A&BC Chewing Gum (English)
Footballer - Orange backs

A large set of attractive cards, issued in 3 sets. Series 1 comprises cards 1 to 84 (checklist), Series 2 cards 85 (checklist) to 169 and Series 3 cards 170 (checklist) to 255. The galleries available for this set include full player appearances for 1970/71 plus team results home and away, with goalscorer.

An interesting feature of this set is that it includes 21 of the 22 sides playing in the First Division in 1970/71. Huddersfield Town, promoted from the Second Division in 1969/70, are not included.

Number in set: 255
Gallery: Arsenal, Blackpool, Burnley, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Checklists
Checklists: Series 1 (1-84), Series 2 (85-169), Series 3 (170-255), Team checklist
Special: Orange-back wrappers gallery
Special: A&BC Chewing Gum variants and error cards
Special: A&BC counter boxes gallery

Pin-up posters

An attractive set of 'pin-up' posters issued with Series 1 of the Orange Backs.

Since these pin-ups were squeezed into the bubble gum packets they always have the creases.

Number in set: 14
Gallery: Set gallery
Checklists: Set checklist

Action Transfers

Very small stickers which include the instructions 'Peel off back and rub picture with ball point'. Most of these transparencies would have been so attached to school books and other surfaces, so very few have survived intact. These transfers were issued with Series 2 and 3 of the Orange Backs.

Number in set: 72
Gallery: Set gallery
Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist


A&BC Chewing Gum (Scottish)
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.

Number in set: 171
Gallery: Series 1, Series 2
Checklists: Series 1 checklist, Series 1 team checklist, Series 2 checklist, Series 2 team checklist
Series checklists: Series checklist, Series team checklist
Special: A&BC counter boxes gallery

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. I'm not sure, but suspect that the first 14 pin-ups where issued with Series 1, and the second 14 (relabelled as 'Superstar posters') were issued with Series 2.

Number in set: 28
Gallery: Set gallery
Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist

Anglo Confectionery
World Cup / Learn the Game

A completely different style of cards to coincide with the World Cup. It's difficult to tell which side of the card is the front and which the back. One side has a feature from the World Cup, while the other has a tip on playing better football.

Number in set: 48
Gallery: Learn the Game or World Cup 1970
Checklists: Set checklist or Team checklist

BAB Souvenir Company

BAB is attributed to a number of club badge stickers, though the attribution is problematic as there is no evidence on the stickers that they were made by BAB. With the discovery of Northern Trancessories it is possible that some of these stickers were produced by them rather than BAB. BAB stickers tended to be sold in plastic hanging shop displays, and it is these displays which sometimes give us the BAB name, as in the example below.

Soccer Dip shields

Soccer Dip was the name used by BAB for three stickers sold for 3p. We can guess that the word 'Dip' referred to the lucky dip element of which stickers you bought. The stickers come with either a white or a brown backing paper, and many different design and colour variations, perhaps suggesting many different sets, issues or years.These stickers are slightly larger than the yellow-topped shields.

Sticker size: 70mm x 51mm
Number in set: 44 (that I know of)
Gallery: Set gallery or Team badge master gallery
Checklist: Set checklist

Straight sided badges

This set is printed with brown backs or white backs, suggesting perhaps that they were produced over a number of years. The white backs have 'FasPrint', Fasson, Leiden, Holland discernible on the backing paper. The sides to the shields are sharp, as opposed to the rounded sides set . There appears to be a near-identical set to this set, but with a player image in front of the club colours instead of the logo.

Sticker size: 64mm x 47mm
Number in set: Not sure!
Gallery: Set gallery or Team badge master gallery

Straight sided badges with players

This set is near-identical to the previous, but with a player image in front of the club colours instead of the logo.

Sticker size: 64mm x 47mm
Number in set: Not sure!
Gallery: Set gallery or Team badge master gallery

Round sided badges

This set is printed with white backs, with 'FasPrint', Fasson, Leiden, Holland discernible on the backing paper. The shield designs are different from the straight-sided sets.

There are a number of colour variations in these stickers. I am not sure whether these are re-issues or printing issues.

Sticker size: 60mm x 45mm
Number in set: 53 (that I know of)
Gallery: Set gallery or Team badge master gallery
Checklist: Set checklist

Straight sided badges with gold borders and nicknames

Straight sided badges with gold borders and nicknames. Very rare badges.

