T-Cards (Tobacco)

Introduction

1936 Ogden Fred Perry TennisT-Cards represent American tobacco issues and are one of the most popular of the designations given by Jefferson Burdick in the American Card Catalog. When it comes to tennis cards in the pre-war era, they are most abundant in tobacco card issues printed in the 1920s and 1930s.

These were cards that were either packaged directly with tobacco products or issued separately by tobacco companies. Some tennis issues are American cards. The bulk, however, are from other parts of the world. Several were part of multi-sport issues from the United Kingdom. And while many cards feature actual tennis players, some like the card here, feature a generic picture of the sport.

Tobacco cards were popular (and at least one even led to a marriage) but they were also being blamed for causing all sorts of problems related to children collecting them. After a temporary ban on American tobacco cards in the late 1800s, they came back with a bang in the early 1900s.

From a tennis standpoint, pre-war tobacco sets offered cards from some of the game’s early stars. While tennis cards were released in the late 1800s, the sport did not really start to take off until the 1920s and 1930s with Hall of Fame players Bill Tilden, Helen Wills, Fred Perry, Jean Borotra, Suzanne Lenglen, Henri Cochet, Rene Lacoste, and many others gaining recognition.

One important note for this page is that, similar to what occurred with the famous T206 baseball card set, many issues were produced for numerous tobacco brands. Instead of repeating each set in the table below multiple times, some sets are simply listed once by its set name and the individual brands are then mentioned on that page. For example the 1927 Homeland Events set was issued with Lambert & Butler, Wills, and British American Tobacco products. Instead of listing that set three times, it is simply listed as ‘Homeland Events’ with references to those distributors on its page.

A final note with regards to cataloging efforts here. Many tobacco sets were created featuring movie stars. These are generally non-sports sets that may involve an actor or actress with a tennis racket. Because of the large number of those sets and their relative lack of importance to sports card collectors, those have not been listed here.

These issues are interesting as many high-grade examples still exist, despite their age. As stated, the majority were international issues. Those were often preserved by collectors better than their American counterparts as collecting was seen as more of an adult hobby in other parts of the world. Many cards were affixed or placed into collecting books and sat undisturbed for decades. Thus, it isn’t uncommon to see them in very good condition and without major flaws.

Looking to learn more about collecting tobacco cards? Here’s an introduction of sorts that I wrote, which covers their history

Below is a list of pre-war tennis card sets and multi-sport sets where a tennis card can be found.

Sets

AJ Coudens Monax Sports Alphabet - Wrestling (1924)
1924 A&J Coudens / Monax
Sports Alphabet
1932-abdulla-german-tobacco-babe-ruth
1932 Abdulla Cigarettes
Adkin Sporting Trophies
1914 Adkin’s Sporting Cups
and Trophies
1939 African Tobacco World of Sport Tennis
1939 African Tobacco
World of Sport
aguilitas-basketball
1924-28 Aguilitas
Bill Tilden Tennis 1935 Ardath
1935 Ardath Cricket,
Tennis, and Golf Celebrities
1936 Ardath Tennis
1937 Ardath Tennis
Bunny Austin Ardath Topical Photocards Tennis
1935-38 Ardath
Topical Interest Photocards
Fred Perry Ardath State Express Sports Champions Tennis
1935 Ardath State Express
Sports Champions
BDV Who's Who in Australian Sport Tennis
1933 BDV Who’s Who in
Australian Sport

