www.subbuteospares.co.

uk
The place to look for those elusive players and parts,
whatever the sport. Always buying and selling Subbuteo.
www.worldtablesoccer.com
Excellent retail site selling mainly modern playing
equipment. Based in Scotland and Canada.
www.subbuteoforum.org.uk
The Internets main forum for chatting about Table Soccer
and related topics; in fact just about anything!
www.littleplasticmen.co.uk
A great reference site with some fine photosalso a few
bargains to be found for collectors and players alike.
Teams painted to order
www.sporting-gold.co.uk
Retail site selling general sporting goods, including some
Subbuteo from time to timeworth checking regularly!
www.subbuteotablesoccer.com

Newly-created site stocking Subbuteo teams, sets and
accessories. Good range of post-80s items in particular.
www.subbuteousa.com
Table Soccer supplies for sale, plus loads of info about the
game in the United States.
www.geocities.com/jabdc5jabdc5

All kinds of spares available here, from old flat players
to fence posts! Very reasonable prices.
Subbuteo bought and sold.
www.subbuteoicute.tk
Currently under construction and described by the owner
as being basically about Subbuteo and the playing of.
www.thatsmagnificent.com

Retail site with a large diversity of goods on offer.
Repro boxes, T-Shirts, Zeugo teams (to name but a few!)
Subbuteo Club Members Websites
Please let me know if you have a website not listed above and it will get a mention next time.
Here goes with issue #9 of the newsletter, the first one to have a staple in the spine...long overdue I hear you thinking!
Of course, at the time of writing I have no idea whether this will be a success but you should know the verdict by now. I hope you
like this little innovation, and there are more to come with different-coloured covers in future. As befits the Subbuteo tradition
I have a green one lined up for issue #10 in FebruaryIll bet those 90 days cant fly by quickly enough eh?

As for the contents, the feedback I received after newsletter #8 was generally excellent but some doubts were expressed as to
whether we need 2 full pages dedicated to events. I tend to agree that non-UK members in particular lose out here so Ill keep the
info on these pages to a strict minimum in future. Likewise, the membership list is still considered surplus to requirements as it
would take up another double page which could be filled with Subbuteo-related articles instead, but the Wants Lists will
definitely return next time. Please keep those comments/ideas/suggestions (and of course articles!) coming in.

Im really pleased that membership went through the 250 barrier just days before I hit the print button; Its always nice to achieve
these little milestones and particularly pleasing that so many overseas members have joined us. Almost 20% of SC members are
non-UK residents and Vikash from South Africa now gives us the full set of continents. I have written 2005 subs due on the
backs of the envelopes where applicable, so do check but remember that you still get access to fairs even as a lapsed member and
the next one is barely a month awaytry and make it if you can. I expect the actual number of paying members to dip slightly
because of this, although Id like to think that most still found 6.00 a good price for 4 newsletters a year in its own right.

Another reason for a potential drop in numbers is that I understand many Table Soccer players will be resigning from the club in a
show of (misplaced) solidarity. Its unfortunate that some TS players came onto an internet Subbuteo forum, demanded their own
closed-off sections to discuss club matters and then proceeded to insult collectors of Subbuteo in private. What an abuse of trust,
but the staggering part is that other players sided with their colleagues in what they saw as a player versus collector issue.
How stupid! I have no regrets whatsoever about blowing the whistle on this practice, and will certainly not miss those individuals
concerned bearing in mind their attitude towards fellow club members.

Id just like to reiterate that the SC tries to cater for all members of the Subbuteo fraternity, whether players or collectors.
Indeed, I consciously decided to replace the old Subbuteo Collectors Club with just the Subbuteo Club to try and reflect this!
No other organisation, past or present, has made such efforts to attract players to collectors fairs and members have always been
encouraged to bring tables along in order to play matchesIve done this myself! Furthermore, the distinction between players
and collectors is at best very blurred as weve nearly all played the game at some stage. I think the fact that Im strictly a
collector these days has led to some silly conclusions being drawn, especially by those seeking to undermine the SC.

Oh well, I suppose it would be a boring world if things went smoothly all the while. Being philosophical, maybe thats all part of
the fun - wondering what the next Subbuteo-related development will be in an often eventful hobby. Im sure there are plenty of
interesting times ahead, and when Subbuteo returns to the shops next February that will be a major (positive) event in itself.
Deadlines permitting, we may be able to fit in a feature about this for next issue because I already sense a buzz of expectation.
Daniel Tatarsky has given us a brief glimpse on page 11 of what Hasbro have planned for us and I must say it sounds good!

