Cigarette and tobacco premiums grew in popularity in the early 1900s. Companies inserted gifts in packs of cigarette or included coupons to redeem for presents such as baseball cards, card mounts (cabinet cards), silks, novelty leathers, and "blankets."

Here is an example of a gift slip that was included with a pack of Turkish Trophies and Helmar Cigarettes. The 4" x 5" gift-slips were good for one cents in cash, or returned for presents that were listed on the back.
 
  Baseball Cards are and were the most popular tobacco premium. It all began with the images of baseball players on cards sold with tobacco products in the 1880s through WWII when the baseball card industry took on a life of its own with the increasing popularity of the cards as collectibles. As Baseball became more popular tobacco advertisers sought after the endorsements of Baseball players to help sell their products in printed ads.

Inserted into the Piedmont and Sweet Caporal brands of cigarettes in 1909, the T206 Honus Wagner card is the Holy Grail for baseball card collectors. Because Wagner hated cigarettes, or didn't want other people profiting from his image, he demanded that the American Tobacco Company pull his card from circulation.

The result being only about 60 known cards survived of the estimated 200 made, though the exact number is not known.

 Pictures of "Baseball Men" More Sought After Than Gold-The Small Boys Greatest Desire is to Secure Pictures of Ty Cobb and Hans Wagner.

 As advertised above in the weekly newspaper Sporting Life, the T206 tobacco cards featured "handsomely lithographed pictures in color of famous professional baseball players in the major leagues." The campaign was a success but created a huge problem in attracting the interest of young boys.

 A 1909 newspaper reported that boys had been a nuisance by stopping men as they walked along the street begging for "baseball men." Congregants of small boys gathered around the cigarette stand or shops, and not allow the patron that purchased a pack of cigarettes to leave until the picture was forced from him.

Designated P2 by the American Card Catalog, the American Tobacco Company produced a series of baseball player pins, from 1910 through 1912, to promote their Sweet Caporal brand of cigarettes. The sepia-colored Set features 152 different players, with the team name across the top of the pin and the player's last name on the bottom.

Added variations which includes: Fifty pins with the player's and team name are printed in larger letters, Roger Bresnahan - "Open Mouth," BobbyWallace - "No Cap," Cy Young - "Old Young," and George Mullen black hat, also spelled correctly "Mullin" with a white cap (L), brings the total to 205 pins. The back of the pin has a paper insert advertisement of Sweet Caporal Cigarettes.

The 1910 Hassan Cigarettes Baseball Comic Premium Pinback buttons, feature artwork by cartoonist Bud Fisher of Mutt and Jeff fame. These small 7/8 inch lapel pins, made with a paper print covered with celluloid were given away free as premiums with packs of cigarettes. All the pins are opened back and have paper inserts advertising Hassan cigarettes.

Some pins can also be found with a paper ad for the manufacture Whitehead & Hoag Co., without any reference to a tobacco brand. The tobacco companies that issued the pins included; Sweet Caporal, and Tokio cigarettes.

 The 1910-1911 T3 Turkey Red Baseball cards are a popular issue among tobacco card collectors. The Turkey Red cards and satins, though issued by the American Tobacco Company, were closely related to the Turkish Trophies premiums, with both sharing the same images of the ballplayers. The T3 set had 100 baseball cards measuring 5.75" by 8" and were

designed as card mounts or faux cabinet cards. The cards were ordered by number, and given out for 25 gift slips from Old Mill or Fez cigarettes, or 10 gift slips from Turkey Red cigarettes.

From 1912 to 1914 these 10” x 12” natural hide shape novelty leathers were made available through a special mail in offer One gift slip was included with a pack of Turkish Trophies and Helmar Cigarettes.

The gift-slips were good for one cents in cash, or returned for presents that were listed on the back. For a return of 35 gift Slips you received one leather, which were made to be used as "wonderful novelties for home decoration." Twenty of the 25 drawings are the same used for the T3 Turkey Red series issued in 1911.

Also Issued as a special premium by Helmar Turkish Trophy cigarettes in 1911, the S81 satin collection was part of the very same promotion that produced the T3 Turkey Red cabinet card set and the distinctive L1 novelty leathers described above.

