1938 Bocnal Luminous Silhouettes Set

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Bocnal Luminous Silhouettes
Year	1938
Size	1 3/8″ x 2 9/16″
Images	Black and White
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	25

1938 Bocnal Luminous Silhouettes Overview

This cigarette card set from the UK features a variety of sports played in various parts of the world. There are a total of 25 cards in the set.

The cards feature black and white pictures of various sports being depicted, including hockey, golf, soccer (called football, as it is known by that name around the globe), rugby, and track and field, among others. The most popular sports absent from the set are probably baseball and boxing. The cards were distributed by The Bocnal Tobacco Company in London with their Newgent Virginia Cigarettes.

This interesting release is most known for its glow in the dark capabilities. As stated on the backs of the cards, when exposed to a bright light, they will appear luminous in the dark. The cards also mentioned that the picture will show best in complete darkness.

While many of the late 1920s and 1930s UK tobacco cards have little value, this set is actually a little more desirable as it is significantly rarer than many issues.

These are pretty standard cigarette cards but do measure a bit smaller at only 2 9/16″ long. All pictures in the set are horizontal despite the fact that the backs are vertical.

Hockey

The ice hockey card is, without a doubt, the most popular in the set. Collectors should note there are two hockey cards in the set – a field hockey card and an ice hockey card. The field hockey card is simply called hockey while ice hockey is called ice hockey.

The ice hockey card features a player with the puck and a goaltender in the background.

The hockey card is No. 20 in the set and is generally the most desirable card, ahead of other popular ones, including golf, soccer, and, to a lesser degree domestically, cricket.

Players pictured, as are the other athletes on other cards, are unnamed.