Thats all coming soon, but in the meantime end-of-year thanks are due to all those who have helped the SC cause in whatever
way during 2004. Theyre too numerous to mention in the limited space remaining and I wouldnt want to omit anyone, but well
done to all concerned and keep up the good work!
#9
NOVEMBER 2004
Merry Christmas and a happy 2005!
Leicester Fair : Tuesday, December 28th

Start: Finish:
9 a.m. Sellers, 9.30 a.m. Buyers Approx. 1 p.m.

Venue:
The Trinity Methodist Church, Narborough Road, which is on the A5460
just 3/4 minutes drive from the M1/M69.

Directions:
After leaving the M1/M69 junction, head for the first major roundabout.
Take the second turning onto the dual carriageway which leads into town
(this is the A5460).

After approx. 1 mile you will come to a set of traffic lights at the large
crossroads with the Holiday Inn on the right and a Jaguar car showroom
on the left. Keep going.

Continue along the dual carriageway almost until the next set of lights,
but just before coming to these you will see the large church on the left.
Turn left and left again to go round to the back of the building where the
fair is taking place.
Coming Soon.
**NON-MEMBERS ALSO WELCOME**

There will be an entry fee of 2.00 for non-members wishing to attend, whether as buyers
or sellers, and they will receive this copy of the SC Newsletter on the door.

Spread the word!
Remember!

All Subbuteo Club members, past and present, can
attend all fairs FREE.
Food & Refreshments available Ample free car parking
2 large halls (capacity 150+) Easy access for traders
Catering proceeds to the LRF
Centrally located in the heart of England
The two months since the launch of Flick of Kick have been rather weird. It was only a year ago that I began
researching and writing the book and now here I am; a published author. More interesting than that even is the fact
that I have just returned from Hasbro where I had a sneak preview of the New Subbuteo to be launched in February
2005. But more of that later.

The excitement of seeing the book on a shelf for the first time was quite something. Although I already had a copy
of the book it is quite different to see it out in the public domain. Shortly after this thrill the publicist at Orion
booked me in for a day of radio interviews and book signings. It was only one day but for that time I felt a very
small amount of what it must be like to be JK Rowling. Without the money, though.

The radio interviews, for various regional stations around the country were all conducted in a small cubby hole at
Broadcasting House just off Oxford Street. At pre-arranged times a voice would come through the headphones;
Hi, its Tony from Radio Leicester here. Is that Daniel? And so would begin a trip down Subbuteos memory lane.
By the sixth interview I was unsure which anecdote had been spun and which fact thrown forth.

Interspersed between the interviews were quick trips out to various bookshops around London for signings. No these
were not the sort of signings where there are queues of adoring fans begging for a photo with me. Not even my
Mum does that. These were the sort where you go into the shop, almost guerilla style, and sign all their copies so
they can put the magic Signed by the Author sticker on. I couldnt help thinking that each book I was signing was
somehow being devalued as my scrawl spread across the inside cover.

The final interview was for Talk Sport on the Hawksbee & Jacobs show. Entering the Talk Sport offices is very
much like going to an all-male flat except that here there are about 20 blokes living in it. Old sock smell is the first
thing to hit your senses followed by a total wall of noise of about 40 different sports channels from around the
world all blaring out at once. The interview went well as had all of them. The thing that struck me about each
interviewer was how they actually seemed interested in the subject. this may have just been their professionalism but
I genuinely felt they liked the game, and the book.

We had a small launch a few days after the book came out. An evening of beer, Subbuteo, and more beer.
Ably supported by the Putney Subbuteo club a great evening was rounded off by the vision of a Hasbro member of
Staff being put in a headlock by a old-time enthusiast who disagreed with the companies future plans. It was all
good humoured stuff and went to show that people still care passionately about the game.

Which brings me nicely to yesterdays trip to Stockley Park, nerve centre of Hasbro UK.

Ian Woods, Hasbro Commercial Manager, had invited me to see the latest developments for Subbuteo. Deep in the
bowels of the building I was ushered into a room where all the newest toys and games are shown to interested
parties; be they Toy Shop buyers, members of the press, or just lucky folk like me.

Hasbro see the way forward into new markets as a mixture of past, present and future. The playing figures are
reverting to the two dimensional format from the very early days. The present is catered for in the images on the
playing figures. Nine of Europes top clubs have signed up to have their players on the Subbuteo figures. Kids will
be given the chance to build their own dream team. As for the future

Some rule changes are being discussed. These are aimed at giving the player a more thoughtful challenge about how
to play the game. Tactical awareness will be needed to make sure you start with and keep genuine football
formations. There are also plans to have variable bases within each team depending on the position and the identity
of the player used. For instance you might want a base which is better for dribbling for your Ronaldo, whilst your
Sol Campbell would be better suited to having a strong tackling base.