1920s Bonzo Sets
Bravour Boxing
1933 Bravour-Bilder Sport
1927 British Trees Tennis Card
1927 British Trees
and Their Uses
Bulgaria Sport - Bill Tilden
1932 Bulgaria-Sport Photos
1935 Carreras Popular Personalities Fred Perry Tennis
1935 Carreras
Popular Personalities
1924 Cavenders Homeland Series Golf
1924 Cavanders
Homeland Series
Rene Lacoste 1928 Churchman Lawn Tennis
1928 Churchman
Lawn Tennis (Small Cards)
1928 Churchman Tennis Large Bill Tilden
1928 Churchman
Lawn Tennis (Large Cards)
Rene Lacoste Churchman Tennis Men of the Moment
1928 & 1929 Churchman
Men of the Moment
Purcell 1931 Churchman Sporting Celebrities Tennis
1931 Churchman
Sporting Celebrities
1927 Churchman Sporting Trophies Golf
1927 Churchman
Sporting Trophies
1934 Churchman Well Known Ties Tennis
1934 Churchman
Well-Known Ties
J.S. Onagoity Los Cigarrilos Dolar Tennis
1920s Cigarrillos Dolar
Color
1901 Cope 1904 RJ Hill Flags Arms and Types of Nations America U.S.
1904 Cope’s Flags, Types,
& Arms of All Nations
Cope Lawn Tennis Strokes L.A. Godfree
1924 Cope’s
Lawn Tennis Strokes
Cope's Sports and Pastimes Tennis
1925 Cope’s
Sports and Pastimes
1934 Deutscher Sport
1934/1935 Deutscher Sport
1933 Deutscher Sport Tennis
1933 Deutscher Sport
GEG Cigarettes
Salem Bilder Hockey
1927-32 Die Welt in Bildern
(Jasmatzi, Josetti, Manoli,
Salem, Sulima)
1936 Dubek Israel Sports Tennis
1936 Dubek Sports
1924 Gallaher British Champions of 1923 Tennis
1924 Gallaher
British Champions of 1923
Crawford Tennis 1934 Gallaher Champions
1934 & 1935
Gallaher Champions
1938 Gallaher Island Celebrities
1938 Gallaher
Island Sporting Celebrities
1928 Lawn Tennis Celebrities Gallaher
1928 Gallaher
Lawn Tennis Celebrities
1912 Gallaher Sports Series Tennis
1912 Gallaher
Sports Series
Irmgard Rost Garbaty Tennis
1934 Garbaty
Moderne Schonheitsgalerie
(Modern Beauty)
1932 Godfrey Phillips Australian Sporting Celebrities Golf
1932 Godfrey Phillips
Australian Sporting
Celebrities
1935 Godfrey Phillips In the Public Eye Tennis
1935 Godfrey Phillips
In the Public Eye
1930 Godfrey Phillips Lawn Tennis
1930 Godfrey Phillips
Lawn Tennis
1929 Godfrey Sporting Champions Henri Cochet Tennis
1929 Godfrey Phillips
Sporting Champions
1923 Godfrey Phillips Sports Golf
1910 Godfrey Phillips
Sporting Series
1923 Godfrey Phillips Sports Golf
1923 Godfrey Phillips
Sports
Fred Perry 1934 Godfrey Phillips Spot the Winner Tennis
1937 Godfrey Phillips
Spot the Winner
1928 Greiling Hockey
1926-36 Greiling
1927 Homeland Events Tennis
1927 Homeland Events
T65 Golden Eagle Costumes
1903 I. Lewis Gold Eagle
Cigars Women and Men
in Costumes (T65)
1930 J.A. Pattreiouex Celebrities Tennis
1930 J.A. Pattreiouex
Celebrities in Sport
J.A. Pattreiouex Sporting Events and Stars Tennis
1935 J.A. Pattreiouex
Sporting Events and Stars
1931Pattreioux Sports Trophies Baseball
1931 J.A. Pattreiouex
Sporting Trophies

1927 James Illingworth
Comicartoons of Sport
Lambert Butler Who's Who in Sport Jean Borotra Tennis
1926 Lambert & Butler
Who’s Who in Sport