Gallery: Set gallery or Team badge master gallery

Unknown

Unknown. These stickers look like BAB, but currently only Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are known. Can anyone help?

Player stickers (1970 to 1974)
World Cup footballer circles

Round stickers with the player's head, name and team name. Plain white backs. The set clearly targets the 1970 World Cup so was produced perhaps just before the tournament, say March 1970?

Number in set: 12
Gallery: Set gallery

Footballer circles

Round stickers with the player's head, name and team name. Plain white backs. Same style as the international players, but players with team name.

Number in set: 27 (at least)
Gallery: Set gallery

Starburst player circles

Round stickers with the player's head and name.. The word "permanent" is in red on backs. This set is, apparently, also available with the team name on the sticker. Quite rare!

Number in set: 24 (at least)
Gallery: Set gallery

Shooting Stars

Shield-shaped stickers with the player's head, name and team name in a yellow box. Plain white backs.

There were updates to some stickers due to transfers. The editions can be dated from player transfers like Alan Birchenall (featured in one set as a Crystal Palace player, and in another as a Leicester City player - transferred in September 1971). Some stickers must have been added later e.g. Alun Evans of Aston Villa, the club he was transferred to in June 1972.

Number in set: 60 (not sure!)
Gallery: Set gallery

Player shields (yellow header)

Set issued before February 1971 (Pop Robson transferred to West Ham in February 1971). The existence of these stickers was unknown before November 2013.

Number in set: Not sure!
Gallery: Set gallery

Player shields. 1970 to 1974

Player shields. 1970 to 1974. Garishly coloured shields with drawn player heads. Really interesting set though. Are these really BAB?

Number in set: 60 (not sure!)
Gallery: Set gallery

Daily Mail
First Division Wallchart

A set of 22 team stickers. Each sticker consisted of a colour player photo, two black and white player photos, and the team badge. There was a wallchart with spaces for the 22 teams. The coupons for the stickers were issued by the Daily Mail from September 1970. The wallchart could be bought for 2/- from your local newsagent.

Number in set: 22
Gallery: Set gallery

Esso
Squelchers

The curiously named Squelchers were a set of 16 booklets produced 'to squelch arguments about football'. The books were edited for Esso by Leslie Vernon and printed in Holland by Sackville Smeets. A blue plastic folder is available to hold all 16 booklets.

Number in set: 16
Gallery: Set gallery
Checklists: Set checklist

FKS Publishers
World Cup Soccer Stars - Mexico 70

An album to coincide with the World Cup, including the 30-man England squad and 16 players from each of the other qualifying countries. The offer from FKS to help complete collections through the order form expired in December 1970. Album: Price 2s 6d.

Number in set: 272
Packet: 7 stickers for 6d
Gallery: England, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, El Salvador, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Rumania, Russia, Sweden, Uruguay, West Germany.
Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist
Special: FKS album gallery

The Wonderful World of Soccer Stars Gala Collection

A bigger 420 sticker set, including a new Second Division Star Gallery, European Cup Finalists and the Best Players of Mexico 70. The phrase at the top of each card has changed from 'Apply adhesive here only' to 'Glue here only'.The album credits Jack Rollin (later well-known as editor of Rothmans Football Yearbooks) for the album design and editing. At the rear of the album was a place for you to order and stick a Second Division Team Sheet, comprising photos of 15 players on a single, large sheet. The Sheets were 2/- (10p) each, plus 1s 6d postage and handling. Hardly any of these team sheets have survived. Album: Price 2s 6d or 12½p.

The image gallery for each team (below) includes full player career details.

Number in set: 420
Packet: 7 stickers for 6d or 2½p
Gallery: Arsenal, Blackpool, Burnley, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Everton, Huddersfield Town, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Stoke City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Second Division Star Gallery, Celtic, Feijenoord
Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist
Special: FKS album gallery
2nd Division Team Sheets: Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Bristol City, Cardiff City, Carlisle United, Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Leicester City, Luton Town, Middlesbrough, Millwall, Norwich City, Orient, Oxford United, Portsmouth, QPR, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Swindon Town, Watford

Lyons Maid
Soccer Stars

A set of 40 interesting cards, given away with ice cream. These often survive in pretty average condition, so finding a mint set is unusual.

