How to start collecting cigarette and trade cards

What you need to know

Choose a few intact cards

Start with two or three loose cards you own or can borrow, preferably sharing a printed series title or subject. No tobacco purchase is needed.

Set up a clean table

Wash and dry your hands, clear away food and drink, and bring a notebook, pencil, and ruler. A magnifier is optional.

Prepare separate enclosures

Have supportive acid- and lignin-free folders or suitable polyester sleeves that fit without bending corners, plus a box for flat storage.

Cartophily is card collecting. Start with a few illustrated cigarette or trade cards, including cards once issued with tea or confectionery. Choose a subject you enjoy.

Check which series you have

Inspect fronts and backs one card at a time. Copy the issuer, series title, number if present, subject, reverse wording or design, and dimensions. A similar picture alone cannot establish that two cards belong to the same issue.

Search the free Cartophilic Society index by issuer, then title. Compare both sides with its example. The index covers featured sets, not every issue. If the reverse or size differs, keep the match tentative. A catalogue match cannot authenticate a physical card.

Copy a printed date literally; cite the source for any researched issue date. Keep reprints separate in your records. If you have no cards, use the index to prepare a reference-only want list, without marking scans as owned.

Make a checklist and protect the cards

Label the list with issuer, series, and supported issue or variant. Add verified numbers and subjects, marked owned, borrowed, duplicate, or wanted. Use the subject if there is no number. Leave set size unknown until a source confirms it.

Note acquisition source, price paid, and visible defects such as a creased corner. Use the Society’s grading guide to describe condition, without assigning a professional grade. Photograph both sides.

Write on enclosures, never cards. Store each intact card in a fitting folder or sleeve, flat in a box away from damp, heat, leaks, and strong light. The Library of Congress paper guide explains suitable materials. Do not tape, glue, laminate, or peel a card from an album. Ask a conservator about stuck or flaking cards.

After checking your first series, choose one useful next card. Request front and back photos and set a total spending limit, including postage, before buying.