It is very rare to come across an unopened pack and this set still has the original paper seal. Sealing on pack states "the seller is to cancel the stamp by writing in ink or printing his name upon it. Penalty for omission £5. Duty three pence."
MArdon, Son & Hall of Bristol (the printers and packers) were acquired by the Imperial Tobacco Company and became responsible for the production of most of their cigarette cards. During the early 1930s they also became involved in the manufacture of playing cards - both patience and standard sizes - for the 'Wills Scheme'. The big tobacco companies were wooing the public with free gifts. Wills, of Imperial Tobacco, tucked two miniature cards into every packet of ten Goldflake or Capstan cigarettes, and each complete set posted to Wills's Bristol establishment entitled the sender to a pack of normal sized cards. These packs often had attractive pictorial back designs.
John Waddington manufactured a large proportion of the full-sized packs, and De la Rue also produced a certain number, and the scheme enabled the firms to thrive at a time of severe economic downturn. The market became saturated with playing cards during the early to mid-1930s as a result of this scheme.
