Whitbread Set of M25 Maritime Inn Signs 1974

The brewers Whitbread & Co. began issuing their reproductions of Inn Signs in 1951, the last being the 1974 Maritime Series, our Set of the Month for October. Unlike their other series where the card could be collected only at the public house where the sign was depicted – taking a degree of dedication for even hardened drinkers – the Maritime Series cards could be collected in any one of the 700 Whitbread pubs. As Whitbread said at the time “The sea had always been an important part of our heritage and we honour this tradition with a fine set of maritime inn signs befitting an island race”. Among the subjects are “Nelson”, “Shiny Sheff” (HMS Sheffield, now moored on the Thames),“Sir Francis Chichester” (on Plymouth’s Barbican where the round-the-world sailor landed in 1967 and “Gypsy Moth” the name of Chichester’s boat, “the Britannia” (now decommissioned and open to the public at Leaith) with the name spelt incorrectly as Brittania in the text. A terrific set and such exceptional value.

This set of Whitbread M25 Maritime Inn Signs 1975 in Finest Collectable/Mint condition is catalogued at £7.50

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