The first tobacco premium on display is from 1910 (104 years old this year!) and are single silks given as premiums with Egyptienne Luxury cigarettes. These were part of the College and University Seals series and measure approximately 1.75″ x 3 1/8″. I have several of these, and are the most inexpensive tobacco premium available. The material is a silk fabric that is deep purple with gold thread.
[all images can be clicked to view the amazing details]
The existence of these premiums is one reason why I find it so important to differentiate between the John Finley Seal and the Seymour Seal; all of these have the John Finley Seal.
Also in 1910 (and a couple of years after) the American Cigarette Company gave away tobacco leathers when you bought a pack of cigarettes from mainly 4 brands of cigarettes; Mogul, Murad, Egyptienne Straights and Turkey Red. There are several different types and styles, but they all are on very soft leather that measures approximately 2″ by 2.5″. All of the leather is dyed a rich purple color with varying colors of a foil used for printing.
This is an oddity in this series. It is the only pennant shaped leather, and it has a nice border around it. It is a darker purple than the rest and it has a silver foil. I have only ever seen one of these for sale on eBay (and I was lucky enough to win it).
The only difference between these two leathers is the border around the right one. That border is original and was found on many of the leathers, not just the Knox leathers.
The main difference between these two leathers is the landscape (left) versus portrait (right) orientation of the leather. The scanner created more of a difference in color than really exists.
These two banners really do have a color difference, but I think it is age, not intentional. I have seen some leathers where the foil is completely or almost completely worn off.
Finally, the most fancy version of the leathers. These two are very different from all the rest. The impression of the seal was made with a wavy border and the name of the school is in a script font. Also, and this is very odd, the right one is the only Knox seal that is printed with silver instead of gold. The right one is rather uncommon and I will see 3 of left one to every 1 of the right one.
The silks and leathers are fairly common on eBay and usually sell for less than $10 each. Occasionally someone will be selling a couple together, but usually they are for sale as singletons. Sometimes they will have holes punched in them, where someone used them to cover something else, or sewn them onto other materials. I have never purchased any of those damaged leathers.
There is a lot of information available on Tobacco Premiums online. http://cigarhistory.info/Site/Premiums.html is the site I used the most when researching these items. All of the other sites had the same information. The next post will be some of the more uncommon Tobacco Premiums that were Knox branded.
http://cigarhistory.info/Premiums/Silks_and_Satins.html
http://cigarhistory.info/Premiums/Leathers.html