American Tobacco Co - National Flags and Arms
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Heraldry of the World Heraldic collector's items catalogue > Heraldic tobacco cards |
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Series information
- Series name : National Flags and Arms
- Issued by: American Tobacco Co
- Date of issue : 1895
- Number of cards : 50
- Image variants : ?
Company
The American Tobacco Company was founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke as a merger between a number of tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company. The American Tobacco Company dominated the industry by acquiring the Lucky Strike Company and over 200 other rival firms in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The company built processing plants and warehouses in Reidsville and Durham in North Carolina. Antitrust action begun in 1907 against the American Tobacco Company, and broke the company in 1911 into several major companies:
- American Tobacco Company
- R. J. Reynolds
- Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company
- Lorillard
The company's share in British American Tobacco (BAT) was sold at the same time. In 1994 BAT acquired its former parent, American Tobacco Company (though reorganized after anti-trust proceedings).
The company issued hundreds of series of cigarette cards. The series National Flags and Arms is the oldest of all heraldic tobacco card series. The reverse of the cards only shows a text, no information on the arms, flags or countries.
Cards issued
For all known cards see here.
Some examples:
 Siam |
 Chile |