Each set will come with its own Wembley style arches. These have the dual function of the keeping the pitch flat
and providing a beautiful setting for the match to take place.

Whatever direction Hasbro decide to take the game we can be sure that they are enthusiastic about it and whilst the
changes they are planning will never please everyone at least we know that they know there are people all around
the world who care about Subbuteo. Long may that continue!
Daniel Tatarskys Latest News
* 2004 Hasbro. All rights reserved.
Packaging has always been important in business and Mr. Parodi, the Italian importer of Subbuteo, knew that very well. Perhaps inspired
by the English Special boxes C138 and C500, decided to produce some special boxes hosting the more famous team of the period. The
box was like the late 70s C100 one (actually the box is slightly bigger, perhaps due to the inches-centimetres conversion? And contains
a plastic lid of a different kind of plastic) coloured with the colours of the team inside them. Brazil box was yellow gold and green, Italy
was white, red and green and so on. At both ends of the box than it was written the name of the team itself, of course in Italian, since
these boxes were sold only in Italy. The footballers you can find inside can be HW, Hybrid or LW and they were painted at a higher
grade of accuracy, we will see hereafter that this statement has been often not true. This article is based onto Italian catalogues of 1981,
1982 and 1987/88 and on personal observation of my own team and team of friends of mine. 1981 Italian catalogue displays 16 teams
that raise up to 20 the year after and up to 21 in 1987/88 catalogue. I shall be looking at the 10 national teams in the next issue.

Fiorentina: In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as an HW team. It differs very much from standard #55: very dark mauve shirts
with round white badge, black shorts, very dark mauve socks with white hoop: this is something special!!! Of the same period you can
find the pinhead Hybrid team with the very same colours. In 1987/88 catalogue the team is LW and differ from the current #490 (but
which? I own three different #490 kits) for the badge and for the black shorts.

Genoa: In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as an HW team. No difference with standard #72 but the round yellow badge.
1987/88 LW kit has the same badge differentiating it from standard LW #72.

Inter (Internazionale): In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as an HW team. No difference with standard #58 but the badge: a
yellow star. In Italy a team can apply a star badge on the shirt for every 10 championships won. At the time Inter had already won more
than 10 championships, so it is logical to have a star. But the Hybrid (pin head) team I own has only a round yellow badge, so I guess
they should exist HW with round badges somewhere. In 1987/88 the special team (LW machine printed) differs for a round yellow
badge.

Juventus (Hurraaaaa..ehm, sorry) : In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as an HW team. Socks differ from standard #34 be-
cause they are white with a black hoop. The badge is a yellow star, Juventus had already won its 10
th
championship at the time. Once
again the Hybrid team (pin head) has a simple round yellow badge instead of the star and the socks are white with black top. The LW
team exist as well and it is a wicket striped machine printed LW with the same socks pattern and the same badge as for the Hybrid team.

Lazio: In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as an HW team. This team is nothing more than a #5 with a round white badge and
white collar and cuffs. In the 1987/88 catalogue the team is a machine printed LW and still the difference are the badge, the collar and
cuffs.

Milan: In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as a fat head Hybrid team. A pinhead Hybrid team exist as well. This team is the
standard #57 with round yellow badge. In the 1987/88 catalogue the team is a machine printed LW and the difference is the only badge.

Napoli: In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as an HW team. This is a real different team. At the time Napoli had the same refer-
ence as Lazio, i.e. #5, but the special team is turquoise instead of pale blue, with white collar and cuffs, turquoise socks with white hoop.
Sorry no badge this time. The 1987/88 version is an LW machine printed with the very same colours of the HW figure. A white badge
can be present but you can find teams without it.

Roma: In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as an HW team. In both these catalogues the team seems to be exactly the same of the
standard #93. The machine printed LW figures of 1987/88 has a round white badge.

Torino: In 1981 and 1982 catalogues this is shown as a fat head Hybrid team. The team is the standard #99 with a white V badge, that
should represent the head of a bull, the symbol of Torino (Torino means something as small bull in Italian). A pinhead Hybrid for this
team exists as well. The machine printed LW figures of 1987/88 has a round white badge.

Sampdoria: Not in the 1981 catalogue, in 1982 and 1987/88 catalogues this team is shown as a machine printed LW. This team is
absolutely the same of #398. Curiosity: the 1982 catalogue stops (for mystical reasons?) at #394 and starts again at #399, so the special
team is actually different from the standard Sampdoria (#94). Or should bebecause the Italian catalogue shows the picture of
Sampdoria with 94/398 ref. And does the same in chart at the end of the catalogue!!!!!!

