Lot 176: A Collection of W.D. and H.O. Wills and Brooke Bond Collector Card Albums
This lot comprises a collection of vintage mid-20th-century paper collector card albums issued by W.D. and H.O. Wills and Brooke Bond. The primary item is a commemorative cigarette card album titled The Reign of King George V 1910 – Silver Jubilee – 1935, issued by W.D. and H.O. Wills, a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain and Ireland, Ltd. The album contains a series of cards depicting historical events including the unveiling of the Nurse Cavell Memorial, the King at the Cenotaph, and the opening of the King George V Dock.
The collection also includes several Brooke Bond tea card albums with titles such as History of Explorers and various natural history subjects including British wildlife, mammals, and marine life. A further section titled History of Fashion contains Wills’s Cigarettes cards depicting 19th-century attire such as crinolines and bustles. The cards are colour-printed and mounted into designated spaces within the paper albums. Transcription of the primary album cover includes The Reign of King George V, 1910 – Silver Jubilee – 1935, and Issued by W. D. and H. O. Wills.
Condition report:
The collection is in a condition commensurate with age and frequent handling. The cover of the Silver Jubilee album exhibits significant foxing and surface soiling. The Brooke Bond albums show wear to the spines and bumping to the corners. There is light fraying and creasing to the edges of the paper pages. The internal cards remain generally bright with good colour retention. Completeness of all sets has not been individually verified.
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