hamilton (Aberdeen) #5. S. Gerrie (Dundee) #6. L. Reilly (Hibernian) #7. W. Houliston (Queen of the South) #8. J. Cowan (Greenock Morton) #9. G. Young (Rangers) […]

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• Football
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G.F. Lovell, Newport & Manchester

Photos of Football Stars (1928) – 25 Cards A lovely set of cards which is quite heavily weighted to players from Cardiff City and Manchester City, but with them being a Newport and Manchester based company I suppose that is not too surprising. Beautifully designed. #1. William Hardy (Cardiff City) #2. Dixie Dean (Everton) #3. […]

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• Trade Cards
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Kiddy’s Favourites, Glasgow

Kiddys Favourites was a Glasgow based producer of collectible cards, covering a range of sports including Football, Speedway, Cricket, Boxing, Olympians and also Film Stars. The cards were all produced c1950, and were issued in booklets of just a single card. Full sets of cards could be exchanged for a variety of prized including footballs, […]

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• Football
• Trade Cards
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Barratt &Co

Barratt & Co, Wood Green, London, N22 Footballers – Action Caricatures (c1930) – Set of 12 #1. A. Baker (Arsenal) #2. W. Butler (Bolton Wanderers) #3. A. Chandler (Leicester City) #4. Dixie Dean (Everton) #5. J. Fort (Millwall) #6. Hacking (Oldham Athletic) #7. W. Hardy (Cardiff City) #8. Jack Hill (Newcastle United) #9. S. Puddefoot […]

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• Football
• Trade Cards
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D.C. Thomson

D.C. Thomson Stand Up Footballers – All Star Team (1923). 11 Cards #1. C.M. Buchan (Sunderland) #2. W. Grimshaw (Cardiff City) #3. Alan L. Morton (Rangers) #4. John Crosbie (Birmingham) #5. Harry Chambers (Liverpool) #6. Chas. Walters (Tottenham Hotspur) #7. John Gilchrist (Celtic) #8. Neil McBain (Manchester United) #9. Tom Smart (Aston Villa) #10. Sam […]

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• Football
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Clifford Series

“Clifford Series” appeared as a producer shortly after World War II, mainly as a producer of fairly cheap playing cards. The parent company was F. Levy & Co of Finsbury Square, London, who had been making all manner of toys and games from Finsbury Square and Winchmore Hill locations since 1923. The “Clifford Series” branding […]

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• Football
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• Vintage Trade Cards

W.R. Wilkinson & Co. Ltd. (Pontefract)

W.R. Wilkinson & Co. was established as a Licorice maker in Southgate, Pontefract in 1884. Licorice was brought to the UK at some point in the 14th Century, reputedly either by the Crusaders returning from the middle east, or the Dominican monks who settled in Pontefract Priory at around the same time. Initially used for […]

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• Cigarette Cards
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Hill, R & J Ltd

R&J Hill tobacco manufacturers was established at 175 Shoreditch High Street in 1775 by the Hill brothers, in what was called the Badminton Tobacco Works, and had offices nearby in a building called Spinet House. It is thought that the production of cigarettes began somewhere around 1890 with the “Fine Art” brand. Later brand names […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

Topical Times

The Topical Times was produced by D.C. Thomson, and put out it’s first issue way back on 18th October 1919, continuing right through until 25th May 1940, with a total of 1,071 issues. Like so many of the magazines and comics of the time, it featured the things that were important to young boys of […]

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• Football
• Trade Cards
• Vintage Trade Cards

Filshill (J.W.) Ltd (Glasgow)

The very little information I have been able to find about this company, is that J.W. Filshill Ltd was established as a confectionery and preserve maker in 1875 in Gallowgate, Glasgow, being the brainchild of John W. Filshill. A fire in 1897 reduced the factory to rubble, though it was rebuilt on the same site […]

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• Football
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Boys’ Magazine (1922-34)

First published in 1922 by E. Hulton & Co. Ltd, Shoe Lane, London, “Boys’ Magazine” ran weekly until 1934 at which point it was incorporated into “Champion”. Further information on the magazine can be found at the most excellent “Comic Book+” site by following this link. During the 1920’s it published several sets of collectors […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

A&BC (American & British Chewing) Gum Ltd.

A&BC Gum was formed in 1949 by four men recently de-mobbed from the Army, following the end of WWII. At this point sugar and confectionary were still rationed, but they set out with the aim of making chewing gum – something which had become much more commonplace during the war years. The men in question […]

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• Vintage Trade Cards

Cadet Sweets (Slough)

Cadet Sweets (along with Comet Sweets) was a subsidiary of Paramount Laboratories of Slough, Berkshire, and was primarily a maker of the sweet cigarettes we all loved as kids. During the lifetime of the Cadet Sweets Brand the company produced some of the best loved and highly collectable trade cards representing TV in the 1950’s […]

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W.D. & H.O. Wills & Co

Henry Overton Wills set up his original “Wills, Watkin & Co” tobacco shop on Castle Street in Bristol along with his then partner, Samuel Watkins. Watkins retired in 1789 at which point the company became simply “Wills & Co”, but was renamed as soon as 1791 when Wills merged with the business of Peter Lilly, […]

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• Cigarette Cards

Taddy & Co.

Taddy & Co was established by James Taddy in 1784, as a seller of tobacco, snuff and tea operating from Old Swan Lane in London. A year later in 1785 Taddy had moved premises to 109 Fenchurch Street, London, where with new partners, “Taddy, Tomlin and Hatfield” was formed. Following a number of marriages between […]

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John Player & Sons

John Player was born in Saffron Walden in 1839, and moved to Nottingham around 1862 where he worked as a draper’s clerk. Several years later he moved onto run his own business, as an agent of Prentice & Co’s agricultural manures and seeds, running a small shop on Beastmarket Hill in Nottingham. Alongside Prentice & […]

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• Cigarette Cards

Gallaher Ltd (Belfast & London)

Gallaher was founded in Derry, Ireland (Now Londonderry, Northern Ireland) in 1857 by Thomas Gallaher. Thomas was born in Templemoyle, Co. Londonderry in 1840, beginning an apprenticeship in the tobacco business at the age of just 15 in 1855. Just 2 years later he started his own business, hand-rolling and selling tobacco from the back […]

• Cigarette Cards
• Football
• Graded Cards
• PSA
• Vintage Trade Cards

Reddish Maid “International Footballers of Today” (1965)

Reddish Maid Confections was a confectionery company based on Newark Road, Stockport – an area dominated by the cotton trade right up until the 1950’s. The confectionery factory was known locally as “The Toffee Works”, probably on account of its very popular Chocolate Covered Toffee which appears to have been in production from the 1930s […]