1932 Wills Homeland Events Set

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Wills Homeland Events
Year	1932
Size	1 3/8″ x 2 1/2″
Images	Black and White
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	54

1932 Wills Homeland Events Overview

This UK set was distributed by tobacco company Wills and was one of their many tobacco card issues. While the set is mostly a non-sports issue, it does include a few sports cards from tennis, boxing, soccer, auto racing, cricket, and golf. The cards feature real events in the UK.

While this later series is believed to have been offered in the UK, an earlier, similar set released by Wills in 1927 was supposedly distributed outside of that territory. The London Cigarette Card Company’s catalogue refers to that earlier issue as an ‘overseas’ set.

The cards are slightly smaller than your standard tobacco card issues from that time period. They feature real black and white images and are also somewhat different in that they have a glossy finish. A small caption of each scene is on the front and a longer description is provided on the back.

The tennis and golf cards (three tennis and one golf) are most desired by American collectors. The three tennis cards feature legends Fred Perry, Helen Wills, and Betty Nuthall.

Golf and Bobby Jones

Of note is that the set has a St. Andrews card where Hall of Famer Bobby Jones is identified on the card. While the other sports cards generate interest, the Jones golf card is easily the most sought after in the entire set.

The back of the card mentions Jones is putting during the British Amateur Championship. Despite Jones not being very visible on the card or named on the front, it sells as a legitimate Bobby Jones card as he is named on the back.

The card remains one of Jones’ best bargains, starting around $20-$30 for an example in decent raw condition.

Confusion with Other Homeland Events Sets

Many collectors are unaware that there are actually more than one of these Homeland Events sets. This one was printed in 1932 and distributed with Wills products. However, an earlier one from 1927 was also printed with that set being distributed by British American Tobacco, Wills, and Lambert and Butler.

The cards are nearly identical to these and many of the same subjects appear. However, the card numbers are different and other cards are introduced in those sets as well.

Of great importance is that collectors should know that there is a Golf at St. Andrews card in that set as well, also featuring Jones.