Verona: Neither in the 1981 catalogue nor in the 1982. In the 1987/88 catalogue it is the very same of #615 (that was out of stock in
1987/88), with scudetto badge.

It is evident that the C100 S covered the most important Italian clubs with three exceptions: Genoa and Sampdoria have not so many fans
in Italy but they are the teams of Genova (Genoa) where the Italian importer of Subbuteo had (and still have) his headquarters. In this
region (my region) there was, and arguably there is, the maximum density of Subbuteo players and items possible in Italy. During the
golden era I guess it was possible to find and to buy Subbuteo teams even by the butcher. Verona was a small team from North of Italy
that won the championship without great players and without a great historical football tradition. And all the Italians, romantic people,
fell in love with this team for a couple of years.

Marco Longinotti
Italian C100 S Special Boxes
Part One (Club Teams)
Are you a TRUE Subbuteo collector?
1. When do you envisage selling your Subbuteo? A Soon
B Maybe one day
C Never
2. You need a 2-week holiday and some expensive
Subbuteo, but you cant afford both so you...
A Forget the Subbuteo
B Just go for 1 week
C Forget the holiday
3. Your (insured) Subbuteo is stolen by burglars and
some of it is irreplaceable, are you feeling.
A Delighted, it was insured!
B Sad, but philosophical.
C Inconsolable
4. Youve just missed the chance to buy a Munich
set for 20.00. You think.
A Ive lost out on a big payday here!
B Oh well, never mind
C Id have loved that for my collection
5. Your mates in the pub are all giving flak to Subbuteo
collectors, do you.?
6. Theres a swapmeet where you know youll find
your most desired item. How far would you travel?
7. Your partner doesnt appreciate your Subbuteo
collection. What do you do?
A Sell it
B Try to find a compromise
C Ignore the objections and carry on
A Join in the criticism
B Keep quiet
C Tell them that you collect it
A Up to 50 miles
B A couple of hundred miles
C Over 200 miles. Distance no object!!
8 Your attitude towards those paying large amounts for
Subbuteo is.
A They must be crazy
B I wouldnt do it myself, but why not?
C Its worth it for quality goods
9 You have a car crash and the vehicle could explode at any
moment. It has 150 teams stashed in the boot. Do you?
A Get rid of it
B Hide it away
C Leave the country
10 If the government put a tax on old Subbuteo, what would
you do...?
A Run like hell
B Weigh up the risks
C Stay there to retrieve the teams
So, a diehard Subbuteo collector are you? This may be the case, but its only by responding honestly to the 10
questions below that you can be sure. Award yourself 1 point for each A answer, 2 points for each B and 3 for a C
and add up the total. Then check your score on the Results Analysis chart to receive the final verdict. Best of luck!
By Graham Paice
Results Analysis:-

27 or over ... Definitely one of the Subbuteo faithful and a role-model collector 21 - 26 Worthy of the
collector tag, but cannot afford to ease off 15 - 20 A lack of commitment to the cause. Are you sure this
is for you? Under 15 A disgrace to the Subbuteo collecting hobby. Please try Action Man or Scalextric!!
Intrigued by Laurents stadium article in the last issue (and making tentative plans to build my own) I embarked on a cost
evaluation study to estimate how much Id have to pay to get the sort of stadium I wanted; naturally full of spectators!

Because most modern stadia have covered stands all around, Im going to need 5 of these up each side of the pitch and 3
behind each goal, thus making 16 altogether. Im going for the blue & red versions here as they have a more modern design.

Unfortunately, you cant get any double-tiered corner terraces with roofs - what a marketing idea that would be! - so Ill have
to settle for 4 of the standard single-tier ones (in grey, which I think will look better with the blue/red stands).

To get the basic infrastructure therefore were looking at 16 grandstands and 4 corner terraces. Obviously, I could buy these
very quickly if money was no object (they arent particularly rare) but dont have an infinite budget so will bide my time.

Im reckoning on paying about 10.00 each (optimistic?) on average for the grandstands, which makes 160.00 and Im
willing to pay 5.00 each for the corners so thats another 20.00 making about 180.00 in total.

Of course, I may get lucky and find a few cheaply at a swapmeet or car bootwho knows? This would reduce the total but
then again I envisage ordering at least some of them off the internet and postal costs would substantially increase it.
I think if I budget for 200.00 all things considered I should eventually be able to get all the pieces I want in good condition.

But then theres the spectators!!!!!!!!!

