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

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A&BC Chewing Gum - Scottish cards. Though A&BC Chewing Gum began producing football card sets in England for the 1958/59 season it wasn't until 1962 that they decided to produce sets specific to Scotland. They then continued on producing Scottish sets throughout the history of the company. You can see the English sets here. As a general rule the Scottish cards are rarer, and therefore more valuable than their English equivalents. I don't collect these Scottish cards, but provide the information below for interested collectors. If you can help with additional information or images please contact me using this email link.
1962/63
Footballers. A set of 44 black and white photograph cards with facsimile autographs and plain backs. I've dated this set as 1962/63 though some catalogues list it as 1961/62. The set includes cards showing the 1961/62 League Champions and Cup Winners, so I've assumed that A&BC would have produced this set around June/July 1962 ready for the 1962/63 season.

Nigel's Webspace is pleased to be able to display a full set of these cards. They are incredibly rare as a set (it has been suggested that there are only 3 known complete sets), so the displayed images have my website address overwriting the photographs. The images have been supplied by the set owner, Adrian. Should anyone wish to contact Adrian about this set then please do so through me, Nigel, at this email link and I will then forward on your contact details. I am indebted to Adrian for allowing me to display his set on this website.

Set size: 44. Click for set gallery.
1963/64
Footballers. A set of 81 green backed 'Make-a-Photo' cards.

Set size: 81.

 Images not currently available.
1964/65
Footballers. An interesting set of 81 green backed 'Quiz' cards, issued in two series, 1-44 and 45-81. One of the things to note about this set is the mix of teams, with four players from East Stirlingshire, two from Stranraer, but only three from Aberdeen. Nice to see the lesser-known club players featured for a change!

Set size: 81. Click for set gallery (incomplete).

Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist.

  
1966/67
Footballers. A set of 66 coloured photograph cards issued in pairs, but most often seen as singles. There are 42 different individual footballers to collect, although they were issued as a number of different 'pairs' - each footballer may therefore appear on more than one paired card. There are 55 known paired card combinations.

There are also 12 paired cards (24 individual cards) which each depict part of a photograph of the Celtic team group - these cards are very rare.

Set size: 67 paired cards, or 66 individual cards. Click for set gallery (incomplete).
1968/69
Footballers - Yellow backs. Similar to the English yellow backs of the same year. Douglas Coakley of A&BC Gum has advised that in 1968 they had terrible trouble in the factory mixing up the English and Scottish cards so after that year they made the two sets different colours each year. Apparently there are a number of different versions of each card, where the photograph and text are the same but the Football Quiz questions differ.

Set size: 81. Click for set gallery.
Team pennants. Team pennants folded in the yellow back card packets, hence the folds whenever you see these attractive pennants. The pennants have instructions to 'Cut out Pennant along black line' but thankfully not too many boys seem to have done this. Though the existence of Scottish pennants has been disputed one trade catalogue recently listed four (Airdrie, Dundee, Dunfermline & Kilmarnock).

Number in set: Unknown.

 Images not currently available.
1969/70
Football - Blue backs. A set of 75 cards plus two checklists. Whereas the previous Scottish sets had only players from Scottish clubs, this set included a number of English clubs and players.

Gallery: N/A
Number in set: 77
Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist
Crinkle-cut photographs. Attractive black and white photograph cards with a crinkle-cut edge. These cards were issued with the Blue back set.

Set size: 15.
1970/71
Footballer - Green backs. The first large Scottish A&BC set. There are checklist cards 85 and 170, though I'm not sure if these cards were issued as two series.

 Gallery: N/A
Number in set: 171
Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist
Pin-ups. An attractive set of 'pin-up' posters issued with the Green Backs. Since these pin-ups were squeezed into the bubble gum packets they always have the creases. While the equivalent English set had 14 pin-ups the Scottish, for some reason, has 28.

Set size: 28.

 Images not currently available.
1971/72
Footballers - Purple backs. A&BC reversed their previous decision and went with the same colour backing for the English and Scottish sets of this year. This set was issued as two series, 1 to 73 and 74 to 144.

Set size: 28.
Football club crests. Similar to the English set, issued with Series 2 of the Purple backs. They belonged in an album which could be ordered from:
A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd.
Spilsby Road,
Romford, Essex

Set size: 16. Click for set gallery.

Checklists: Set checklist.
1972/73
Footballers - Blue and Orange/Red backs. This set was issued as two series, 1 to 89 and 90 to 178. Series 1 cards have a blue back, and Series 2 an Orange/Red back. Card number 178 (George Connelly) is known with both a blue and an orange/red back. Card number 164 is not known to have been issued.

Set size: 178.
1973/74
Footballers - Red backs. This set was issued as two series, 1 to 90 and 91 to 178. Images not currently available.
1974/75
Footballers - Green backs. The last ever A&BC Footballers production before the takeover by Topps. A small set, only 132 cards, and no special giveaways. Checklist card is number 69.

Set size: 132.

 Images not currently available.

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