This weeks item of the week is this rather superb and very rare, hills campaigner cigarette packet. From the rare company R&J hill London.
company history
In 1775 the company R&j hill was founded by the hills brothers and established a tobacco company at 175 Shoreditch high street. This was known as the badmington tobacco works. The company didn't actually start producing packets till around 1890. The cigarette production continued on site at Shoreditch up until the secound world war. Where in 1941 a Luftwaffe managed to reduce the building to rubble and destroying most of the history of the company inside. Hence why hills is such a scarce and sort after brand. They did rebuild a factory to then continue the manufacturing of cigarettes after the war at 66 great eastern street London. So this can guarantee that any pack from hill featuring the badmington address is pre 1941.
the pack itself
the pack i decided is item of the week is such a rare and desirable pack featuring a superb image of a boer solider laying in a prone position with what looks to be a rifle. Hills did some beautiful packets featuring war scenes such as this campaigner I've also added an image of the "front ranks" packet this is another one from the company which I managed to buy a while back but unfortunately sold it. Unlike the front ranks, the campaigner is a paper packet. Along with 11 cigarettes. This sways me to think that this was possibly a filling packet hence the odd number of cigarettes. Such a desirable packet, also with a lovely mention of the badmington tobacco works. A superb pack and very rare to find live. Especially dating from 1901/1905
thankyou very much for reading
Ben
