1930s Lucky Strike Bridge Favors (T14) Set and Checklist

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	T14 Lucky Strike Bridge Favors
Year	1930s
Size	Various
Images	Color
Type	Tobacco
Number in Set	80

1930s Lucky Strike Bridge Favors Overview

This unique set of cards were actually display favors to be used while playing the popular card game of Bridge. Even though they are not traditional cards, Jefferson Burdick listed them in his American Card Catalog as T14.

They are listed as a tobacco card because they were distributed by Lucky Strike cigarettes. It should also be noted that, according to Burdick, the same cards were also issued by Kensitas Cigarettes in England. Cards are sometimes listed as a 1930 issue while others suggest they could have been distributed later in the decade, calling them a 1930s issue instead. I have not yet seen evidence of a hard 1930 date so have chosen the latter approach for dating them here.

The series is mostly a non-sports one. And, technically, there are three different sets:

25 Movie Stars (Actors)
25 Movie Stars (Actresses)
30 Comic Characters

In all, that gives us a total of 80 cards through the three sets. Of note, is that Lucky Strike also produced bridge game cards, listed by Burdick as T12 and T13 in the American Card Catalog.

The cards feature color cartoon images of subjects or, in the cases of the actors/actresses, real color heads on cartoon bodies. Lucky Strike even figured out a way to incorporate their product as cigarettes were to be fit into the holes on the cards to make the cards stand up.

These T14 favors, as mentioned, are largely non-sports subjects. But at least three sports cards are in the comic characters set, featuring generic female tennis and golf subjects. Additionally, Arthur Lake’s card in the set of actors depicts him as a golfer and a boxing card is included depicting actor Johnny Hines. Interestingly, a boxer named John Hines was active around the time of these cards. However, the back of the boxing card calls these ‘Famous Stars’ and is thus likely a reference to the actor of the same period.

All of the cards in the set are relatively inexpensive, but the sports cards as well as the more popular actors and actresses can sell for more. Otherwise, commons in the set start around $5-$10.