Cohen, Weenen & Co. (Circus Girl Cigarettes) - Heroes Of Sport (2)

1897
Heroes Of Sport
Cohen, Weenen & Co. (Circus Girl Cigarettes)
100 (48 Footballers)

I've had an e-mail from Peter, who is doing research on this collection, as well as the sets of Taddy cards that he provided details for previously. He has kindly sent in the illustrations for this update.
Since my previous article on these cards I've purchased a book called The Cigarette Card Issues of Godfrey Phillips and Associated Companies, published by The Cartophilic Society of Great Britain in 2008. Cohen, Weenen & Co. were acquired by Godfrey Phillips in 1929. 
The book lists all 100 subjects in this set - 6 Athletes, 19 Cricketers, 27 Cyclists and 48 Footballers. I have amended my original list to bring it in line with the CSGB checklist.

D. Allsop (Notts Forest)    -   updated
J. Banks (West Bromwich Albion)
Barker (English International)    -   updated
W.I. Bassett (West Bromwich Albion)
H. Boyd (Woolwich Arsenal)
A. Bradley (Sheffield Wednesday)
A. Brash (Sheffield Wednesday)
Cathersmith (sic  -  C. Athersmith) (Aston Villa)    -   updated
Cayhill (Woolwich Arsenal) (sic - Obed Caygill (Millwall Athletic))  -  updated 22-05-2023
F.H. Crawshaw  (sic  -  T. Crawshaw) (Sheffeld Wednesday)    -   updated
H. Davis (Sheffield Wednesday)
J. Devey (Aston Villa)
W. Dunlop    -   updated
M.E. Earp (Sheffield Wednesday)
Evans (Aston Villa)
Fegan
M. Ferguson (Sunderland)    -   updated
Field
J. Gillespie (Sunderland)
Gosling
A. Hamilton (Sunderland)
J. Hernie (Sunderland)   -   likely to be John Harvey (Sunderland) - see comment below - thanks to Pat
T. Hislop (Stoke)
J. Hutchinson (West Bromwich Albion)
J. Jamieson (Sheffield Wednesday)
Jenkyns (Millwall)    -   updated
D. Jones (Bolton Wanderers)
H. Matthews (Woolwich Arsenal)
C. McGahey (Corinthians)
G. McGalachan
McGregor (Scottish International)
R. McNeil (Sunderland)
A. Montgomery (Bury)
W. Place (Junr.) (Bury)
Powell (Woolwich Arsenal)
W. Purviss (Small Heath)
H. Reay (Everton)
R.R. Sandilands (Old Westminsters)    -   updated
A. Scott  (Notts Forest)    -   updated
J. Sharp  (Preston North End)
Bosworth Smith (Oxford University)
G.O. Smith  (Corinthians)
S. Smith  (Aston Villa)
F. Spikesley  (Sheffield Wednesday)
Storer (Millwall)
G.F. Weldon (sic  -  G.F. Wheldon)  (Small Heath)    -   updated
W. Williams  (West Bromwich Albion)
F.G. Wyllie (Bury)

Alan,

Below is the next part of my research. Let's start with the oldest sets - Cohen Weenen – Heroes of Sport (1897) & Ogden’s Guinea Gold (1899)
Checking out those early cards is almost impossible. Nothing is clear.
The first set published probably in 1897, the second one in 1899, but both are almost identical. I found nine scans of the same player inside both sets and ALL are just the same. Different frame but photo and description identical (see scan).

Your Cohen Weenen list has 49 cards (now amended to 48 - Alan), Ogden 45. Out of those numbers 35 players appeared in both sets. Probably with the same image. Considering names, dates, clubs etc., just 22 of that number are OK.

