Before World War II, tobacco companies included trading cards in their cigarette packaging, similar to baseball cards included in some modern packages of bubble gum.
In 1939, Player Cigarettes in Great Britain released a series of 50 cycling cards with the help of Mr “Harry” England, the editor of Cycling (today’s Cycling Weekly).
The series briefly covers the history of cycling, describing early and (then) modern bikes, such as this Light Roadster Bicycle, described as “admirably suitable for the young and middle-aged for riding to work, to the allotment, or to school.”
