Q: What is the value of a set of cigarette cards I have had for many years? There are a hundred, all of famous cricketers. They were issued by Gallaher in the 1920s.

Mr B.

A: In tip-top condition, this set would be worth between £200 and £250. Not all sets of cigarette cards are worth this sort of money for the subject is very important. Sporting subjects such as football and cricket attract far more collectors than cigarette cards depicting wild flowers or species of birds. The more routine sets of cigarette cards tend to be priced from about £25 to £35 a set, but certain subjects push the price up quite considerably. Cigarette cards were first issued in the 1880s, but it was the 1920s and 30s that the practice reached its heyday. Sets by popular manufacturers such as Wills and Players tend to be the most common, and serious collectors seek sets by long forgotten manufacturers which had a short life.