Cigar Bands
A collection of 24 cigar bands with miniature playing cards.
A collection of 24 TAF cigar bands with miniature playing cards, c.1960. The card size varies a little but the largest is 18x14mm. The cards have been identified by a previous owner from the inscriptions inside the bands. They are all numbered also on the inside 1 – 24 which suggests the series is complete. The TAF factory was acquired in 1979 by J. Cortès brand.
By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)
United Kingdom • Member since January 30, 2009
Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.
His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.
Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.
Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.
His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.
Related Articles
Ogdens Beauties & Military cigarette cards
Cigarette cards featuring beauties and military uniforms with playing-card insets.
Louis De Poortere
Psychedelic designs promoting Louis De Poortere, a company selling carpets and rugs.
Belle Vue Gueuze
Promotional playing cards designed by Wim Simons, Belgium, 1960s.
Boerenbond Veevoeders
Promotional deck designed by Ray Goossens for the Boerenbond farmers’ union, c.1968.
Bayer
Humorous pharmaceutical deck made by Antoine van Genechten for Bayer, c.1963.
Butagaz
“Butagaz” playing cards for the French gas company, c.1976
Velux
Velux - la fenêtre de toit de qualité, c.1990.
Banque Nationale de Paris, c.1962
Special deck made for La Banque Nationale de Paris by Van Genechten, Turnhout, c.1962.
Tobacco advertising
Advertising decks made in Belgium by A. Van Genechten, 1960s.
John Player Special
John Player Special non-standard playing cards created by the illustrator Nick Price, 1987
Speelkaarten-Fabriek Nederland “Fortuna”
Speelkaarten-Fabriek Nederland for Royal West Indian Mail Service, c.1926
Esveco Specialities B.V.
Alto Imaging Group playing cards manufactured by Esveco Specialities B.V., c.1990s
Wills’s Happy Families game
Wills’s “Happy Families” cards were issued by the Imperial Tobacco Company (of Great Britain and Ire...
De Reszke Cigarettes “What the Stars Say”
De Reszke Cigarettes “What the Stars Say” astrology cards issued by J. Milhoff & Co., 1934.
Fondation Charcot Stichting
Multi-artist promotion deck for Le Fondation Charcot, a Multiple Sclerosis charity in Belgium, c.199...
Standard Genoese
Van Genechten manufactured playing cards in various styles, including specially customised versions ...
Industria Gráfica Pesout
Coimexpor Spanish-suited playing cards by Industria Gráfica Pesout, S.A., Buenos Aires, Argentina, c...
Biermans for the Estanco de Naipes del Peru
Standard Genoese pattern with French indices made by Biermans for Cigarrillo Holiday and the Estanco...
Roldan Tobacco Cards, Peru
Tobacco cards with miniature playing cards inset into top corners, printed by Litografía y Tipografí...
Cigarrillos Compadre, Peru, early 1900s
Spanish-suited playing cards for Cigarrillos Compadre, Peru, early 1900s
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
