Nigel's Webspace - Galleries of English Football Cards 1965/66 - 1979/80

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Season 1972/73. A transition year for football cards. A&BC football cards were in decline, FKS were producing excellent stickers, and The Sun newspaper was producing some quality work. BAB produced one of their rare offerings, and Top Sellers (Panini) began what was to become a popular series.
A&BC Gum
Footballers - Orange/Red backs. A&BC back to basics with a well-designed set of attractive cards. This set comprises 2 series: cards 1 to 109 (checklist 45), and 110 to 219 (checklist 154).

Set size: 219.
Variants: 154, 179
Teams: Arsenal, Birmingham City, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Q.P.R., Sheffield United, Southampton, Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Checklists.

Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist.
Football card game. I have no idea what A&BC thought they were doing issuing a card game. The quality of the printing is terrible, as you can see from the scan. The images are printed in all different directions and often off the sides of the cards!

These cards were issued with Series 2 of the Orange/Red backs. The images on the cards appear identical to the images on the Footballer cards, without the backgrounds.

Set size: 22. Click for set gallery.

Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist.
Americana Munchen
Soccer Parade. The Album, Americana Soccer Parade, states that 'Americana presents you with this really super Album in which to collect the fabulous new series of Soccer Parade Stars'. In addition to the First Division teams there is a delightfully named 'Scottisch Gallery', and a page for Clubhemden (Club Shirts?). As you can see the album represents a strange mix of German and English.

The album welcome page has the name 'Americana Service', though I'm not sure what this means. You could order stickers to fill in the gaps in your collection from:
Americana Picture Service
11 - 14 Kirby Street
London E.C.1.

The album was published by IBIS, S. A. - Barcelona and printed by Editorial Bruguera, S. A. - Barcelona. I'm not sure that I understand the Spanish influence here, and how it sits with the German.

Teams: Arsenal, Birmingham City, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Sheffield United, Southampton, Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The original stickers came in a bubble-gum packet with 4 pictures for 3p. These stickers are now quite rare and keenly sought after.

Set size: 340.

Checklists: Set checklist or Team checklist.
B.A.B. Products
Football Rosettes. These self-adhesive stickers were available through newsagents. The 1971/72 set has brown backs, while the 1972/73 set has white backs. The difference between the two sets is that Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield (relegated teams from 1971/72) were dropped and Norwich City and Birmingham City (promoted teams) added.

Set size: 22. Click here for set image gallery (including bonus newsagent poster for the stickers).

Many thanks to Alan for donating this set and a copy of the poster to the website!
Soccer Dip Football Shields. I'm not sure about the date or the set name. The stickers have a white backing paper.

Set size: 42.
Footballers. Round stickers with the player's head and name.. The word "permanent" is in red on backs

Set size: 24.
Footballers. Round stickers with the player's head, name and team name. Plain white backs.

Set size: 12.
Footballer Shooting Stars. Shield-shaped stickers with the player's head, name and team name in a yellow box. Plain white backs.

Set size: 42.
Barratt & Co.
Soccer Stars. A set of 50 cigarette style cards issued by Barratt & Co Ltd, London, England. Printed in England.

This set includes seven variants where player teams changed e.g. Alan Mullery from Tottenham Hotspur to Fulham (March 1972), Chris Nicholl from Luton Town to Aston Villa (March 1972), Ian Storey-Moore from Nottingham Forest to Manchester United (March 1972), Dennis Rofe from Orient to Leicester City (August 1972), Ted MacDougall from Bournemouth to Manchester United (September 1972) and Wyn Davies from Manchester City to Manchester United (September 1972). In this set there are cards for each of the player/team variants, hence a total of 57 cards to collect.

The variants date this set to the year 1972 with a first print run perhaps mid year (prior to the season opening) and another print run late in the year.

Set size: 50. Click for set gallery.
Cleveland Petrol
Golden Goals. Cleveland produced this series of 20 sticker pages which were obtained from petrol stations each time you bought 3 gallons or £1 worth of petrol.

The stickers could be stuck into a hardback album which was obtainable for only 20p.

Set size: 41 stickers on 20 sticker pages.

The sticker pages are unnumbered, but I have added numbers in the index below according to the Golden Goals numbers. Some of the stickers had a single image, while others had multiple. The complete set is:

