Who is Ready for Some Football (cards) !

What happens when you mix a few bottles of Deschutes Jubelale, eBay, and a low price? (you have to  wait for a few sentences)

Well you pick up a couple of inexpensive lots of English and Scottish Football Cards-bet ya were thinking American Football? In 1975 Topps took over the British card producer A&BC Gum and jumped in to the British football card market in 1975/76 with cards manufactured in the United States.

You will notice they resemble a certain baseball issue. Topps produced two different sets in 1975/76-one for English First and Second Division teams, and one for the Scottish Premier League-this would be true for the next few seasons. The English set consisted of 222 cards of players from 30 different teams plus the national teams of England, Scotland, and Wales. This set is nicknamed "Red Backs" and printed on grey stock with standard bio and stats on the reverse with the posed portrait on the front. I think these are attractive cards. The Scottish Premier League Topps' cards contained 17 of the 18 Premier League teams and apart form these being Scottish teams the only difference is the blue backs which gives them the obvious  nickname of " Blue Backs".

The Topps' 1976/77 issue was the last printed in the U.S of A. As with the previous year there was two issues. One for the English football league and one for the Scottish Premier League. The English set had 330 cards and the reverse was a blue/grey color. The Scottish issue was 132 cards and had red backs and thus their nickname as the year before was "Red Backs" and the English were "Blue Backs. The design of this issue did not resemble a United States sports issue and sported an attractive reverse that reminds me of U.S football and OPC/Topps' hockey cards.

Production was moved to the Republic of Ireland for the 1977/78 and following issues. Topps returned to a familiar design for the fronts of the cards. I am a fan of the 1975 baseball card issue and now a fan of the 1977/78 British football sets. Again there would be two distinct issues for England and Scotland. The English set was 330 cards for the second consecutive year. The fronts strongly resemble the baseball version but the reverses are very distinct. For the English the traditional "Red Backs" and the Scottish cards were given a yellow back and hence their nickname the "Yellow Backs". The Scottish issue also contained 132 cards as did the previous year and the following year. Again I am a fan of the reverse as well-the design, the cartoon, and factoids. Well done.

The 1978/79 English issue would expand to 396 cards and the Scottish remained 132. The fronts strongly resemble American Football set of 1977. The reverses of course don't and instead of the red backs the English had a orange back, and you guessed their nickname in "Orange Backs". The Scottish issue would be the "Green Backs".

The 1979/80 issue would be the last for separate issues for England and Scotland. As I wrote last month, I am not a fan of the 1978 Topps Football issue and thus not such a huge fan of these sets. The fronts are like the 1978 Topps but the backs remained distinctive. For the English 396 card issue they would be referred to as the "Pale Blue backs" and the Scottish 132 card set would be referred to as the  "Red Backs".

Topps would go on to issue two more Football sets in the UK, the Footballer 1981 set was 198 in number but issued in strips of three like the Topps U.S Basketball issue of 1980. These are called strip cards and "Pink Backs", and the following year's issue of Topps' 198 strip cards are known and "Blue Backs".

This marked the end of Topps efforts in the UK until the modern era. OK, now how does a few Jubelales and eBay fit in?

Well, I picked up these-one lot is in really solid condition, the other not so. The first lot was for 32 low grade 1977/78 "Red Backs" AKA English Football cards. But for $1 plus $2 for shipping-more for the heck of it. No Honey I am not trying to complete these sets.

The other was for 11 1979 Scottish "Red Backs" for about the cost of a pint of ale.

For this post I utilized the fantastic Nigel's Webspace - Galleries of English and Scottish Football Cards - 1965/66 to 1979/80. If you think the above cards are interesting get a load these A&BC Chewing Gum issues from Nigel's Webspace-1959/60 and the 1960/61-the reverse of the 1959/60, the fronts of the 1960/61 A&BC and the 1962/63 Footballer Bazooka, and the 1973/74 Crinkle-Cuts. Remind you of other issues? There were Scottish "Green backs" for 1963/64

Oh yeah, the 1958 Topps' Football, 1959 Topps' Baseball, 1958 Topps Football, and  1969 Topps' Baseball Deckles-respectively.

But it gets better get a load of the 1963/64 Footballer Make-a-Photo, and a A&BC Gum Scottish 1964/65-this all makes sense since A&BC Gum and Topps had a strong relationship going back to the mid-to late 50s. Also, producing non-sports card under license, etc.

A  last bit of fun and to wrap it all up-1972/72 A&BC Gum Football Game

Happy Belated New Year!

I really wanted to post on New Years but didn't have it in me as our flight back from the STL was delayed a day and got in early the evening on the 31st. Yep, I went home to the STL during a historic cold snap. I forgot after 12 1/2 years in CA what bitter cold feels like.

Alas, I will have this post and another detailing the trip, well the beery and Cardinals highlights.

