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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

Since 1887 (Allen & Ginter, Buchner, Kimball, Old Judge, etc.), the initial reason for inserting a BB (or Non-Sports)
card in a cigarette pack was for stiffening of the pack. Prior to these premiums, cigarette packs simply had plain
cardboard in them for this purpose. The 19th Century BB cards were printed on thick cardboard. The early 20th
Century cards (T206's, etc.) on thinner cardboard; therefore, 2 or more cards could be found in a cigarette pack.
The advertising information printed on the backs of these cards was strictly controlled (T-brand, Factory and Dis-
trict designation, etc.). There was a Federal Tobacco law governing this.

The DRUM backed cards were part of a series (which included American Beauty, Broad Leaf and Cycle), designed
by American Lithographic and marketed starting in the Summer of 1910. The American Beauty and Cycle brands
were quite available. Broad Leaf, and especially the DRUM cigarette brands, saw very limited marketing towards
the Fall/Winter of 1910. My theory explaining this....was due to the impending break-up of the American Tobacco
Co. in 1911.

Shown here are the backs of these four T-brands....note the similarity of the design and the fact that all 4 cigar-
ette brands were manufactured in Richmond....Factory 25, 2nd District, VA .




Contrary to the fact that no DRUM cigarette packs has been found, the DRUM backed T206's were indeed inserted
as stiffeners for the typical 10-cigarette (slide & shell) packs.


TED Z