Dan Allsopp (Nottingham Forest) played for this club between 1892 and 1899. So, he could appeared on both cards  in 1897 and 1899 as a Forest player. The others are:
Charlie Attersmith (Aston Villa) 1890-1900
Jack Banks (West Bromwich Albion) 1893-1900
Richard Barker (Corinthians, English International), played for Corinthians between 1893 and 1899, winning his only England’s cap in 1895.
Billy Bassett (West Bromwich Albion) 1888-1898, 1898 relate to 1898-99 season, so it could be OK.
Alec Brady (Sheffield Wednesday) 1892-1898
Archie Brash (Sheffield Wednesday) 1894-97 and 1899
Tom Crawshaw (F.H.?) (Sheffield Wednesday) 1894-1907
Harry Davis (Sheffield Wednesday) 1892-1898
Jack Devey (Aston Villa) 1891-1901
Billy Dunlop (Sunderland) 1892-1898
Jack Earp (M.E.?) (Sheffield Wednesday) 1893-1899
Albert Evans (Aston Villa) 1896-1905
Matthew Ferguson (Sunderland) 1896-1901
Robert Gosling (Corinthians 1889-1899, England 1892-1895)
James Jamieson (Sheffield Wednesday) 1893-1898
Archie Montgomery (Bury) 1894-1904
Robert McNeill (not McNeil) (Sunderland) 1894-1900
Adam Scott (Nottingham Forest) 1892-1899
Gilbert (G.O.) Smith (Corinthians, England 1893-1901)
Steve Smith (Aston Villa) 1893-1900
Bill Williams (West Bromwich Albion) 1894-1900

The rest is unclear.

First those appearing within both sets.

Harry Boyd (Woolwich Arsenal) played for them between 1894 and 1896.
James Gillespie (Sunderland) 1890 and 1892-1896.
Andy Hamilton (Sunderland) played just 7 games in 1896-97 season.
Tom Hutchinson (not J. Hutchinson) (West Bromwich Albion) 1894-95.
Tommy Hyslop (not Hislop) (Stoke) 1894-1895 and 1898.
Caesar Jenkyns (Millwall) never played for Millwall. Around that period he played for Walsall 1897-1900. Perhaps a mistake between Millwall and Walsall?
Charles McGahey played mainly cricket. Football probably for Clapton maybe Corinthians.
Wally Place, Junior played for Burnley not Bury between 1893 and 1899, before moving to Woolwich Arsenal the following year.
William Purves (not Purviss) played for Small Heath 1893-1895.
Harry Reay played just one game for Everton in 1893-94, and later player for Southampton. Despite that he appeared on at least four cards of that period.
Jimmy Sharp (Preston North End) 1891-1895.
Fred Spiksley (not Spikesley) played for Sheffield Wednesday 1892-1902.
Tom Wylie (not F.G. Wyllie) played for Bury 1894-1896.

So we’ve got those 35 appeared in both series.

There is also place for two others but neither Cayhill (Woolwich Arsenal) or Hernie (Sunderland) ever played for those clubs. I think it could be Jock Caldwell and John Harvey (sometimes describe as Harvie) or J. Hernie of Corinthians. I’ve never seen those cards so can’t recognize them.

Harry Brandon (Sheffield Wednesday) is in the 1899 set, although he played for this club between 1892 and 1897. In 1897 set it’s A. Bradley of Wednesday. Maybe Brandon?

Other players are:

Cohen Weenen 1897 set

Di Jones (Bolton Wanderers) 1888-1897,
Harry Matthews (Millwall, not Woolwich Arsenal),
Joe Powell (Woolwich Arsenal) 1893-1896,
Rupert Sandilands (Old Westminsters),
Reginald Bosworth-Smith (Oxford University),
Harry Storer (Liverpool, not Millwall) 1895-1899,
Fred Wheldon (Aston Villa) 1896-1899.
Fegan, Field, McGalachan (?) and McGregor are rugby players.

Ogden's 1899 set

Johnny Campbell (Sunderland) 1890-1896,
Bob Chatt (Aston Villa) 1893-1897,
Teddy Doig (Sunderland) 1890-1903,
Billy Foulke (not Foulkes) of Sheffield United (not Wednesday) 1894-1904,
Donald Gow (Sunderland) 1891 and 1893-1896,
Jimmy Hannah (Sunderland) 1891-1896.
Gauld is a rugby player.

As a result both sets have 45 footballers.

The other problem is what are we looking for. Should it be a list of footballers who appeared on cards? Or maybe a list of those use to play football (who weren't regarded as footballers)? For instance in the Ogden set I’ve found Harry Daft of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. He played regular league football (141 games) for both Nottingham Forest and Notts County.

Regards, Peter