Lot 201: A Collection of Topical Times Panel Portraits Football Trade Cards in a Personal Scrapbook
A collection of large-format monochrome photographic football trade cards, known as Panel Portraits, issued as inserts with the Topical Times weekly newspaper during the mid-1930s. The lot consists of thin paper panels featuring portraits of professional footballers in their club kits. Visible subjects include Jack Barker and J. W. Bowers of Derby County F.C., and Cliff Bastin and Ted Drake of Arsenal F.C. The portraits are presented in a standing pose with arms crossed, positioned over a grass-effect background. The cards are mounted into a personal scrapbook.
The bottom right corner of each card bears the printed text TOPICAL TIMES. The bottom left of each card features printed text identifying the player and their club, specifically JACK BARKER Derby County F.C., J. W. BOWERS Derby County F.C., C. S. BASTIN Arsenal F.C., and TED DRAKE Arsenal F.C.
The scrapbook features a floral print cover depicting red tulips and blue bluebells. A white adhesive label on the front cover is handwritten in blue ink, reading FOOTBALLERS OF THE 1930s 52. The album is bound with a translucent plastic comb binding and contains approximately fifty-two cards based on the cover inscription.
Condition report:
The paper panels show significant signs of age and handling. Visible silvering to the black-and-white emulsion is evident on the cards for C. S. Bastin and Ted Drake (photo 2). Several panels exhibit horizontal and vertical creasing, corner wear, and edge nicks consistent with thin paper stock (photo 2). The cards appear to be adhered directly to the scrapbook pages with glue or tape, which may affect the condition of the reverses. The scrapbook cover shows wear to the edges and corners, and the internal pages exhibit yellowing and foxing (photo 1, 2). The plastic comb binding appears intact.
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