Product Description

The "Wills's Cigarettes: The World's Dreadnoughts" card series was a highly popular set produced by the British tobacco company W.D. & H.O. Wills in the early 20th century. These collectible cards were part of cigarette packs and featured detailed illustrations of famous battleships, known as dreadnoughts, from various nations around the world. Dreadnoughts were powerful battleships that revolutionized naval warfare in the early 1900s due to their heavy armor and long-range artillery, named after the British HMS Dreadnought, launched in 1906.

The card set, typically issued between 1910 and 1916, aimed to capture the global arms race and naval power politics leading up to and during World War I. Each card highlighted a specific dreadnought or battleship, showcasing technical details like tonnage, speed, armament, and the country of origin. The back of each card provided fascinating facts and background information about the ship depicted on the front.

These cards became treasured among collectors, admired for their craftsmanship and educational value, reflecting both the technological advancements of the era and the growing interest in naval militarism. Today, they are sought-after memorabilia for enthusiasts of naval history and vintage tobacco cards