Rare 1925 Turf Cigarette Card - Mallory summited Everest! Vintage Climbing

Description

While baseball cards get most of the attention these days, cigarette cards were popular collectible items from about 1895 to 1940.
This card from the Sports Records series is especially notable because it documents that Mallory, Morshead, Sommervell, and Norton made the first ascent Mt Everest without oxygen. And Bruce and French made the second ascent using oxygen.
Of course, Everest was only 26,780 feet back then but it's now grown to 29,032 feet.
This card shows the north side of Everest from the basecamp of the 1924 British expedition. Alas, Mallory and Irvine never returned from their summit attempt so we'll never know if they made it until someone finds Sandy's camera and develops the film.
The card is in excellent condition. Perhaps with the exception of #50, this is the most valuable in the set.
Turf Cigarettes Sports Records / Boguslavsky Set Overview
International pre-war baseball cards aren’t always easy to track down, but a rare UK issue offers collectors one of them – the 1925 Turf Cigarettes Sports Records / Boguslavsky set.
The set consists of a total of 50 cards. A first series was printed for cards No. 1-25 and a second included cards 26-50. The athletes depicted with color photographs with a title for the sport printed at the bottom. Backs include a brief description of a particularly record that was held.
Most of the athletes in the set were from sports outside of the ‘big four’ and aren’t widely known. But the set does include boxing champion Georges Carpentier. Names of the athletes weren’t printed only on the front where the name of the sport was named. Rather, they are in the bios on the back.
While no football, basketball, or hockey cards are found, there are numerous other sports familiar to American collectors such as boxing, soccer, golf, wrestling, and tennis.
Lawn Tennis
Shot Put (Putting the Weight)
Hammer Throw (Throwing the Hammer)
Skating
Sprinting
Pole Jumping
Running
Cricket
Walking
Swimming
Golf
High Jumping
Motor Racing
Flying
Motor Cycling
Gliding
Yachting
Horse Jumping
Trains
Steamers
Flat Racing
Coursing
Rowing
Steeplechasing
Sculling
Cricket
Bowls
Soccer (Football)
Marathon
Lawn Tennis
Billiards
Fencing
Boxing
Chess
Wrestling
Golf
Whippet Racing
Hunting
Ski-Running
Rugby
Cross Country Running
Furthest South Pole
Water Polo
Punting
Cycling
Mountain Climbing
Throwing the Javelin
Highest Dive
Gordon Bennet Cup Balloon Race
Baseball (George Sisler)