Has anyone ever worked out how many of these fit into a grandstand? Well you need almost exactly 200 per stand (depending
on how you space them, you can perhaps get away with less) so by my reckoning thats about 3200. Add to this the 4 corner
terraces which hold at least 80 each and that takes us beyond the 3500 mark to completely fill the ground. For once, Im
relieved that Subbuteo accessories are not 100% realistic or I might be looking at 20x this amount!

So, how much will these 3500 spectator figures cost? The pre-painted ones tend to be a little dearer, no doubt because they
look more realistic but Id be happy to settle for the unpainted type. Whenever I see these advertised for sale or auction I
notice that the going rate is about 5 per 1.00, which seems rather dear. This would make the cost a staggering 700.00 and is
by far the biggest item of expenditure, but every so often a Subbuteo find yields a few spectators if youre patient. Maybe the
odd 20/30 here followed by another dozen or so there, and this will gradually reduce the cost from the frighteningly-high
700.00 figure quoted above.

As for the timescale involved, I suspect were talking upwards of 5 years by this no-rush approach but it should enable me to
condense spectator costs to under 500.00 which, spread over a 5-year period wouldnt be so bad. Also, Subbuteo prices tend
to fluctuate and there will no doubt be a more favourable time to buy them than at present. Its like most things in the
collectors worldif you want it now you will always pay more whilst selective purchases can save you a lot in the long run.
I may even space out the seating arrangements to reduce capacity by a few hundred if necessary, which would be another
important cost-cutting measure. Another reason for doing this may be that I just cant find the requisite number of figures
3500 is after all a hell of a lot!

I have so far left out all the minimal expenses such as the price of the pitch and the surface (chipboard, perhaps?) to mount the
whole set-up on, as these are fairly negligible in the greater scheme of things. Extras such as floodlights would however push
up the price, and I suppose they could be deemed obligatory rather than optional as all stadiums have them. They also nicely
fill the gaps in the corners left between the top of the corner terraces and the roofs of the stands, but 4 of these wouldnt come
to a vast amount. Perhaps if we said 50.00 max. for all the sundries that would cover it, even if I eventually decide to go for a
matchday set-up with trainers dugouts, ballboys, TV crew and a few policemen on duty etc...

Summing up then it will cost approx. 200.00 to build a stadium, hopefully no more than 500 to fill it and maybe 50.00
extra for the final touches. Im therefore aiming to get a stadium for around the 750.00 mark, but if anybody offered me one
ready-made for 750.00 I wouldnt want to buy it all in one go. The enjoyment of tracking down the required items before
building and then filling your own ground to your personal specifications is where all the pleasure comes in for me, with the
thrill of the hunt being as great as the thrill of the catch. Im sure that many collectors can identify with this.

So Im looking forward to the challenge once Ive cleared enough house space for the project to commence. In many ways
this is the most daunting part of all, but if everything goes to plan Ill submit a picture of the finished works for issue #30 of
this newsletter.

Cheers.
Andy Simpson.
What price a Subbuteo stadium?
Spinners v Sliders
I was never a brilliant Subbuteo player, but in the 70s I used to have a few games with my
mates and I then resumed with my sons a few years back. At some point during this break the
pitches changed and the I found game had become almost unplayable! Who had the bright
idea of replacing that smooth baize stuff with crease-riddled nylon then?

More importantly though, the teams themselves have changed and the game is now all about
sliding flat-bottomed figures as opposed to spinning their rounder-bottomed ancestors.
If I had to choose Id say I preferred spinning figures, as this was more spectacular and there
appeared to be more skill involved.

At this point I can hear the current crop of players protesting that the skill involved in
flicking a player over half the length of the pitch with just the force necessary to stop him as
he touches the ball is immense and yes, Ive seen this done regularly as a spectator at
playing events.

Then again, Ive seen spinners getting round the back of a defensive line in a way which no
slider could manage because the latest figures just dont work that way. For a spinner no cause
is ever lost, even when theres an opponent between his player and the ball.

So who would win a modern-day encounter between a spinner and a slider? It would certainly
provide an interesting clash of styles but I doubt there are many (if any) spinners left to accept
the challenge. Contemporary players seem to be constantly shining up bases with some kind of
cleaning fluid for better sliding and, it must be said, most modern bases are designed
exclusively for this.

If this is so then I must conclude that the game has become more one-dimensional as a result.
No spinner spins his figures all the time and plays with a mixture of straight and curved flicks,
whereas the slider (unless Ive missed something) plays constantly in straight lines, almost as
a geometric exercise. Has variation now been sacrificed for grinding efficiency?

My sons are both sliders par excellence and beat me regularly, but when I get out the old 70s
teams and pull off an amazing spin its always good to watch their admiration.
It almost makes it worthwhile playing just for that!

