1914 Adkin Sporting Cups and Trophies Set and Checklist

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Adkin Sporting Trophies
Year	1914
Size	1 1/2″ x 2 5/8″
Images	Color
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	30

1914 Adkin Sporting Cups and Trophies Set Overview

Adkin Sporting Trophies.jpg This interesting set was issued by Adkin & Sons for its Adkin’s Cigarettes products. Instead of athletes, the set features trophies that could be won in various sports. Golf and tennis were among the sports featured. Others including things like soccer, horse racing, polo, yachting, and rifle shooting.

Golf is featured on three cards, including card No. 8 through the Amateur Golf Gold Challenge Vase. The cup was said to be solid gold and, at the time, had a value of approximately $1,200 at the time. The trophy was up for grabs as part of an open competition among amateur players from around the world. The tournament was played on a London-area golf course and, to compete, all players needed to be a scratch golfer. The other two golf trophies included were the Daily Mail Golf Challenge Cup and the Runner Up for that award.

Tennis was represented through the Ladies Covered Court Championship.

Fronts of the card pictured the trophy in question and the back offered a description of it. Backs also indicate there were a total of 30 cards in the set and assign each one a card number.

While other pre-war tobacco trophy sets existed, these cards are unique and distinguishable by their green color scheme on the front. Each trophy is against a light green background and the cards have a dark green border surrounding that.

In general, the cards are pretty rare and not often seen. As Adkin & Sons was a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Company of Britain and Ireland, this was an international issue and is not easy to find in the U.S.