Major Drapkin were the manufacturers of
Greys Cigarettes.
David Pipes says: Hello John, I
recently acquired these two cigarette
cards. The cards were issued in 1930
by Major Drapkin & Co of London under
the title of “Sporting Celebrities In
Action”. These are the only two
speedway riders featured in this set.
Card no. 18 depicting Sir Henry
Segrave was withdrawn soon after the
initial issue following his tragic
death on 13 June 1930 whilst
attempting the water speed record on
Lake Windermere in his motor boat
“Miss England 2”.
Card 1 Cyclone Billy Lamont
Card 2 Sprouts Elder
A pity that Major Drapkin only had room
for 2 speedway riders in their series of 36 cards. I can
accept however that they were reaching out to a larger sporting
public and speedway has always been a minority sport when compared
to football, cricket etc
