SALEM & CAMEL CIGARETTES playing cards RJ Reynolds Tobacco deck 1980s neon logo This is a deck of plastic-coated “Salem” and "Camel" playing cards manufactured by the US Playing Card Company in 1981.  Of note, both decks have been used and show some general wear… Salem is brand of cigarettes introduced in 1956 by the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company as the first filter-tipped menthol cigarette. Its name (along with that of the Winston brand) derives from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the city where RJR was founded and headquartered. In the late 1960s, the brand’s slogan was, “You can take Salem out of the country, but.. .you can’t take the country out of Salem.” For decades Salem was one of the best-selling cigarette brands in the US, but now there are 2 main brands of Salem: Green Label and Black Label… Camel is a brand of cigarettes introduced by RJ Reynolds Tobacco in 1913. Most current Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish and Virginia tobacco. In late 1987, RJR created Joe Camel as the mascot for the brand. In 1991, the AMA published a report stating that 5 and 6 year olds could more easily recognize Joe Camel than Mickey Mouse, Fred Flintstone, Bugs Bunny or even Barbie, which caused RJR to terminate the Joe Camel campaign. In 1997, the Joe Camel campaign was retired and replaced with a more adult campaign…