Music On Cigarette Cards & Liebig Cards

I've been collecting and selling early collectors cards and cigarette cards for over twenty years. Before you read this guide please subscribe to my card collecting newsletters for updates on rare cards and tips on buying by Clicking Here, thank you.

Although cigarette cards were issued on many subjects from the 1870s-1930s, I feel that the popular music of the time was neglected. One of the cigarette card sets to defy the trend was "Dance Band Leaders", issued in 1936 by Lambert & Butler. This set included Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Billy Cotton, Henry Hall and many more. Duke Ellington also features in "A Gallery of 1934", issued by Stephen Mitchell. Liebig produced a prolific number of beautifully illustrated trading card sets relating to opera and classical music.

I've listed a small selection of the more unusual and rare card sets that I've come across in my six years of dealing on eBay. I've provided scans of a sample card from each set and tried to include all card titles.

Name Of Set: Silhouettes of German Artists S684

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1901

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Giuseppe Verdi S717

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1902

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: The Marriage of Figaro ( Opera ) (S828)

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1905

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: The Life of Mozart S856

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1906

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Richard Wagner

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1913

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Musical Celebrities, Second Series

Manufacturer: WD and HO Wills

Issue Year: 1914

Card Number: 50

Card Titles: Palestrina, Purcell, Auber, Bishop, Meyerbeer, Balfe, Berlioz, Macfarren, Sterndale Bennett, Boccherini, Rubinstein, Barnby, Edward Lloyd, Sir Alex Mackenzie, Sir Frederick Bridge, Sir Hubert Parry, Vladmir De Pachmann, Sir Frederick Cowen, Thomas Moore, Giuseppe Verdi, Watkin Mills, Ben Davies, Sigr Leoncavallo, Sigr Mascagni, Sir J. Stainer, Massenet, H. Plunket Greene, Jean Sibelius, F. Busoni, Granville Bantock, Madame Antionette Sterling, Leonard Borwick, Madame Lisa Lehmann, L. Godowski, Thomas Beecham, Landon Ronald, Moritz Moszkowski, Coleridge Taylor, Pablo Casals, Madame Agnes Nicholls, Jean Gerardy, Madame Kirby Lunn, Joseph Holbrooke, Madame Ada Crossley, Jan Kubelik, Madame C. Chaminade, Dr A. Somervell, John McCormack, Madame Marie Hall, and Mischa Elman.

Name Of Set: Musical Instruments

Manufacturer: Edward Ringer

Issue Year: 1924

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Accordion, Highland Bag Pipe, Banjo, Bombardon, Concertina, Cornet, Side Drum, Dulcimer, Flute, Pedal Harp, Harpsichord, French Horn, Lute,Madoline, Oboe, Pipe Organ, Grand Pianoforte, Upright Pianoforte, Saxophone, Spinet, Slide Trombone, Trumpet, Viola Da Gamba, Violin, and Violoncello.

Name Of Set: Beethoven I (S1203)

Manufacturer: Liebig Extract of Meat Co

Issue Year: 1928

Card Number: 6

Card Titles: -

Name Of Set: Dance Band Leaders

Manufacturer: Lambert and Butler

Issue Year: 1936

Card Number: 25

Card Titles: Ambrose, Cab Calloway, Billy Cotton, Duke Ellington, Roy Fox, Geraldo, Carroll Gibbons, Nat Gonella, Henry Hall, Jack Hylton, Jack Jackson, Charlie Kunz, Sydney Kyte, Brian Lawrence, Syd Lipton, Joe Loss, Ray Noble, Jack Payne, Lou Preager, Harry Roy, Debroy Somers, Lew Stone , Rudy Valee, Paul Whiteman, and Maurice Winnick.