1939 Player’s Cycling Set and Checklist

‘It’s In The Details’

Title Player’s Cycling
Year 1939
Size 1 3/8″ x 2 5/8″
Images Color
Type Tobacco
Number in Set
50

1939 Player’s Cycling Set Overview

This is one of the few sets dedicated entirely to cycling.

Issued in 1939, it came right at the end of the pre-war era. The series was issued by Player’s Cigarettes, which issued countless tobacco card sets in the 1930s. The cards were apparently in conjunction with the Editor of “Cycling”, which is mentioned on the backs.

The set is a hodgepodge of sorts of all things cycling. Many cards feature pictures of various bicycles. Others feature types of races. Others, still, focus on the actual cyclists themselves. Others, like Card No. 50, which features Bicycle Polo, depict assorted activities surrounding cycling. Others still depict bicycles from the 19th century. F.T. Bidlane is one of the notable cyclists mentioned.

Card fronts feature color images with a title printed at the bottom. Like most 1930s international tobacco card sets, these cards have white borders. The backs include the Cycling title, the Player’s Cigarettes name, and a description of the subject featured on the front.

Like many international tobacco issues, Player’s issued a specific album for these cards. Made of paper, these albums usually cost only a penny and pages included spaces for the cards along with a description (since the description of the back was covered up by the page).

1939 Player’s Cycling Set Checklist

  1. Pedestrian Hobby-Horse
  2. Lady’s Pedestrian Hobby-Horse
  3. Macmillan’s Lever-Driven Bicycle
  4. Sawyer’s Velocipede
  5. Michaux Velocipede
  6. Covenant Rotary Tricycle
  7. Singer Tricycle
  8. “Salvo” Tricycle
  9. Lawson’s “Bicyclette”
  10. Sociable Tricycle
  11. Post Office Centre-cycles
  12. Invincible Bicycle
  13. Rucker Tandem Bicycle
  14. “Rover” Safety Bicycle
  15. “Invincible” Tandem Tricycle
  16. Olympia Tandem Tricycle
  17. The First Pneumatic-Tyred Bicycle
  18. A Notable Tricyclist – F.T. Bidlane
  19. Simpson Lever Chain
  20. Companion Safety Bicycle
  21. Bicycle of the Late ’90s
  22. Tandem of the ’90s
  23. Pacino Triplet
  24. Novel Tandem of the ’90s
  25. Lady Cyclist, 1896
  26. Dursley Pedersen Cantilever Bicycle
  27. Lady Cyclist Wearing Divided Skirt
  28. Lady Cyclist, 1939
  29. Lady’s Bicycle (3 Speed Gear and Dynamo Lighting)
  30. Italian Velocino Bicycle
  31. Touring Tandem
  32. Racing Tandem
  33. Racing Tricycle
  34. Path Pacino Bicycle
  35. Light Roadster Bicycle
  36. Horizontal Bicycle
  37. Road Time Trial Bicycle
  38. American Bicycle
  39. Saddles
  40. Family Tandem with Side-Car
  41. Cycling and the Y.H.A.
  42. International Cycle Touring
  43. Six-Day Racing
  44. Massed-Start Racing Position
  45. Track Tandem Position
  46. Touring Position
  47. Road Time Trial Position
  48. Track Racing Position
  49. Road Records, S.H. Ferris
  50. Bicycle Polo

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