CIGARETTE BRANDS
STEPHEN MITCHELL & SON
Origin: Glasgow (Founded 1723) "True Scottish tobacco aristocracy. Founded in 1723, it is one of the oldest manufacturers in the entire United Kingdom. Their flagship brand, Prize Crop, is iconic among collectors. The card series produced by Mitchell are distinguished by a strong cultural identity (the ones on the Scottish Clans are famous) but also by cinema: the 'Gallery of 1934' series and the various 'Stars of Screen' offer black and white or colored portraits with a sober and distinct style, typical of Glasgow graphics."
TEOFANI AND Co
The Teofani Company Limited, was a London-based company founded in 1880 by Teofani and Co, a Turkish tobacco importer. The Teofani Company Limited produced the famous high-quality “Teofani” cigarettes, which were in great demand on the British market. The company was known for its unusual and eye-catching marketing strategies, such as placing photographic postcards (of sportsmen, politicians, movie stars, etc.) inside its cigarette packets. These postcards are now highly sought after by collectors.
THE UNITED TOBACCO COS. (SOUTH) LTD.
THE UNITED TOBACCO COS. (SOUTH) LTD., filiale sudafricana di British American Tobacco e successore locale di W.D. & H.O. Wills, produceva le sigarette a marchio THE FLAG, realizzate con foglie di tabacco provenienti dalla Rhodesia del Sud e confezionate in astucci dal design elegante che richiamava la tradizione britannica. Il brand THE FLAG veniva inoltre promosso tramite le celebri cigarette cards.
WD & HO Wills
W.D. & H.O. Wills era una società britannica produttrice di tabacco, sigari e sigarette fondata a Bristol nel 1786 da Henry Overton Wills I. La società fu la prima nel Regno Unito a produrre sigarette in massa e fu una delle società fondatrici della Imperial Tobacco insieme alla John Player & Sons nel 1901. La società era nota per i suoi marchi come Capstan, Castella, Embassy, Passing Clouds, Panama e Woodbine. La società fu anche pioniera nell’uso delle carte da collezione all’interno delle sue confezioni di sigarette. Molti degli edifici di Bristol e di altre città del Regno Unito che ospitavano le sue fabbriche esistono ancora, alcuni convertiti in uso residenziale. Il marchio “Wills” fu ritirato dalla Imperial Tobacco nel 1988 per la maggior parte dei suoi prodotti.
W. SANDORIDES & Co.
Origin: London (Old Bond Street - Founded c. 1905) "Luxury and mystery in Old Bond Street. Founded by Gilbert Frankau (who invested heavily to launch the brand), Sandorides is best known for its Lucana and Big Gun cigarettes. Their cigarette cards are among the most intriguing for silent film collectors: the 1924 'Cinema Celebrities' series (or 'Cinema Stars' in foreign versions) is known for its often 'Extra Large' size and for portraits of actresses such as Edna Purviance and divas of the time. There are rare variants with the 'Big Gun Cigarettes' stamp on the back that are particularly sought-after."
TIMELINE
"Between 1723 and 1939, English tobacco companies experienced several significant developments. In 1927, British American Tobacco (BAT) celebrated its 25th anniversary, becoming one of the UK's leading companies with 120 subsidiaries. In 1932 , BAT already had factories in many countries and developed independent distribution networks, which became subsidiaries in their own right. This period also saw the expansion of tobacco growing and manufacturing operations into countries such as India, China, Brazil and Nigeria. However , the outbreak of World War II in 1939 severely disrupted BAT's global operations. Below, a timeline spanning from 1723, the year the first two English tobacco companies were founded, to the outbreak of World War II."