Rob Freeman

< Here is a page from a 70s catalogue describing
the various spins which can be performed and how to
execute them. Todays catalogues are far less detailed
and the following diagram would be quite sufficient.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you carefully peruse old copies of Subbuteo News these mugs appear in at
least one of the 1986 issues. Ive never actually seen one in real life though,
nor heard of any coming up for sale on Ebay or at fairs. This tells me they are
extremely rare, perhaps because so few of them were sold at the time?

They were advertised at 52p each plus 25p P&P, and I believe they were only
available via mail order as they werent shown in any of the catalogues from
this period. They were white with the word Subbuteo printed in Subbuteo
green all over them (please excuse the poor photo quality) and were apparently
made of 10 oz. melamine! Now how many people knew that I wonder?!




Car Sticker Listed as accessory C116 as late as the 69/70 catalogue, these made
way for the more commonplace Advanced Rules Brochure shortly thereafter.
I suppose that most of them were stuck on cars at the time, which is after all what
they were for, and there are very few surviving cars from 35 years ago. Its perhaps
asking a lot for anyone to have kept one unused but Im surprised that some of them
dont turn up in old boxes, if only stuck on the lid!

Tie This was reference C115 before being superceded by the brown scoreboard and has the
following description in the 69/70 brochure:- single spot motif of footballer in red,
silver-white with the word Subbuteo underneath in silver-white with red and yellow stripes
on an attractive green background. Theres also a later (early 80s?) tie which is dark green
with the Waddingtons ball and falcon logo on it in gold (see pic.) Although still quite
scarce I have actually seen this second version so it doesnt warrant a mention on the AWOL
list, but where have all the original C115 ties gone to these days??

EPNS Cups These were accessories C162/3/4, depending on whether
you wanted them in large, medium or small. I have not yet seen a real one,
let alone owned one, so anybody collecting the C series of accessories
will more than likely have a gaping hole for these 3 items.

And yet they were around for a fair time, starting out life in the 50s
catalogues before re-appearing under the above refs. in the 1979 one.
Unfortunately, they had sold out written next to them so theyd
probably all gone by the time this photo was published...quite bizarre!!

Croid Glue I dont even have a photo of this one because to my knowledge it never appeared in any
of the catalogues. Youd think that something as bland as a tube of glue would turn up all the time,
maybe in old flat sets for example, but theres none to be found. Available over a 20-year stretch going
well into the 70s, they arent exactly antiques so I wonder what the tale is here?

Id wager that nobody reading this article has even one of the above accessories but would love to be
proven wrong. And what on earth would items 3, 4 & 5 (in particular) sell for if they showed up?
Impossible to say, but thered be a good few people in the queue myself included!
From the same year and the same source - Subbuteo pens!
Described as a white Schaeffer no-nonsense ballpen and
costing 85p (P&P 15p), they were also only available to
S.N. subscribers for a very short while - what a shame!
SUBBUTEOS MISSING ACCESSORIES
Richard Staples Investigates...
These were Subbuteos first 3-dimensional figures and looked more true-to-life than the previous flat ones.
They first appeared in the 1962 catalogue with 36 teams available and were sold alongside the celluloid flats
throughout their whole lifespan. The arrival of the even-more-realistic 70s HWs (in 1967) gave them
another rival which ultimately proved more popular and they were phased out shortly afterwards.

OHWs are now becoming quite sought-after following years of neglect compared to their 1970s peers.
Maybe many 70s HW collectors have now found most of the teams they need and are going back to the 60s
for a new challenge. As the main range only contained 54 references (plus the sixteen 1966 WC Teams) this
somehow makes a full set seem accessible, but its very deceptive! It has been estimated that for every 50 or
so HWs found there is just one OHW which turns up, which shows the enormity of the task!!

As a rough price guide, Id start at 20.00 for the 1 rarities and then add 20.00 for each extra full grade.
This is perhaps an oversimplification but its roughly in line with what Ive seen them bought and sold for
over the past few years, notwithstanding a few Ebay anomalies. Below are their relative rarity gradings ....
REF. # RARITY REF # RARITY REF # RARITY REF # RARITY REF # RARITY
1 1 12 4 23 3 34 3 45 4.5
2 1 13 3 24 3 35 3 46 5
3 1.5 14 4 25 2 36 3 47 4
4 2 15 1 26 2 37 4 48 4
5 1 16 2.5 27 3.5 38 4 49 3
6 2 17 2 28 2 39 4 50 3
7 1 18 1 29 3.5 40 4.5 51 2.5
8 2 19 2.5 30 3 41 2.5 52 2.5
9 2 20 3 31 3 42 1 53 5
10 1 21 1 32 3 43 4 54 5
11 2 22 2 33 3.5 44 3
International Teams (W.C. 1966)

Many of these are identical to references above
and their rarity grade will therefore be the same.

