Highest value set in the auction is lot 202, Duke's 50 Actors and Actresses Series 1 dating from 1890 (£600). In fact the series' full title is "Portraits of Our Leading Actors & Actresses in the Costumes of All Nations from 600 BC to the Present Time" a fair enough description of the contents, with colourful head and shoulders pictures of the likes of Henry Irving and Lillie Langtry. Another set whose title is perhaps a little less than accurate is Hudden's 25 Flags of All Nations (lot 109, £300). Apart from the fact that "all" nations are not represented, each features arms and two flags, for example, the United States' card has the President's flag and the Navy flag either side of the country's arms. Next a Taddy's set 25 Territorial Regiments(lot 22, £530) featuring soldiers in uniform and the regimental colour, with its history and details of personnel at the time of issue, 1908. From around the same period is Ogden's 50 Owners Racing Colours and Jockeys (lot 110, £140) picturing riders such as Mornington Cannon in the Duke of Westminster's colours, William Griggs in Lord Rosebery's etc. Moving on to the World War I period you will find Gallaher's 100 The Great War 1st Series at lot 294 (£230) showing a sanitized version of warfare rather than its realities, and Fry's 1918 blue back set of 50 Tricks and Puzzles with non-p.c. titles such as "Mr Roly Poly" and "the Little Niggers" (378, £180). Note also the Walker, Harrison & Garthwaite Dogs cards (lot 272, £240) and the nine Cope's Liverpool Footballers (201, £150).

Lot 22

Lot 378

Player's sets issued overseas rather than in the UK are none too plentiful these days, so we can welcome their 25 "Bonzo" Dogs (1923) featuring cartoons by G.E.Studdy at lot 387 (£115) and their 50 Butterflies (Girls), the lepidoptera looking like fairies with girls bodies (lot 7, £250) with 40 of the same in a larger format by B.A.T to be found at lot 391 (£120). July being a prime month for a summer vacation, what about a trip to the Emerald Isle see Wills' 25 Irish Holiday Resorts (lot 108, £90) which came out eighty years ago or see what Thailand looked like 80 years ago with B.A.T's (Eagle Bird) 50 Views of Siam 1928 (lot 9, £150). Nearer to home, another popular holiday destination, the Channel Islands, was where lot 197 was issued in 1939. It is Player's Types of Horses (£115), distinguishable from the commoner UK printing because it does not include the Imperial Tobacco Company clause on the back. Among these fine beasts is "Bahram", the 1935 Derby winner, and the famous annual race is the subject of lot 103, Ogden's 50 Derby Entrants 1929 (£110), the same year that Godfrey Phillips showed collectors How To Build a Two Valve Set (lot 120, £65), alas before the days of live race commentaries. Finally in this category, pre-war issues, we have109 out of 110 cards from Ardath's Football Clubs of London & Southern Counties with team pictures of big clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea, but also the "minnows" – works' teams and the like, as they were in 1936.

Lot 7

Lot 387

Continuing the football theme, this time 1950, we have 17 of Godfrey Phillip's Footballers paper Sports package issue at lot 171 (£120). Just a year later, Guinness came out with their "Guinness for Strength" poster postcards (lot 268, £75). 1953 was Coronation Year, celebrated by Moorcroft Tobacco with a set of 30 The New Elizabethan Age (lot 28, £55) Then in 1957 Thomson issued a series of 64 County Cricketers and there's a complete set at lot 111 (£160), and it was also Thomson who issued the set of Cup Tie Stars of All Nations (1962) which features at lot 172 with its special wallet (£60). Other sports series from the 1960s include the Avon Rubber Co.'s Leading Riders (Motor Cyclists) of 1963 (lot 121, £60) and A & BC's Football Team Pennants of which there are seventeen at lot 80 (£90). A & BC again, this time the 1964 set L50 Top Stars of which card nos. 1 to 22 feature the Beatles (lot 2, £190) and there's a special treat for Doctor Who fans with Cadet's 50 Doctor Who and the Daleks from 1965 at lot 20 (£150) as well as three Doctor Who Autograph Cards at lots 407 to 409 and the Strictly Ink LT12 Doctor Who Big Screen gold foil set at lot 399. A trip down memory lane to the 1970s would include Whitbread's M25 Inn Signs Kent (lot 23, £160), Topps LT66 Planet of The Apes (lot 182, £100), the 43 out of 50 Bassett's Cricket 2nd Series (12, £150) and Weetabix L18 Star Trek (37, £70). Star Trek fans should also check out lot 305. There are several lots of scarce recent football cards, among them the 4-card Topps Premier Gold Star Players silver issue (lot 42), the 1999 Manchester United, Chelsea and Celtic football sets with their special albums (lots 88-90) and at lot 398, Merlin's LT20 Premier Gold 99 football foil team badges. Brooke Bond collectors will not be disappointed as they have their own section at lots 216 to 245 where they will find scarce sets (Wild Flowers 1st, Birds Portraits), albums, order forms, errors and varieties, an advert card, Place The Face Bingo, Scratch and See, USA cards etc.

Lots 2 & 20

Lot 37

There's a real bonanza of individual cards spread throughout the auction. In the first group (lots 44 to 77) is a Smith's 1914 Everton Footballer, Taddy Native (55), Barratt Famous Cricketer 1934, a Wills' Miniature Oval Medallion and a B.A.T Chinese/English Dictionary card. Among lots 134 to 166 are Naval and Military Phrases cards by both Cohen Weenen and Fryer, a Hill's Famous Cricketer 1912, Wills' 1901 Cricketer, three scarce Whitbreads, Anglo New James Bond and a Daniel Colonial Troops. Lots 246 to 265 include a Smith's Tour Round The World proof card, an extra-large Kensitas Flower, Pinnace Cricketer and a Thomson's Top Cup Team Rangers, whilst in the final batch (lots 313 to 338) are an Allen & Ginter Parasol Drill (lot 314), Pattreiouex Photographic Footballers FB and FC, Pascall Boy Scouts (lot 326), a Mayo Actresses, a Phillips large Cricketer and unrecorded pre-war weight ticket cards by British Home Stores and Woolworths (described in "Discoveries" July Card Collectors News magazine).

Lot 314

Some of the more unusual items are a mock up proof card of CBS Ltd Glamorgan Cricketers (259), the Playboy Nude Centrefolds (lot 39), an A & BC 1970 World Cup Poster (44), inserts (51 to 54), a Kensitas Flowers Leaflet listing 1st and 2nd Series (77), pre-war British cigarette packets (82 to 86), wrappers and packets (167-169 and 290), a ‘London' 1000-card album (87), Wills' corner-slot albums (270), empty special albums (355 to 358), coloured Guinea Golds (100), errors and varieties (339 to 350) and magazines from the 1940s and 1950s. Also as well as the Doctor Who cards already mentioned there is a single foil card issued by Cornerstone of The Master at lot 415.

Lot 415