We were delighted to hear from John Edwards (A 73) about his recent Haileybury-connected antique shop find. Between the 1870s and 1940s, global cigarette companies produced trading cards to stiffen each pack which documented popular culture. Topics were diverse and included footballers, royalty, actors and city flags, to name but a few. This became an extremely popular collectors’ pastime. Many are rare and still extremely valuable; they are very much of their time when smoking was prolific.

John’s find is one of a series of 50 produced in 1925 entitled The Public Schools Ties Series. There is also a partner series of Public Schools Coats of Arms which also includes Haileybury.
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Unless otherwise stated, all content and images on this website and blog © The Haileybury Society, 2024, all rights reserved