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Searching for the old lighthouse cigarette cards is something that many lighthouse collectors do on a regular basis. They are getting harder and harder to find but they do show up on auction sites, at flea markets and sometimes garage sales. If you have ever visited the Lighthouse Depot Lighthouse Museum in Wells, Maine or the Shore Village Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, Maine, you will have seen full sets of the old cigarette cards on display.
Doral cigarettes, a leading brand from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, is now revitalizing the tradition of cigarette cards, a popular trend introduced around the world in the late 1800’s.
However, very few cigarette cards have been issued since World War II and most collectors thought that none would ever be produced again. According to David Grimes, a full time cartophily expert who specializes in collectible cigarette cards, “the introduction of Doral’s cigarette cards will stimulate the hobby”.
The”Celebrate America Collector Cards” series, featuring all 50 states, is now appearing in select packages of Doral cigarettes. The series is split into two sets, with each showcasing 25 states. The second set of the series will be available shortly. The cards feature well-known state landmarks and have no cigarette brand names, logo, or other advertising on them.
This new set of cards only features a lighthouse on three of the fifty state cards. They are: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina; Eastern Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts; and New Haven Light (a/k/a Five Mile Point Light), Ct.
Cigarette cards were initially introduced as a means of stiffening paper cigarette packs. The cards quickly caught the attention of collectors and created a popular hobby known as cartophily - the hobby of collecting cigarette, tobacco and trade cards.
Cartophily bloomed in the early part of the 20th century as cartophily shops and clubs were formed to support the popular pastime. Collectors searched, bought and traded feverishly to obtain and maintain full sets.
On the reverse side of each Doral “States” card there is a brief history of each state, which includes the state capital, state bird, state flower, state tree and state song.
This story appeared in the
April 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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