Sticker Contents
1 Number 1 - Jose Augusto celebrates a Portugal Goal against Russia in 1966
2 Number 2 - Haller scores for West Germany in World Cup Final 1966.
Number 21 - Jimmy Greaves goal poaching for Spurs against Manchester United.
3 Number 3 - Geoff Hurst, England's World Cup hat-trick hero
Number 12 - The ageless Bobby Charlton of Manchester United.
Number 28 - Graduate goalscorer Alan Gowling scores against Wolves in 1971.
4 Number 4 - England and Manchester City striker Francis Lee.
Number 10 - Ray Crawford of Colchester scores against Leeds in 1971.
Number 36 - Derek Posse of Millwall.
5 Number 5 - Martin Chivers, scoring supremo for Spurs and England.
Number 39 - Mick Channon of Southampton
Number 40 - Champagne Channon, scores for England U-23's against Scotland.
6 Number 6 - Northern Ireland's Derek Dougan heads for England's goal.
Number 29 - Derby drama. Liverpool's Evans slots the ball home versus Everton.
7 Number 7 - Ian Hutchinson heads Chelsea's 2nd goal against Leeds in 1970.
Number 32 - Charlton's header puts United in the lead v. Benfica, European Cup Final 1968.
8 Number 8 - Peter Osgood's equaliser in the 1970 Cup Final replay.
9 Number 9 - George Best - a hat-trick hero for Manchester Utd. v. West Ham.
Number 23 - Portugese man-of-goals Eusebio.
Number 37 - The idol of Highbury, Charlie George.
10 Number 11 - Jeff Astle - England and West Bromwich Albion
Number 19 - Brazil's Rivelino cracks in a goal versus Czechoslovakia, 1970
Number 38 - Newcastle's star striker, Malcolm MacDonald.
11 Number 13 - A Law Special - Denis scores against Sheffield Wednesday.
Number 16 - Arsenal's Graham nets against Stoke in the 1971 Cup semi-final.
12 Number 14 - One of the Best - George scores against West Ham in 1971.
13 Number 15 - Charlie George slams in a penalty against Burnley in 1971.
14 Number 17 - Charlie George wins the 1971 FA Cup for Arsenal at Wembley.
15 Number 18 - Geoff Hurst scores for England against Rumania in Mexico 1970.
Number 24 - Golden goalscorer of West Germany Gerd Muller.
Number 25 - Johann Cruyff, super-star, Holland and Ajax.
16 Number 20 - Santos v. Vasco de Gama and Pele's 1,000th first class goal.
Number 30 - Manchester magic. City's Summerbee nets against United in 1971.
17 Number 22 - England's Chivers scores against Greece in Athens in 1971.
Number 33 - Muhren blasts a penalty into Arsenal's goal for Ajax.
18 Number 26 - Eusebio strokes a penalty past Banks, England v. Portugal 1966.
19 Number 27 - Another wonder-goal for Ajax for Johann Cruyff.
Number 41 - Ted MacDougall of Bournemouth scores in Geoff Hurst's Testimonial match.
20 Number 31 - Chalmers scores Celtic's 1967 European Cup winner versus Inter Milan.
Number 34 - Willie Carr, Coventry's master in midfield.
Number 35 - Ernie Hunt, Coventry's hero of Highfield Road.


Daily Mirror
Goal Action Replay Flicker Books. Interesting booklets comprising black and white photograph series of goals. Each booklet contains 32 double-sided pages. By flicking the booklets the goal action replay appears. Two sets of goals per booklet (one each side).

Set size: 6. Click to view set gallery.

Checklist : Set checklist
Esso
F.A. Cup Centenary Medals. Another coin collection from Esso, this time with heavier coins. 30 of the coins (silver) represent the 30 teams who had won the cup up until 1972. A larger, bronze coin commemorated Leeds win over Arsenal in 1972.

The coins could be presented on a dark blue mounting board.

Set size: 31.
Teams: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Barnsley, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Bradford City, Burnley, Bury, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Derby County, Everton, Huddersfield Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Notts County, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Preston North End, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers.
FKS Publishers
The Wonderful World of Soccer Stars 1972/73 First Division. For some reason FKS reverted to 'Apply adhesive here only' at the top of each sticker.

Last year's team badges and the black and white head-shot on the rear of each sticker have disappeared, and there are no extras to buy! The set did, however, include 26 circular stickers, which were to be stuck onto a poster with the title 'Munich 74'. Copies of this poster are very rare, so its quite valuable.

Set size: 330
Packet: Click for FKS packets gallery.
Teams: Arsenal, Birmingham City, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Sheffield United, Southampton, Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Album: Price 15p. Click for FKS album gallery.
IPC Magazines
Shoot's Stars of the World / Badges Worn by World Stars. For 14 issues from September 9, 1972 the Shoot magazine dedicated a four-page section to publishing pictures of 7 international stars and their biographies. The idea was to collect the whole set and bind them into an album named Shoot's Stars of the World.

The Shoot magazine also produced sheets of Badges Worn by World Stars. The individual badges were to be cut out and attached to the 'correct position' in the booklet.

Set size: 111 star internationals plus 84 badges?
Primrose Confectionery
Cup Tie Quiz. A set of flimsy cards included in sweet cigarette packets. Each card includes a question, plus the answer to another card's question.

Set size: 25.

I think that these and the 1973/74 cards came in identical packets:

The Sun
3D Starcards, Actionpix and Moviecards. In 1972/73 the Sun went even further with 3 different types of cards in the same album. Unfortunately they couldn't decide what to call them, so they go by a number of different names...

The cards were all '3D' and comprised:

  • Gallery of 3D Soccer Stars (50 to collect)
  • How to play soccer (6 to collect)
  • Sun Soccer Actionpix (50 to collect)

The 3D Soccer (or Football) Stars were available by collecting and sending away a Sun Starcard token. You could order 1, 5 or 10 at a time.

The How-To-Play-Football (or Soccer) cards, also called Movie Cards, featuring Trevor Francis, were available as a set of 6 for 6 collected tokens.

The Actionpix (also known as Gallery of Football Action) were available by collecting 10 tokens for sets of 10 at a time.

The cards were to be mounted in the spaces in the 99-page Football Encyclopaedia and 3D Album (available from newsagents for 15p). If these cards were stuck into the albums they will undoubtedly have damage to their backs, so collectors are often seeking cards which never saw the insides of the album.

Set size: 106 cards.

Click here for set image galleries and checklists:

D.C. Thomson
Super Stars of 1972. A set of 24 cards presented in two sizes. The smaller cards came with the Victor comic in a block of 12, while the larger ones came in six pairs.

The Victor comic commenced on 25 February 1961 and ran until November 1992 (source www.26pigs.com).

Set size: 24
Top Sellers
Football 1973. A large set of cards featuring the First Division teams, plus some puzzle cards.

The back of these cards states 'Printed in Italy by Ediraf S.p.A.'.

Set size: 420
Typhoo Tea
Football Club Plaques. Plastic plaques, one for each team. These are quite rare and have become collectable.

There is a question about whether these plaques were obtained via the Typhoo voucher system. One site visitor has the original Typhoo promotional poster for these plaques which states that they could be bought for 25p each! If you know more please email me...

Set size: 35

  

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