Summary

Collection of nine cigarette cards produced in Australia by B.D.V. Cigarettes. Acquired by the donor's father in the 1970s. The cards were historic items then and probably date from the 1930s.

Physical Description

Set of nine cards, each printed on a rectangular piece of card. Each has a coloured photograph of a different Australian sporting identity printed on both sides. Two cards feature the same photograph of Phar Lap during a race. Other people featured include Australian Rules players Haydn Bunton, Syd Coventry, G. Lovelock and E. Tyson, Olympic Swimmer N.Ryan, Rugby players Tom Gorman andf Dr A.W. Ross and Cricketer L.P O'Brien.

Significance

Cigarette cards go back to the 19th century. The relevance of this small collection of cards rests upon the fact that two of the cards feature Phar Lap. The other seven, which also feature sports figures, help to fill-out the notion of the cards as keepsakes. The crds reflect popular interes in sporting figures.

Cigarette cards are an early example of the use of sports figures to increase sales of a given product. Many smokers collected the cards themselves, but as often as not ther here harangued into giving the cards to younger relatives and local kids. No doubt cigarette companies also considered that the distribution of the cards would help foster smoking among the young.

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