The Beginning: Allen and Ginter Tobacco Co

Submitted by admin on Friday, 24 July 2009No Comment

The Beginning: Allen and Ginter Tobacco Co In 1875, John Allen and Lewis Ginter started a tobacco company in Richmond, Virginia. The company combined both of the owner's last names - Allen and Ginter. The duo decided to market Allen and Ginter cigarettes by coupling them with trading cards to help boost sales. And thus the first of set of vintage tobacco cards was born. The cards were a hit, and people soon began collecting and trading Allen and Ginter tobacco cards - which up until that point has never been done before. Cap Anson, Jack Glasscock, Charles Comiskey, and Buffalo Bill were among those featured in the series.

There was also a prize offered for the invention of a cigarette rolling machine. Up to then, they were always rolled by hand. This prize was won by James Albert Bonsack in 1880/81. It was unreliable, so only one large tobacco maker bought the machine. But it was bought by James Buchanan Duke in 1885, who found much success with it. He managed to consolidate his four main sources of competition, Allen and Ginter included, forming the American Tobacco Company. Though the Allen & Ginter Company no longer existed, Lewis Ginter was on the American Tobacco Company's board.

Allen & Ginter's cigarette brands included Virginia Brights, Perfection, Richmond Gems, Little Beauties, and Dandies.