1907 Mitchell’s Sports Set and Checklist
‘It’s In The Details’
Title | Mitchell’s Sports |
Year | 1907 |
Size | 1 3/8″ x 2 5/8″ |
Images | Color |
Type | Tobacco |
Number in Set |
25 |
1907 Mitchell’s Sports Overview
This rare set was by Stephen Mitchell and Son Company, one of many tobacco firms that was a branch of the Imperial Tobacco conglomerate. Cards were distributed in packages of Mitchell’s Cigarettes in 1907.
The series is simply named ‘Sports’ and includes a variety of generic athletes depicted playing numerous sports. Among those featured are tennis, boxing, golf, and wrestling. Most sports are pictured only a single time but cricket is featured on two cards (cricket and bowling) and there are also a handful of track and field related cards.
Unlike many other UK tobacco card issues that were issued later, this set is quite rare and highly desired. Commons can sell for $10-$20 with the key sports cards being significantly more.
Cards feature colorful pictures on the front, along with the name of the sport and the Mitchell’s Cigarettes name, and a unique back advertisement using a chocolate brown ink, imploring collectors to smoke “Prize Crop Cigarettes.” The card backs also state there are a total of 25 cards in the set, though it does not identify them or offer card numbers.
Like other early multi-sport sets, there are several here that are often of little importance to American sports collectors, such as a few hunting cards.
1907 Mitchell’s Sports Checklist
- Archery
- Bowling
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Curling
- Diving
- Football (Soccer)
- Fox Hunting
- Golf
- Hammer Throwing
- High Jumping
- Hockey
- Horse Racing
- Hurdle Racing
- Otter Hunting
- Polo
- Quoits
- Rugby Football
- Sculling
- Skating
- Sprinting
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Wrestling
- Yachting
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