Topps Chewing Gum (English)

Topps Chewing Gum (English)

Topps is a well-known U.S. producer of trading cards, confections, sticker collections, and comic books, including Bazooka Joe Gum. The company was founded in 1938, and began adding trading cards to their gum packets in 1950 in an attempt to enhance sales (see www.topps.com). The gum was removed from the packets from 1991 onwards after card collectors complained that the gum was staining the cards! Topps took over A&BC Gum in 1975, signalling the last A&BC Gum English football cards in 1974/75 and the first Topps cards in 1975/76. The 1975/76 and 1976/77 sets were printed in the U.S., but Topps set up production in the Republic of Ireland and produced their 1977/78 and subsequent football sets from there under the name Topps Ireland Ltd. (T.I.L.). Topps produced English football cards in the period 1975/76 to 1980/81 only, as well as Scottish sets. I’m not sure why they stopped – do you know? In 1995 Topps acquired Merlin Publishing International, another well-known card maker.

There appears to be some confusion regarding when Topps Ltd. cards were made available for sale in shops. Many websites indicate the first season as 1974-75, which aligns with the cards’ backside displaying statistics only up to 1973-74, leaving the 1974-75 season blank. However, upon delving into the history between A&BC and Topps Ltd., along with considerations of player transfers, this dating seems inaccurate.

Topps Chewing Gum Incorporated and A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd. engaged in a court case in June and July of 1974, which Topps ultimately won. Subsequently, Topps Chewing Gum assumed the role left by A&BC Chewing Gum.

They introduced their initial set of football cards under the name Topps Bazooka Limited in 1975, employing the same design used for their Baseball cards in the USA in 1975.

In the 1970s, football cards were typically produced for sale at the beginning of a season, around late August. A&BC, however, often released them in series (August, November, February) to maintain interest throughout the season. Card design (photo acquisition and biographical compilation) typically occurred in June/July, with printing, production, and distribution in August.

Examining player transfers provides further evidence that Topps likely began selling football cards in 1975/76. For instance, in the last A&BC series, Chris Garland is depicted as a Chelsea player. He transferred to Leicester City in March 1975, and in the first Topps Ltd. series, he is portrayed as a Leicester player. Similar cases include Willie Morgan, who moved from Burnley to Bolton Wanderers in March 1976 but is pictured in a Bolton Wanderers shirt in the Topps Footballers Blue Back. This implies that the series could not have been available for sale in 1975.

Other instances, such as Peter Shilton’s transfer from Leicester City to Stoke City and Leighton James’ moves between Burnley, Derby County, and QPR, provide additional support. In summary, the evidence suggests that the accurate timing for the Topps footballer cards aligns with the 1975/76 season. If anyone has any additional information regarding this, please send us an email