Last time we were in the STL two years ago we got there and two days later we were flooded in the suburban town I am from for the remainder of the vacay. So, I was unable to hit some breweries or the Cardinal's Hall of Fame (to be blogged next). After watching Real Madrid fall to Barca in the El Classico on the 23rd we visited two breweries and grabbed some Bosnian food to take home. St. Louis has the largest population of Bosnians outside of Bosnia and the STL is better for it. First brewery, and one I really wanted to visit last time-Side Project-named because the owner is also the brewer at Urban Chestnut. Great sour beers, actually some of the best I have had which is saying something.

Then on to 2nd Shift Brewing not too far from Side Project.

Picked up some Bosnian goodness from Berix 

A couple of days later was time for mom's pasta and sauce with a "few" salciccias.

The day after Christmas we-my wife and mom visited the STL Art Museum then hit an unusual brewery-Urban (Chestnut) Research Brewery-this is across the street from the newer Urban Chestnut Brewery in The Grove area-I can't say I was impressed but it was an unique concept. Here you can buy samples of their experimental beers for $1-a nice 4 oz sample but if you do you agree to complete an online survey regarding the beers you tasted. I tried to do it but couldn't figure it out-so alas no survey from us. Next time I will visit the one across the street. I actually forgot to take a picture.

We met two close friends the following day in the nice quaint town of Waterloo, IL.

Two local breweries were visited-Hopskeller and Stubborn German Brewery. Both decent enough-different vibes, of course I have some fondness for the name Stubborn German since I have German ancestry.

The following day after a visit to the Cardinals' Hall of Fame we hit an old favorite-The St.Louis Brewery and Taproom. Unfortunately we were under whelmed by the selection in spite of the lengthy list-I would say they had some width, but no depth. 

I thought this would be the last brewery visited during our trip but nope it wasn't. It was so bloody cold the airline couldn't get an operating plane to the STL on time that was to take us up to MN. So we were delayed till the following day-when we had to go from the STL to ATL to San Jose. Parents came back to pick us up and we took them out to another brewery for supper. O' Fallon Brewing was underwhelming-the beers we sampled were thin in body and there was little distinction between the styles. However, the burgers we had were fantastic. 

Of course we had few at my parents including a fantastic Yeti Oatmeal Imperial Stout-and some local gooey butter cake (google it).

Times have changed, my home town has a killer booze store called Friar Tucks where we picked up the above and the below to bring home.

Yep mucho cerveza-in all, 2 16 ounce 4 pack cans, 3 12 ounce 4 packs, 3 6 packs, minus the bomber and 750Ml, and local whiskey, we brought home an equivalent of 28.66 12 oz cans, or 344 ounces of local and regional beer. We lost only one can to a leak. Salud!

Happy Holidays!

Hello Everyone I wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season!

May your gifts include many great cards. Cheers. I will be incognito for a little while.

The Lost Original STL NHL Team

OK, not technically part of the "Original 6" (Rangers, Bruins, Blackhawks, Redwings, Canadians, Leafs). There were teams in the NHL prior to the 1942-1967. One of which was the original Ottawa Senators, or "Sens" who were founded in 1883. The Sens became a charter member of the NHL in 1917. However, they struggled with their finances until 1931-32 when they suspended operations, this after winning the Stanley Cup in 1927.  I learned that the Stanley Cup was an inter-league championship between the now defunct National Hockey Association, of which the Montreal Canadiens were a founding member, and the NHL.

After getting back on their feet they decided they couldn't make a go of it and decided to move to the STL. Yes, St. Louis had a NHL team BEFORE the Blues. The Senators became  the St. Louis Eagles.  However, the Eagles weren't meant to last. Still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression they lasted just one season (1934-35). The Eagles were named the Eagles because they were inspired by the Anheuser-Busch Eagle logo. Interesting enough, Wiki tells me that St. Louis applied for an expansion team in 1932 but were denied because travel to St. Louis was deemed too expensive. The Eagles were in the Canadian Division and had to travel to Montreal and Toronto much of the season.

Wiki also tells me the old St. Louis Arena was "Once the Eagles began play the St. Louis Arena gained the distinction of being the only NHL stadium with racially segregated seating." Though there is facto and de facto segregation-I don't take much stock of this shameful part of our past as being unique to STL. No St. Louis was not unique, I am pretty sure if an African-American showed up to watch the Bruins the result would have been the same.

The Eagles weren't that good, lost a ton of money, slashed ticket prices and went 11-31-6.

In 1938, the Montreal Maroons tried to move to St. Louis but the NHL said no again because of the high cost of travel.

Recently I won a number of Eagles' matchbooks. The ever and not so popular Diamond Matchbooks of he 1930s-which encompassed the major sports, including hockey. The ones I picked up were Irvine Frew, Vic Ripley, Glen Brydson, Vernon Ayers, Max Kaminsky, Bill Beverage, and Gerald Shannon.

 That leaves Ralph Bowman, Bill Cowley, Frank Finnigan, Syd Howe, Desse Roche, Earl Roche, and Carl Voss. These are the only collectables that resemble in anyway cards. There isn't much out there for the Eagles.