 As listed on the gift-slip at the top of this page, one silk, "design on satin," could be obtained by mail in exchange for 20 gift-slips, which were packed one per package with Helmar Turkish Trophy Cigarettes. Of the 25 baseball players listed, 16 were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 This is a 1912 S110 Pillowcase Tobacco Premium with a baseball motif. These silk pillowcase premiums could be obtained only by mail in exchange for 100 gift slips packaged with Helmar and Turkey Red Tobacco. This pillowcase features Christy Mathewson in the center surrounded by Walter Johnson, "Home Run" Baker, Ty Cobb, and Tris Speaker.

 The illustrations of the ballplayers are identical to those used in the S81 premium silk set, almost identical to those used in the T3 Turkey Red set and the rare L1 Leather set, all of which were part of this same promotion. The pillowcase was the ultimate prize of the promotion, requiring the most coupons in exchange.

The "Fan for A Fan" cardboard baseball fans were produced by the American Tobacco Company as a premium, free with the purchase of a 5 cents sack of Bull Durham Smoking tobacco. The brief three month promotion only lasted from about June through August of 1913, resulting in one of the rarest collectibles in the hobby today.

 There were five fans with the likeness of Famous Players featured on the "Fan For A Fan" premiums, which included; Frank 'Home Run' Baker, Hal Chase, Ty Cobb, Larry Doyle, and Christy Mathewson. Each 7.25" diameter fan features a color portrait of the respective player set against a baseball design with the heading "A Fan For A Fan" at the top.

In 1914 Egyptienne Straights Cigarettes (American Tobacco Company) issued 5.25 inch square felt blankets, folded into fourths and fastened to a tobacco product. Known as B18 felt blankets the set consists of 90 players representing 10 major league teams.

 The felts feature an infield basepath design framed around a ballplayer, flanked by two pennants. The pennant to the left features the team, to the right the league. Each corner of the felt features an Icon Baseball, catchers mask, baseball Glove, and crossed bats.

The felts were collected and sewn together to make a large blanket, and sometimes show up with stitch holes along the boarder being disassembled from a blanket. Flaws also include frying, trimming, or bleeding of colors.

  The first world war brought paper rationing in the United States and across the world, causing cards of all kinds to disappear for quite a while, with the exception of a few regional issues. In 1932 the Fendrich Cigar Co. issued a standard postcard featuring a glossy black & white photo of a Chicago Cubs player on the front, with a typical postcard back.

 The back also included an advertisement for Charles Denby 5¢ Cigars "Mild - For Men Who Like To Inhale." This set would be the last major tobacco card issue produced before the second world war.

Through the 1930s and 1940s bubble gum companies pretty much took over the premium baseball card issues, but until Bowman revitalized the industry again in the late 1940s, few cards were being printed by anyone.

In 1952 Red Man Tobacco issued the first national tobacco set since the pre-WWI era. For just 20¢ you got a pouch of Red Man tobacco and a baseball card with a tab attached to it. These tabs were redeemable and for 50 tabs you received for a free baseball cap from Red Man Tobacco.

The Continental Cigar Company, makers of Bat Cigars ran a 1960 Louisville Slugger baseball bat promotion. For only $2.00, and two empty Bat cigar 5-paks, you had your choice of a Louisville Slugger Softball or Little League baseball bat.

Each 5-pak of Bat Cigars had an order form for the Louisville Slugger offer on the back. Matchbooks were distributed that featured the promotion, and reads; "Get Famous, Louisville Slugger * Softball or Little League, Baseball Bats, for Your Son - Nephew -Grandson - Or For Your Own Team No Limit, - Pick Up A Bat 5-Pak For, Further Details."

  Phillies Cigars ran a Mickey Mantle Rawlngs Baseball glove promotion in 1964. The Mickey Mantle Rawlings "Big Leaguer" youth baseball glove which retailed for $6.95 was made available for only $3.39 with 20 Phillies cigar bands. You also received a color Photo of Mickey Mantle, along with a thank you letter.

 The Offer was also available on the back of Phillies Cigars 5 packs. Life Magazine published a two page advertisement featuring Mickey Mantle, and his son. One page pictured Mickey Mantle, and on the opposite page pictured  with missing teeth, Mickey Mantle Jr.