I spend a lot of time arguing with the wrestling/boxing collectors on this forum, so I figured that I should start an interesting thread that we can all enjoy!
These two arrived today from England:
And the backs:
Sorry for the large images! I was going to shrink them at first, but then thought that these larger images actually show more detail. You can actually see how fragile they are. The front surfaces are very flimsy, and you can see how easily they can chip/crack. There are lots of scratches on them as well!
Anyways, so these two cards are very rare and very little is known about this set. According to my research, Frank Crozier was the first black champion of the world. However, he lost to the Indian champion Buttan Singh around 1910. Based on this record, it is assumed these cards were issued around this year. Otherwise, nothing else is known about them! Nobody seems to know what other cards were included in this set. I find that very odd because the British folks have done an excellent job at organizing all their tobacco cards from this era and have even written numerous books about them.
Is there anyone here who owns these cards or can tell me more about this set?