Sunday, October 9, 2016

Wills Cigarette Cards

In 2009, I scored a 48-out-of-50 card set of antique Wills Cigarette Cards on eBay.  (ancient post about the buy is HERE)




When they arrived in the mail, I savored each of them, carefully put them back into their tiny little package, and promptly misplaced them.  Occasionally I wondered where in the world I could have put them.  Yesterday, that question was answered.  I was cleaning out a basket of CDs, and there were the rose cards.









These tiny, idealized prints make the roses look gorgeous and SO tempting.  Let's see how the card images compare to the real roses that I grow here:

'Alberic Barbier'





'American Pillar'





'British Queen'





'Excelsa'





'Irish Elegance'





'Lady Alice Stanley'





In the old post about these cards, I was wondering how to display them.  I'm still wondering.  For now, I have repackaged them and will keep them stored away safely ... at least I put them someplace logical this time!

19 comments:

  1. Those cards are beautiful as are your own photos. I still have roses blooming and I have no idea what they are.

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    Replies
    1. I have roses here that have lost their ID. Doesn't make them any less beautiful.

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  2. Oh! Aren't they beautiful?! How wonderful that you, of all people, would be able to find a deck of them. Maybe someone, somewhere will have the two cards that are missing---you just never know.
    Have a blessed week- xo Diana

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps, I will look for those two missing cards one day ... and hopefully they won't cost an arm and a leg.

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  3. Oh, how I love re-discoveries and these cards, Connie! I'd say that the manufacturer did a pretty good job on the accuracy of its illustrations. I could see these cards being displayed in a glass-topped display table or poster type setting if you could do the latter with pressure placement somehow (I know you won't glue them, of course). The results would look much like your first photo and would be stunning! However, that said, I really don't have a good feel for what the dimensions of such display would be. Your house can "take" larger pieces though. ;-)

    Shirley

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    Replies
    1. Gotta use large-scale things here, or they get overshadowed and disappear. Small things like these, grouped together, play big and work really well.

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  4. The cards are beautiful, but your real roses look better.

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  5. Hi Connie, I love your rose cards. I've gotten some great things off eBay too. I'm trying to organize everything (again!) in my home and I'd put that in the "things that need future action" place. They would look lovely framed - maybe 6 to a frame? You'd need a big wall to display them all together! I so enjoy your blog.

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    1. Sorting, organizing, and downsizing is a constant state of affairs. I read once that we shouldn't 'organize' things that don't have a place and that we don't use. I'm taking this to heart. I like the idea of dividing these cards into multiple frames ... thank you!

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  6. How very cool!!! I am sure that they have something printed on the back, how about getting them framed in between two pieces of glass, and then a pretty molding around all of it. That is definitely a SCORE! Glad you found them!

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    1. The back has a catalog-type description of the rose, and a scroll-type border. Definitely want that to be accessible if I frame them.

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  7. Replies
    1. I seem to have treasures like this all over the place. Lose something ... forget about it ... find it unexpectedly ... it's practically new again!

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  8. What beautiful cards! I'm so glad you found them. I just thought of framing them, either in groups of 6, or groups of 8, in antique frames. How wonderful it will be however you decide to display them, to be able to see them regularly.

    Have a great week dear Connie ~ FlowerLady

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    Replies
    1. You just helped me realize that having two cards missing from the set opens up more combination possibilities for framing them!

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  9. These are so wonderful, Connie...and I love the photos next to the cards...so fun to see!

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    1. I was pleased to see how similar each card looked to the real photos … idealized, of course, but still recognizable. I’m really happy that these aren’t lost anymore!

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  10. I love these, and have always wondered how the images compare to the originals. I have a collection, but don't think it has any roses, but are mainly horsey motifs. I'd double check, but like you, I've somehow misplaced mine. :( Anyway, this was a popular collectible in England and they have special mattes to display them. I'll see if I can find a link to post.

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