These cards were to be added to a 'full colour Soccer Star Chart', obtainable for a 1/- postal order sent to:
Lyons Maid Soccer Chart
18/20 St. Andrew Street
London E.C. 4

The offer closed on 1 July 1971.

At the bottom of each card was a token which could be cut off. The lolly wrappers included details of special offers available with the tokens.

Number in set: 40
Gallery: N/A
Checklists: Set checklist or Team checklist.

Nabisco
Cup Winners Badges

I'm going to guess that these attractive badges came in a cereal packet. They came in pairs so there were 9 pairs, a total of 18 badges, to collect. The collectors card came from the side of a cereal packet, so it was a clever ploy to get the boys of the day to cajole Mum into buying more of the same cereal. The collectors card suggests that the badges are 'of major cup winners plus the team badges of the four home countries. Each badge has a special backing that will stick on cloth, plastic, metal and almost anything!' The 'special backing' paper was produced by FasPrint of Fasson, Leiden, Holland.

Number in set: 18

Cup Soccer 71

A set of 8 pamphlets available in packets of Shredded Wheat. Apparently these pamphlets just sat inside cereal packets. I'm not sure how they worked out if the Bob Wilson stickers were available at the same time.The pamphlets were printed by Sir Joseph Causton and Sons Ltd, London and Eastleigh. There are no other company names or manufacturer indicators on these, but I am assured by a keen cereal card collector that they did come in Shredded Wheat packets - thanks for the information Wayne!

The pamphlets fold out into a 340 x 230mm display which includes team and player details and the recent cup form of the team. The pamphlet states that the details are current as at the start of the 1970-71 season.

Number in set: 8
Gallery: Set gallery

The Sun
Swap cards

In 1970 the Sun began an interesting series of cards which you acquired from the newspaper to stick into albums (which they called Encyclopaedia). The first offering was a set of 134 cards covering teams from the First, Second and Third Divisions, First Division captains and star players and Second Division star players. The fronts of the cards had the pictures while the backs (in various colours) included the instructions. You obtained tokens which appeared every day in the Sun during the 1970/71 football season and send them away to receive some swap cards. The cards were to be mounted in the spaces left for them in the 164-page Scrapbook Encyclopaedia of Football (available from newsagents for 2/-).

Number in set: 134 cards
Gallery: N/A
Checklists: Set checklist, Team checklist

D. C. Thomson
Great Captains

A small set of 12 from the Wizard. They appear to have been cut from a sheet, suggesting that the comic provided the reader with one or two sheets and suggested that the cards be cut out.

Number in set: 12
Gallery: N/A

World Cup Stars 1970

These cards were presented in the Hornet and Hotspur comics in blocks of 8 or 10 which were to be cut into individual cards by the reader. Some of the uncut blocks still exist, and are quite collectable. A plastic wallet was given away with the first sets of cards. The cards were issued as:

Cards 01-08: Hornet (8) - June 6, 1970
Cards 09-16: Hotspur (8) - June 8, 1970
Cards 17-26: Hornet (10) - June 13, 1970
Cards 27-36: Hotspur (10) - June 15, 1970
Cards 37-44: Hornet (8) - June 20, 1970
Cards 45-52: Hotspur (8) - June 22, 1970
Cards 53-62: Hornet (10) - June 27, 1970
Cards 63-72: Hotspur (10) - June 29, 1970

Number in set: 72

The Team that Won the World Cup

A 16-page booklet produced as a lead-up to the Mexico World Cup (31 May to 21 June). The booklet was a free gift in the Wizard Comic dated 9 May 1970. It was printed by Buckley and Bland, Stockport. Copyright D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. 1970.

Victor Football Challenge Cards

An interesting set of 14 small cards, plus an answer card, given away with the Victor comic in 1970. Each card has a question on the front in colour, and another on the back in black and white.

Number in set: 15

Tonibell Manufacturing Co. Ltd
Team of All Time 1971

A set of small, attractive, circular cards produced in association with World Soccer magazine. I'm not sure, but I suspect that these were given away a few at a time attached in a card (so that you had to remove the disks from the card).

Number in set: 36
Gallery: Set gallery
Checklists: Set checklist