BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 48: UNEXPECTED MINIS

AS I TYPE THIS, ARSENAL IS TOP OF THE LEAGUE. THEY ARE ALSO UTTERLY FUCKED AND ARE GOING TO GOING TO BE IN SECOND PLACE BY THE TIME THIS POST GOES UP. BUT RIGHT NOW, FIRST PLACE, BAYBEE! WHILE SCROUNGING AROUND FOR OLD ENGLISH FOOTBALL CARDS I STUMBLED ACROSS A SET THAT WAS REALLY FAMILIAR BUT HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE. I ALSO MANAGED TO FIND AN AFFORDABLE ADDITION TO MY VINTAGE ARSENAL COLLECTION! AND ASTON VILLA. AND TEAM WALES

1981-82 TOPPS ENGLISH LEAGUE FOOTBALL PAUL DAVIS, PETER NICHOLAS, PETER WITHE

 SO THIS LOOKS KINDA FAMILIAR IF YOU'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS BLOG. TOPPS TOOK THE THREE MINI PANEL IDEA THEY USED IN 1980-81 BASKETBALL AND USED IT IN THEIR ENGISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE SET. AND THEY DID IT TWICE! THEY DID IT IN 1980-81 WITH A SET WITH PINK-BACKED PANELS AND THEN AGAIN IN 1981-82 WITH THESE BLUE-BACKED CARDS. BEFORE YOU START TO THINK THESE CARDS WERE MORE OF A SUCCESS ACROSS THE POND, THIS 81-82 SET ENDED UP BEING TOPPS' LAST ENGLISH LEAGUE SET AND MAYBE THE LAST MAINSTREAM CARD SET FOR ENGLISH FOOTBALL UNTIL PRO SET IN 1990. AS FAR AS I CAN TELL PANINI AND MERLIN STICKERS RULED THE ROOST ALL THROUGH THE 80S. UNLIKE THE BASKETBALL SET THE SOCCER VERSION DID NOT HAVE TWO DIFFERENT VARIATIONS FOR EACH PANEL TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF CARDS NEEDED FOR A MASTER SET. JUST 66 PANELS FOR THE 198 MINI CARDS IN 80-81. THE BLUE SET HAS A 187 MINIS ON 65 PANELS SOMEHOW SO 8 MINI CARDS ARE TO BE DOUBLE PRINTED INCUDING ARSENAL'S PAT JENNINGS. THIS MEANS NOTHING TO ME UNLESS I DECIDE TO LOSE MY MIND AND START BUILDING TEAM SETS FOR THESE THINGS BUT I'M GOING TO WORK ON JUST GETTING A TYPE CARD OF THESE SETS FOR THE TIME BEING

SO WHO ARE THESE GUYS ANYWAY. I DUNNO, LET'S FIND OUT TOGETHER. PETER WITHE WAS A PRETTY SUCCESSFUL STRIKER WHO SCORED A BUNCH OF GOALS IN THE 70S AND 80S, WON A COUPLE ENGLISH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND SCORED THE ONLY GOAL IN THE EUROPEAN CUP FINAL AGAINST BAYERN MUNICH IN 1982. HE ALSO PLAYED A SEASON WITH THE NASL PORTLAND TIMBERS WHICH IS PRETTY COOL. I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO FIND PETER NICHOLAS WAS ALSO AN ARSENAL PLAYER WHEN HE WASN'T MOONLIGHTING WITH THE WELSH NATIONAL TEAM. HE PLAYED FOR A LONG TIME AND HAD HIS BEST SUCCESS WITH CRYSTAL PALACE. PETER LATER BECAME A MANAGER AND WON THE WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE WITH LLANELLI IN 2008. PAUL DAVIS WAS THE REASON I BOUGHT THE CARD, MAINLY BECAUSE HIS PANEL SAID ARSENAL ON IT. THIS TURNS OUT TO BE PAUL'S ROOKIE CARD, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH. DAVIS PLAYED A TON OF GAMES FOR ARSENAL FROM 1980-1995 AND WON A COUPLE OF LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND A FEW CUPS WHILE ON THE TEAM. HE'S ONE OF THE FEW ARSENAL PLAYERS FROM LAST CENTURY WHOSE NAME I RECOGNIZED WHILE SCROUNGING THROUGH THE SOCCER LISTINGS AND THAT COMBINED WITH THIS NEAT LOOKING VERSION OF THE PANEL CARDS I LIKE SO MUCH MADE THIS AN EASY PICKUP. NOW I JUST NEED TO RESIST THE URGE TO BUY A SET OF THE STUFF. TWO SETS, ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW I'LL NEED AN EXTRA ONE TO RIP INTO MINIS