Description

British tobacco company W. D. & H. O. Wills issued “Pirate Cigarettes” in the early 1900’s which contained tobacco cards, both non-sports and baseball issues.  Cards were included as a creative way to provide additional protection for the cigarettes.  The reverse of all Pirate Cigarette cards features images of a Pirate Cigarettes box. The front of the boxes features a single pirate in full-length pose onboard a ship, while the back has two scenes framing an advertisement for Pirate Cigarettes. This example retains all of the original colors and crisp imagery and also contains the original cigarettes!  It has been beautifully preserved presenting as mostly clean with light tobacco staining and handling wear. There is no certainty that this particular pack ever contained a T215 baseball card, primarily because Pirate Cigarettes baseball cards are incredibly rare with only a handful of examples known to exist (they were apparently issued in very small quantities and marketed directly to American service members stationed in the Far East).  It is far more likely this pack contained a non-sport card, particularly the “China’s Famous Warriors” which was issued around 1911-12 and distributed in China. A superb example of a more than 100-year-old intact cigarette pack famous for its inclusion of tobacco cards.  Includes an example of the Chinese Warrior card issue!