BRITISH VINTAGE BOXING

TRADING CARDS

​

Rebooting an old-school tradition

​

 

​

The origin of the trading card traces back to the late 1800’s when British and American companies used the printed ‘trade card’ to simultaneously stiffen and protect paper packs of cigarettes and to advertise the product. By 1890 lithograph pictures emerged, depicting an array of topics from sports to nature, anything that appealed to men who smoked (just about all of them!) By the turn of the century hundreds of tobacco companies printed thousands of card sets, boxing being a popular topic among them. In Britain companies like Churchman and Turf cigarettes produced collectable cards of boxing heroes, traded between the everyman over a cup of tea, a social currency that brought people together in lively banter. The advent of WW2 and limited paper resources put an end to cigarette card production, but the trading card would live on and resurface again in chewing gum packets.

 

To celebrate this forgotten pastime we've partnered with talented British artist Jake Smithies to produce 12 limited edition trading cards depicting a selection of British boxing legends from the first half of last century (1900-1960). In total 1188 cards have been minted, with one added to every purchase. A further 75 extra special edition Henry Cooper cards have been produced and will also be given out at random.

 

In keeping with tradition, you'll be able to trade cards via BVB's Instagram account @britishvintageboxing.  On the 2nd day of each month starting from January 2022 we'll upload a 'trading' post to facilitate exchanges. Keep your eyes peeled and get trading!

​

​

THE 12 TRADING CARDS TO COLLECT

​

⁠