Old cigarette card collection found

[Brendon]

recently stumbled upon a collection that belonged to my grandfather whilst clearing out things and was intrigued by it. I haven't gone through them all (there are many), but these are the ones that seem to have mostly, or close to full sets:
Farmyards of South Africa, series of 120, (LOTS of these), UTC.
famous works of art- repro. Medici soc. series of 100.
Did you know 3rd series of 50, UTC.
Did you know, a series of 60, UTC.
Cinema Celebribties (C) (Famous Film Stars).
The story of sand, a series of 50.
Merchant ships of the world, a series of 50, UTC.
National Costumes, series of 48, African Tobacco manufacturers.
Speed, a series of 50, Wills.
Our South African Flora, series of 100, C.T. LTD.
Our South African Birds, series of 150, C.T. LTD.
Our South African National Parks, series of 100, C.T. LTD. (big and smaller set)
South African Butterflies, series of 52, UTC.
Medals and Decorations of the British commonwealth of nations, series of 100, UTC.
types of british birds (these are printed on what looks like canvas), series of 25, African tobacco Manufacturers.

Then there are various other odds and ends from different collections, some more than others:
Riders of the World, 50, UTC.
Interesting Experiments, 25, UTC.
Warriors of all nations, 25.
Sports and pastimes in South Africa, 52, UTC.
Aeroplanes (civil), 50, Player & sons.
and other odds and ends.
would be interested to know if any of this stuff is worth much? any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Brendon

[Cedric1812]

Hi Brendon, lots of South African issues by the looks! I am by no means an expert in UTC cards but I can give you the book values of some of these sets (from 'Murrays Cigarette Card Values 2011/12'). Depending on condition you are looking at around 50% to 70% of this as an actual market value but it should give you an idea of what you're looking at. Some more scarce or sought after sets reach book value and sometimes exceed it whilst others such as the Players Aeroplanes (Civil) will go for much less than book value. So it's just a guide really:

Did you know 3rd series of 50, UTC - £25
Did you know, a series of 60, UTC - £30 
The story of sand, a series of 50 - £50
Merchant ships of the world, a series of 50, UTC - £60
National Costumes, series of 48, African Tobacco manufacturers - £160
Our South African Flora, series of 100, C.T. LTD. - £15
Our South African Birds, series of 150, C.T. LTD. - £60 to £75 (there was a medium series as well as large, the large being worth more...)
Our South African National Parks, series of 100, C.T. LTD. (big and smaller set) - £15 for each set
South African Butterflies, series of 52, UTC - £34
Medals and Decorations of the British commonwealth of nations, series of 100, UTC - £90
types of british birds (these are printed on what looks like canvas), series of 25, African tobacco Manufacturers - £9 each (£225 - and a lovely set)

Then there are various other odds and ends from different collections, some more than others:
Riders of the World, 50, UTC - £60
Interesting Experiments, 25, UTC - £30
Warriors of all nations, 25 - £50
Sports and pastimes in South Africa, 52, UTC - £100
Aeroplanes (civil), 50, Player & sons  - £55

Regarding the Cinema Celebrities and the Wills Speed (there are 3 varieties of the set), I am unsure exactly which sets you have so someone else may be able to help on those. In the mean time I hope that goes some way to answering your question and to those collectors reading this, by all means add your thoughts on the values I've put in here.

[Cedric1812]

As a quick post script - condition is also vital when talking about how much they're worth. If they are clean and sharp then you're fine but if they are creased and dirty then the value drops dramatically (I've seen cards that would sell for £100 each in poor condition sell for £4 or £5).