1912 Player's Ship Figurehead Card # 7 "Royal Albert" (VG/EX)

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1912 Player's Ship Figurehead Trading Cards

Ship figureheads have a long history embodying religion, symbolism and superstition.

The ancient seafaring civilizations all had figureheads on their vessels. The Egyptians mounted figures of holy birds to provide protection and vision. The Phoenicians featured horse heads symbolizing swiftness. The Romans and Greeks carved wolf or boar heads representing ferocity.

These were often mounted on, or carved directly onto, the most forward part of the ship’s bow (front) – forming an extension of the keel (primary structure).

In the 8th century, Viking longships displayed dragons and serpents. The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of William of Normandy’s conquest of England in 1066 and shows the invading ships with figureheads of lions and dragons. By the 13th century, it was popular in Northern Europe to feature a swan, signifying grace and mobility.

Naval Figureheads

As the design of sailing ships evolved over the next three centuries, hulls got bigger; ships became fully rigged with many sails and carried more cannon.

These naval galleons, whose figureheads were often carved animals or heraldic devices, were the basis of England’s rise as a great maritime power.

Warships with over 100 guns (‘first rate ships’) were often highly decorated at bow (front) and stern (back) with a baroque riot of gilded carvings, including wreaths and the royal coat of arms. They were not just fighting ships, but symbols of power.

By around 1700, the decoration of naval vessels had reached its peak and the Royal Navy began restricting such ornamentation.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the lion was the standard figurehead for lower-ranking Royal Navy warships. It symbolised power, speed and aggression.

Lion figureheads went out of fashion towards the end of the 18th century. They were replaced by full-length human forms, especially classical or mythological figures and, as many sailors could not read, often represented the name of the ship.

In 1796, the Admiralty tried to abolish figureheads altogether on new ships, but the order was not wholly complied with – many sailors felt a ship without a figurehead would be an unlucky vessel.

The age of wooden warships reached a peak in the late 18th/ early 19th century, culminating in the Napoleonic Wars (1803 to 1815), after which time many fighting ships were gradually laid up or scrapped.

The figurehead of HMS Arethusa, a 50-gun Royal Navy frigate, was carved by the long-established firm, James Hellyer & Sons of London and Portsmouth. They were ships’ carvers to the Admiralty and also carved the figurehead for HMS Warrior. The majority of figureheads over the centuries were created by unknown craftsmen.

Such figures, baring one or both breasts, had been popular in both merchant and naval ships. Sailors’ superstitions viewed women on board ship as unlucky, but a semi-naked sculpted female form was believed to calm storms at sea.

The ship was decommissioned in 1874 and loaned by the Admiralty to a charity as a training ship for destitute boys.

Following the discovery in 1929 that the ship was rotten and leaking, it was broken up. The figurehead was retained by the charity (now Shaftsbury Young People) who displayed it at their premises in Lower Upnor. It remains there today, and can be seen from the public highway.

In the 19th century, as the technology of ships developed from sail and wood to steam and iron, the bowsprit started to disappear and with it the figurehead under which it had traditionally been placed.

The last Royal Navy ship with a figurehead was the HMS Espiegle. L’Espiegle means frolicsome and the carved figurehead woman wore jewel-encrusted bangles and a masquerade mask. The ship was broken up in 1923 and the figurehead put on display at the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

The 1912 Player's Ship Figurehead set consists of 25 cards approximately 1-3/8" x 2-5/8". The front of the cards display the Figurehead in full color surrounded by a white border. The back of the cards give a full description of the figurehead and a little history about it.

How We Grade:

Gem Mint (GMT): (10.0) A flawless card. To be in Gem Mint condition, a card’s borders must have a ratio of 50/50 side to side and top to bottom. 

Mint (MT): (9.0-9.5) A perfect card. Well-centered with parallel borders which appear equal to the naked eye. Four sharp, square corners. No creases, edge dents, surface scratches, paper flaws, loss of luster, yellowing or fading, regardless of age. No imperfectly printed cards – out of register, badly cut or ink flawed – or card stained by contact with gum, wax or other substances can be considered truly Mint, even if new out of the pack. Generally, to be considered in Mint condition, a card’s borders must exist in a ratio of 60/40 side to side and top to bottom. 

Near Mint/Mint (NM/MT): (8.0-8.5) A super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may exhibit a very slight wax stain on reverse, slight fraying at one or two corners, or a minor printing imperfection. Centering must be app. 65/35 to 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse. 

Near Mint (NM): (7.0-7.5) A nearly perfect card at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may have slight surface wear, slight fraying on some corners, slightly out-of-register picture focus, a minor printing blemish or slight wax stain on reverse. Centering must be 70/30 to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent/Near Mint (EX/NM): (6.0-6.5) Card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect. A very light scratch. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. Card may have minor wax stain on reverse, may have very slight nothing on edges. Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent (EX): (5.0-5.5) Corners are still fairly sharp with only moderate wear. Card borders may be off center as much as 85/15. No creases. May have very minor gum, wax or product stains, front or back. Surfaces may show slight loss of luster from rubbing across other cards. Dark bordered cards may have one or two small nicks.

Very Good/Excellent (VG/EX): (4.0-4.5) Shows obvious handling, but still looks nice. Corners may be rounded or have minor creases. No major creases, tape marks or extraneous markings or writing. Surfaces does exhibit loss of luster, but the printing is intact. May have paper wrinkles. May show major gum, wax or other packaging stains. All four borders visible, though the ratio may be as poor as 95/5. Exhibits honest wear. 

Very Good (VG): (3.0-3.5) A well-worn card, but exhibits no intentional damage or abuse. May be “Mis-cut or Off-Center” with no border visible. May have major or multiple creases, however, creases are not so deep as to show the underlying paper. This card is completely readable, has not been written on, and has no tape marks or holes. Corner rounding may extend well beyond the border. 

Good (GD) (2.0-2.5) Shows excessive wear, along with damage or abuse. Will show all the wear characteristics of a Very Good card, along with such damage as thumb tack holes in or near margins, evidence of having been taped or pasted, perhaps small tears around the edges or creases so heavily as to break the cardboard. Backs may show minor added pen or pencil writing or be missing small bits of paper. Still basically a complete card. 

Poor (P): (1.0-1.5) A card that has been tortured to death. Corners or other areas may be torn off. Card may have been trimmed, show holes from a paper punch or have been used for BB gun practice. Front may have extraneous pen or pencil writing, or other defacement. Major portions of front or back design may be missing. Not a pretty sight. 

We believe that all our listings are 100% Original and Authentic unless otherwise noted. They are all covered by a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, if for whatever reason you are not happy with your purchase we will exchange it, replace it, discount it or you can return it for a full refund.

Standard/Combined 1st Class Shipping via USPS is $3.95 for the first card and $0.15 for each additional card, with a max. of (40) items per invoice. Subject to change as postal rates continue to increase. Estimated delivery is 3-5 days. Subject to change as postal delivery schedules continue to increase. Please see shipping tab for current postage rates. All cards will ship in penny sleeves, top loaders, team bag & bubble wrap envelopes.

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