Eg. Switzerland = ref. 1 Portugal = ref. 18
Bulgaria = ref. 21 etc

No gradings have been estimated at this stage
for international teams outside this category.
Boxes

Please bear in mind that any of the very early
teams in all-white boxes will be particularly
valuable, with many collectors prepared to
pay high prices just for the box!

The 1966 World Cup teams in their original
named boxes (ie. official sticker on the end)
will also attract higher prices due to this.
Original Heavyweights
Trevor Smith & Paul Streather
1949-50

The 1949-50 Price List was folded into three sections, giving six pages. The cover is white
with a red band background to the words A Price List of located at the top of the front cover, and
P.A. Adolphs address details at the bottom of the page. A Subbuteo player motif also appeared for
the first time located nearly half way down the front cover on the left hand side.
Page 2 contained information on sets A to F. Set A was now referred to as The Popular
Introductory Assembly Outfit , and in Set E an additional base colour of light blue had been
added. Page 3 sets G to N. Page 4 sets O to U. There were six additions to the previous year:-
Set P Referee & Linesmen in celluloid with bases, Set R Material for Treating Goals ,
Set S Team Holder Carrying Boxes, Set T Corner Flags,and finally Set U 4 Fixture Cards.
Schedule of Team Colours appeared on pages 5 & 6. The Colour References had been
increased from 16 to 24 teams,which included the now rare Ref 19 ( Red,Amber & Black Hoops,
white shorts, as worn by Bradford Park Avenue. Reference 5 had changed from Black & White
Striped shirts,white shorts to Sky Blue shirts, white shorts. The two pages were set out in the
familiar format of the vertical oblong box design for each reference, giving the ref no, colour of
shirts , shorts and the relevant English, Scottish, and International Teams who used those colours.
It also stated that if teams Ref. 1, 2, 10 & 15 were ordered together, a gummed International
Emblem Sheet would be included free, and these could be fixed to the left shirt breast of the
Football Player Figures.

1950-51 and 1951-52

The Catalogue/Price List for these two years remained the same size and in the same
format as the 1949-50 version, with only slight modification. The covers for the both issues were
identical apart from the date in the Top left hand corner. The first was issued in August 1950 and
the second in September 1951. The cover was red with a white border, the lettering in either red or
black, depending on the background colour. The Trade Mark Motif of a player had been increased
400% in size, and was situated just below the date of issue. The Legend Invented, Manufactured
and Distributed by P.A. Adolph Langton Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, appeared at the bottom.
With regard to the 1950-51 Price List, team references (24) remained the same, but two
new accessories were added to the range : Set V Miniature Referee Whistle and Set W
Automatic bell ringing time Keeper.
Under the schedule of team colours, a footnote appeared which stated:-
In Set G all the colour combination references are available in pressouts with the exception of
references 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12. These six references have to be cut out with scissors.
The 1951-52 teams available was still static at 24. One significant absentee was from the
list of teams under reference No 4 New Brighton had not been re-elected to the Football League ,
and to add insult to that injury, they were no longer officially recognised by Subbuteo, who had
removed them from the reference.

1952-53

The cover had changed slightly from the previous year. The motif of the player now appeared in the centre at the top of the page.
A white background appeared in the top quarter of the cover whilst the remainder was red with black lettering. A small section of the left
hand side of the cover was now white. Two new teams were introduced. Ref.25, Green and White Hoops, white shorts, (Celtic ), and Ref.
26 Yellow shirts, Blue Sleeves, black shorts, (Leeds United ).

1953-54

The cover was completely revamped for this catalogue. It had a white background. There was a wide
red stripe running down the middle with a small V cut out at the bottom in which a small player
appeared. The actual player logo was much larger and took up a kicking stance just right of centre.
He was kitted out in a white shirt and black shorts. The season appeared at the top of the cover whilst
the bottom strip was taken up with P.A. Adolphs usual address in white print on a black background.

Set A the popular introductory assembly outfit was replaced by a basic accessory outfit which
included 2 smaller balls, referee and 2 linesmen, goal holding device, material for keeping the ball in
the net, 6 corner flags, referees whistle, surround apparatus and score recorder. These came in a
special presentation box which I once owned. It was Priced in old money at 15s and 6d.

