2023 COMC BINGE - PART 10: MOLDY FOOTBALL

IT'S NOT A BLACK FRIDAY BINGE IF I DON'T PICK UP A MOLFY OLD SOCCER CARD OF A PLAYER I'VE BARELY HEARD OF FROM A COMPANY THAT IS COMPLETELY ALIEN TO ME. HERE'S THIS YEAR'S ARSENAL ARCHAEOLOGY

1969-70 A&BC FOOTBALLERS #46 GEORGE ARMSTRONG

GEORGE ARMSTRONG PLAYED FIFTEEN SEASONS WITH ARSENAL AND WAS A BIG PART OF THEIR FA CUP AND LEAGUE WINNING TEAMS. I KNOW ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT ENGLISH FOOTBALL BEFORE ABOUT 2013 OR SO BUT I HAD HEARD OF GEORGE SOMEHOW AND THAT RECOGNITION WAS PART OF THE REASON I PICKED UP THIS CARD. THAT AND THE NEAT DESIGN THAT'S REMINISCENT OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE AMERICAN FOOTBALL SETS, 1968 TOPPS. IT'S NOT NEARLY AS COLORFUL BUT THERE'S A CHARM TO THE SET LIKE SOMEONE CREATING A DIY ZINE JUST IN TRADING CARD FORM

THE BACK IS ACTUALLY MORE COLORFUL, IF YOU COUNT BLACK AS A COLOR. '68 FOOTBALL HAD SINGLE COLOR INK ON THE BACK WITH GREEN FOR SERIES ONE AND BLUE FOR SERIES TWO. AB&C ADDED BLACK TO THEIR BACKS WHICH MAKES THEIR CARTOON A LOT EASIER TO READ. IT'S STILL A VERY MINIMAL BACK BUT PRETTY NICE LOOKING. THIS CARTOON IS TIMELY AS FIFA IS STILL CLONKING SOCCER FANS ON THE HEAD WITH A GIANT BRICK TO THIS DAY. THAT'S ABOUT ALL I HAVE, I ALREADY WROTE A BIT ON WHAT AB&C IS IN MY LAST POST ON THE SUBJECT. I'LL HAVE MORE TO SAY ON NEXT WEEK'S CARD

BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 33: ANOTHER OLD GUNNER

COMC IS LITERALLY THE ONLY PLACE I CAN FIND ANCIENT ARSENAL FOOTBALL CARDS SO IT'S A GIVEN I'M GOING TO ADD ONE TO THE COLLECTION EACH BINGE FROM HERE ON OUT

1974-75 A&BC FOOTBALLERS JOHN RADFORD

IF YOU'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE A&BC COMPANY, CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS POST FOR SOME INFO. TL;DC: ENGLISH BUBBLE GUM COMPANY WHO LICENSED SOME SETS FROM TOPPS AND RELEASED SETS OF FOOTBALLERS UNTIL 1975. THIS IS THEIR FINAL SET BEFORE TOPPS YANKED THE LICENSE AND TOOK OVER. IT'S A COOL LOOKING ONE TO GO OUT ON WITH A DESIGN THAT BORROWS A LITTLE FROM THE 1972 TOPPS SET. THE CARD IS NOT THE STANDARD 2 1/2 BY 3 1/2 INCHES AND IS ABOUT THE SAME SIZE AS THE 1975 MINI SET. THIS CARD IS BEAT ALL TO CRAP WITH SCUFFS AND STAINS AND CREASES AND DOG EARED CORNERS BUT I DON'T GIVE A CRAP, I JUST WANTED A CARD OF AN ARSENAL PLAYER

I HAVE NO IDEA WHO ANY ARSENAL PLAYER WHO PLAYED BEFORE WENGER IS. I AM AN EXTREMELY CASUAL SOCCER FAN AND HAVE NOT BOTHERED TO DIG INTO THE 136 YEAR HISTORY OF THE CLUB. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT JOHN IS THE FOURTH HIGHEST GOAL SCORER IN ARSENAL'S HISTORY WITH 149. HELL YEAH! WON THE FA CUP AND THE LEAGUE IN 1970-71 AS WELL. I ALREADY LIKES THE CARD ENOUGH, THE FACT IT'S OF A TEAM LEGEND IS A BONUS. THIS IS A REALLY SWEET LOOKING SET, I WISH THEY WERE AS EASY TO FIND AS '75 BASEBALL CARDS. OR EVEN HOCKEY CARDS. I WAS TOO CHICKEN TO SCRATCH THE BACK FOR THE TRIVIA ANSWER BUT IF YOU LOOK AT IT CAREFULLY IN THE LIGHT YOU CAN SEE THE ANSWER IS BRADFORD CITY. MAYBE I SHOULD DO A LITTLE RESEARCH BEFORE MY NEXT VINTAGE ARSENAL PURCHASE?

BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 20: GUNNER

I LOVE OLD CARDS FROM THE 70S AND I LIKE ENGLISH FOOTBALL SO IT'S A NO BRAINER TO SNAG AN ENGLISH FOOTBALL CARD FROM THE 70S WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE

1971 A&BC GEORGE GRAHAM

I AM A DUMB AMERICAN WHO JUMPED ON THE FOOTBALL WAGON A DECADE AGO AND KNOWS ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT FOOTBALL HISTORY. BUT THE CLUB I GLOMMED ONTO WAS ARSENAL AND EVEN A DUMBASS NEOPHYTE LIKE ME HAS HEARD ABOUT GEORGE GRAHAM. GEORGE WAS BOTH A PLAYER AND MANAGER FOR ARSENAL AND WON A LOT OF CUPS FOR THE CLUB. THE YEAR THIS CARD CAME OUT, ARSENAL WON THE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP AND FA CUP DOUBLE. HE ALSO LED THE TEAM TO THE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1989 AND 1991 AS ARSENAL'S MANAGER. THE 1989 CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON IS A KEY MOMENT IN NICK HORNSBY'S BOOK AND FILM FEVER PITCH. THE 1997 FILM WITH COLIN FIRTH, NOT THAT OTHER ONE. GEORGE IS RIGHTLY CONCIDERED AN ARSENAL LEGEND, ALTHOUGH HE ULTIMATELY GOT FIRED FROM THE TEAM FOR TAKING KICKBACKS FROM PLAYER TRANSFERS. AND THAT IS THE SUM OF MY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GEORGE GRAHAM. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL INSIDE LEFT MEANS

SO WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS CARD THO. A&BC WAS AN ENGLISH BUBBLE GUM COMPANY THAT PRODUCED TRADING CARDS FOR THE BRITISH MARKET FROM 1953 TO 1974. THEY STARTED OFF WITH A FEW SERIES OF FILM AND TV STARS ALONG WITH A 1954 SET OF 'ALL SPORT' CARDS FEATURING PLAYERS FROM FOOTBALL, CRICKET, BOXING AND MANY OTHER SPORTS. THEN IN 1959 THEY SIGNED A LICENSING DEAL WITH TOPPS THAT ALLOWED THEM TO PRODUCE SOME TOPPS PRODUCTS LIKE BAZOOKA GUM AND THEIR OWN VERSION OF TOPPS TRADING CARD SETS. NON-SPORT A&BC SETS INCLUDE THEIR SPIN ON ELVIS, BEATLES, BATMAN AND STAR TREK. THEIR FOOTBALL SETS RAN FROM 1958-59 TO 1974-75 AND YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF TOPPS DESIGNS AMONG THE SETS INCLUDING 1958 AND 1962 BASEBALL AND 1958, 1963 AND 1968 FOOTBALL. THERE'S ALSO SOME FAMILIAR ODDBALL SETS LIKE STAMPS, GAME CARDS AND DECKLE EDGE. THIS 1971 SERIES SEEMS TO BE A RIFF ON THE 1967 TOPPS BASEBALL DESIGN TO ME ALTHOUGH I CAN'T BE SURE IT ISN'T A KNOCKOFF OF AN EVEN MORE OBSCURE DESIGN LIKE CFA FOOTBALL OR WHA HOCKEY. IT'S A NICE CLEAN LOOKING DESIGN AND THE BACK POPS ALTHOUGH I'M TOO CHICKEN TO SCRATCH OFF THE TRIVIA ANWER. IT'S ALSO A FULL SIZED CARD WHICH IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE WITH ENGLISH RELEASES. THE CARDS ARE NOT SUPER EASY TO TRACK DOWN BUT THEY'RE REALLY NEAT AND A TYPE SET OF ARSENAL PLAYERS IS A LONG TERM PROJECT FOR ME

On the Twelfth Day of Cardmas...

I finished this dumb post!

TWELVE GOONY GUNNERS

ELEVEN RANDOM ROOKIES

TEN LOONY LEONARDS

NINE BARVEY AUTOS

EIGHT PERFECT CORNERS

SEVEN SKEERY MONSTERS

SIX STAR WARS CARDS

FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE SAAAAAAAAADDESSSSST CAAAAAAAARDS

AAAAAAH SCARY GRADED CARD COFFIN THING

THREE BAD DUDES

TWO RUINED CARDS

AND THE GREATEST STICKER SET IN HISTORYYYYYYYYYYYY

yAY cHrISTMAS!