[Cory]

Is there a summary about the actual brands on the backs that anyone is aware of? I have been searching for information and am finding it somewhat hard to come by. The kind of information that I am looking for would be things like history of the brand, years active, premium or value brand, regional or national distribution, which company did they go with post-breakup, etc.

Presumably piedmont, sweet caporal, and sovereign were both long term national brands given their broad distribution and availability of other cards/memorabilia. I believe Old Mill was primarily a southern brand given their association with southern leaguers and t210s? Polar bear was scrap tobacco? Does that mean chewing, pipe, or roll your own (or any?). I've seen the t206 ads for piedmont, old mill, hindu, but outside of that I can't find any information on Hindu cigarettes (possibly because Hindu is too broad?). I've found Jon Canfield's research on the packs, which is useful, but I'd like a broader understanding of the brands. I've bought several books on Tobacco advertising, Cigarette packs, American Tobacco Co, etc.,and can't seem to find any ads for some of the brands. I have seen El Principe De Gales ads for cigars. I have found lots of stuff on Drummond a cigarette tin, a tobacco pouch, old trade cards, etc. - the predecessor to Drum - a St. Louis brand. I have found an American Beauty tin (no ads so far). I got a partial Tolstoi pack from Jon. Nothing outside of that. I did find a cool old ad for Cycle cigarettes. Nothing for Carolina Brights, Broadleaf, Uzit or Lenox (outside the military cards that sometimes have Uzit or Lenoz backs). Can anybody shed any light on when/where the brands were distributed and how they were positioned? In one of the threads here I thought someone mentioned Uzit only being distributed in New York City for 3 days? Would explain the rarity I suppose.

If there's an old thread direct me to, as I haven't been able to find anything. Thanks for any help.