1905 Cadbury Sports Series Set and Checklist

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Cadbury Sports Series
Year	c. 1905
Size	1 3/8″ x 4 1/4″
Images	Color
Type	Food
Number in Set	6

1905 Cadbury Sports Series Set Overview

1905 Cadbury Chocolate Sports Series Tennis This rare multi-sport issue was produced by Cadbury’s Chocolate for its Bournville Cocoa brand. How the cards were distributed is not known but they were believed to be issued inside the cocoa packages. The cocoa product was made in the Garden Village of Bournville, England and, as the cards stated, was ‘Prepared from the finest cocoa by British workpeople.”

The set contains a total of only six cards. Several sports are covered but the ones of most interest to American card collectors are generally the cards featuring tennis and soccer.

Each card is narrow and shaped sort of like a bookmark. They feature generic, nameless children on the front participating in a variety of sports. The fronts also have a card number as well as the Bournville Cocoa and Cadbury names. Backs include a checklist of the set with the Cadbury logo.

The cards today are quite rare. A reprint set was issued in the early 2000s and collectors are more likely to find those than the real thing. The cards were reprinted by a company called Nostalgia.

Finally, while the exact date of issue has not been confirmed, these cards are believed to be printed around 1905.