1930s Lucky Strike
Bridge Favors (T14)
1929 Sarony Saronicks Tennis
1929 Major Drapkin
Limericks
1930 Major Drapkin Sporting Celebrities Rene Lacoste tennis
1930 Major Drapkin
Sporting Celebrities
Major Drapkin Sporting Snap Tennis
1928 Major Drapkin
Sporting Snap
1930 Milhoff In the Public Eye Tennis
1930 Milhoff De Reszke
In the Public Eye
1935 Mitchell's Gallery Jack Petermen Boxing
1935 Mitchell’s Cigarettes
Gallery of 1934
1936 Mitchell's Helen Wills Tennis
1936 Mitchell’s Cigarettes
Gallery of 1935
1907 Mitchell Sport Tennis
1907 Mitchell’s Cigarettes
Sports
1932 Monopol Sport Photos Tennis
1932 Monopol
Sport Photos
1929 Morris How to Sketch
1929 Morris
How to Sketch
Adelphi Tennis T51 Murad
1909-11
Murad College Sports (T51)
Muratti Tennis'
1935-36 Muratti Cigarettes
001
1923-24 Obsequio de los
Cigarros Nacionales
Susini
1915-16 Obsequio de Susini
(N230-3)
Ogden ABC of Sport Tennis
1927 Ogden ABC of Sport
1936 Ogden Fred Perry Tennis
1937 Ogden
Champions of 1936
Ogden Guinea Gold Tennis
1901 Ogden Guinea Gold
Max Schmeling Orami Filmfotos Movie Cards 1932 Boxing
1931-32 Orami
Movie Cards / Filmfotos
1937 Pageant of Kingship Golf
1937 P. Jackson
Pageant of Kingship
1928 Player Sons Lawn Tennis
1928 Player and Sons
Lawn Tennis
Fred Perry 1936 Player and Sons Tennis
1936 Player and Sons
Tennis
1913-14 Richmond Artistic Pictures Tennis T32
1913-14 Richmond
Artistic Images (T32)
1936 Real Photographs of London Wimbledon Tennis
1936 Real Photographs
of London
1934 R&J Hill Celebrities in Sport Tennis
1939 R.J. Hill
Celebrities of Sport
1901 Cope 1904 RJ Hill Flags Arms and Types of Nations America U.S.
1901 R.J. Hill Flags,
Arms, & Types of All Nations
1934 R&J Hill Tennis
1934 R.J. Hill
Sports Series
Sarony Origin of Games Tennis 1923
1923 Sarony
Origin of Games
1929 Sarony Saronicks Tennis
1929 Sarony Saronicks
Sarony Tennis Strokies
1923 Sarony
Tennis Strokes
1939 Birtain from the Air
1939 Senior Service
Britain from the Air
1935 Sights of London Wimbledon Tennis
1935 Sights of London
1929 Simonets Sporting Celebrities Helen Wills Tennis
1929 Simonets
Sporting Celebrities
Sociedade Industrial Wrestling
1928 Sociedade Industrial
dos Tabacos de Angola
s-l1600
1928 Tabacalera La Morena
1925 Turf Boguslavsky Tennis
1925 Turf/Boguslavsky
Sports Records
1933 Carreras Turf Personalities Tennis
1933 Turf
Personality Series
t7_hamilton_king_card
1902-13 Turkish Trophies /
Hamilton King Girls (T7)
1929 United Tobacco Humour in Sports Tennis
1929 United Tobacco
Humour in Sports
1938 Our South Africa
1938 United Tobacco
Our South Africa
Past & Present
1936 United Tobacco Sports Tennins
1936 United Tobacco
Sports/Pastimes in
South Africa
Vittoria Egyptian Cigarette Tennis Card
1932 Vittoria Egyptian
Cigarettes Sports Series
1937 Wills British Sporting Personalities Fred Perry Tennis
1937 Wills British
Sporting Personalities
1939 Wills Happy Families Tennis
1939 Wills
Happy Families
Wills Homeland Events Tennis Wimbledon
1932 Wills
Homeland Events
1936 Wills Irish Sportsmen Tennis
1936 Wills
Irish Sportsmen
Bill Tilden 1931 Wills Lawn Tennis
1931 Wills
Lawn Tennis
1937 Wills Our King and Queen Tennis at Wimbledon
1937 Wills
Our King and Queen
Wills Scissors Sporting Girls Tennis
1913 Wills Scissors
Sporting Girls
Jean Borotra 1928 Wills A Sporting Holiday in New Zealand
1928 Wills A Sporting
Holiday in New Zealand
Wills Sports of All Nations Golf
1901 Wills
Sports of all Nations
J. Wix Sons Henry Golf 2
1935-36 Wix
Henry’s Adventures
1927 World of Sport Tennis1927 World of Sport

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