Team colours increased by two with the addition of ref. 27 Maroon shirts, white shorts, (Hearts) and
ref.28 Canary Yellow shirts,black shorts. ( Norwich City ) In this particular price list P.A.Adolph
reduced so many accessories in price. I wonder why? This was also the first time that the prices of the
full selection of Subbuteo football games appeared on the front of the catalogue.
Subbuteo Catalogues of the Fifties
1954-55 and 1955-56

Both covers identical to the 1953-54 catalogue except for the following:-
1. Issue dates are August 1954 and August 1955 respectively.
2. The large player on the front is wearing red shirt, white shorts on both Issues.
3. The wide stripe in the middle of the cover is green in the 54-55 issue and blue in the 55-56.
4. The small player on the bottom of the cover corresponds with the Wide stripe colour on the cover e.g. green shirt, white
shorts, 54-55, and blue shirt, white shorts 55-56. In 54-55, the team reference increased by two to 30 with the addition of
ref. 29 red & yellow hooped shirts, white shorts, (Partick Thistle) and ref. 30 black & gold striped shirts, black shorts (East
Fife). Set QQ Goal Holding Device for use with NN (smaller goals) was introduced. The 1955-56 catalogue had one
change. Teams were increased by one, Ref ,31 Blue & White Halved shirts, white shorts. (Blackburn Rovers).

1956-57

The front cover design was completely changed for 1956-57 season. The width of the cover 5 and a half
inches was split up. Three and a half inches on the left hand side was red in colour, the remainder was
white with a blue stripe thereon, 1 and a half inches wide by 6 inches long. A small black strip ran along
the base with the name and address of the Inventor in white. On the red strip, three quarters of an inch
from the top was a large white football with the words Subbuteo Table Soccer regd in red letters
thereon. Below this was the words Replacements and Accessories in white, and immediately below
again, in black, Season 1956-57 and a brief summary of How Accessories and Teams Can Add to the
Excitement of the Game.

The blue strip commenced with Price List 1956-57 at the top in black print followed by
Subbuteo Table Soccer Is The Most Advanced and Up To Date Form of Table Football Available etc.
Details of sets available was then Included below. At the bottom right hand corner on a white
background was a Footballer wearing red shirt and white shorts. There were two additions to the
accessories:- Set JJ Ball Raising Chute, and Set LL 2 Spare Goalkeepers In Action. There were no
additions to the teams.

1957-58

The design of the front cover was completely changed again. However, this new look would remain in
being, except for colour changes, until 1967-68 season. The new look cover was split into four quarters,
two large, and two small. On the left hand side was the picture of a goalkeeper who had missed the ball
which Was brushing against a goal post. This area was green in colour and measured 6 and A half inches
in length by 3 and a half inches in width. The letters Subbuteo Table Soccer located at the top of this
section, and the words Replacements and Accessories at the bottom were white in colour.

At the top, opposite the words Subbuteo Table Soccer, it said Price List 1957-58 followed by
Subbuteo Table Soccer is the most advanced and up-to-date form of table football obtainable, and has
been introduced to football enthusiasts all over the world through the medium of .. then it listed all
the sets available, together with the then Subbuteo trade mark figure at the bottom in green shirt, white
shorts. This quarter had a maroon background with white letters thereon.

The left hand small section at the bottom, (3 and a half inches wide by just under two inches in length )
had a maroon background with white lettering containing a period piece description of the price lists
aims. The right hand side ( 2 and a quarter inches by just under 2 inches ) had a green background
with black lettering with the familiar Tunbridge Wells address of P.A. Adolph .

There was an additional section measuring 8 and three quarters of an inch in length by two and three quarters of an inch in width.
It contained photographs of the cups, medals and plaques available. The text stated that winners of table soccer matches deserved one of
the undermentioned mementoes. It then listed reference numbers and their prices. You were not able to buy the mementoes from a shop,
they had to be obtained by post only from P. A. Adolph direct. I own four bronze medals which were sent to me by P.A. Adolph, when I
won the Port Talbot & District League in the following seasons :- 1957-58, 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1965-66.

The cups did exist as a number of people have asked me about them, as they have never seen them. I have, but do not own any of the
original Subbuteo items as were advertised except for the medals. Ref. 32 Old Gold and Black Hooped shirts, white shorts (Barnet, Alloa
& Dumbarton ) and Ref. 33, Light and Dark blue halved shirts, black shorts ( Bishop Auckland) were added to the team reference list.

1958-59

The colour pattern on the cover had changed. The top left hand side and the bottom right hand side were still green ,but the top right hand
side and the bottom left hand side were in light blue. With regard to additional teams three new colours appeared.
Ref. 34 Black & White striped shirts, white shorts (Juventus ) Ref. 35 Black & Yellow striped shirts, white shorts (Milano)
Ref. 36 Green & White striped shirts, white shorts (Refs. 19 & 36 were both named Bradford Park Avenue!)


Gary Protheroe