Here we have Gareth [Owen] Edwards, who was born on July 12th, 1947, in Glamorgan, Wales. He was a miner`s son, but became Sir Gareth Owen Edwards CBE MBE, and is still regarded as one of the best rugby union players ever. In fact, in a 2003 poll taken amongst current international players, his name came out top of all. He won three Grand Slams. fifty three caps for Wales, amd in 1997 was one of the first players to be included in the International Rugby Hall of Fame. He also won the first ever "Golden Boot", which he is pictured with on our card. That was awarded at a ceremony at Painter's Hall, in London, on September the 28th,1978.
Now he does not do so well in the card commemoration stakes, and the Trading Card Database lists only eight, two of which are those large double sided thin cards which were designed to go into a fact box.
I can add a few more though
- Tonibell Ice Cream - "Junior Champs" (1983) - square, unnumbered cards.
- Lyons Maid Ice Cream - "Junior Champs" (1983) - as above, except for brand.
- "Great Welsh Rugby Players" (1981) - standard size, issued by The Welsh Rugby Union to mark the centenary of Welsh Rugby Union, 1881-1981, and caricatured by 'Gren', who was the cartoonist for the 'South Wales Echo'. These could possibly be the set of "South Wales Echo Great Welsh Rugby Players which appear at the Trading Card Database without a picture, but those are dated to 1998.
Our set is slightly confusing, because at the top of the reverse it says "All Stars", but at the bottom it says "Sporting All Stars". That is explained in our original British Trade Index part III, which reads :
All Stars Series (A). 68 x 38. Four numbered series. Each card issued in a cellophane envelope. ... GOI-1
1. "Soccer All Stars" (24). [1978]
2. "Sporting All Stars" (24). [1979] Nos. 2, 5, 20 and 22 were originally printed with error series title "Soccer All Stars"; corrected editions have text in larger type-faces than other numbers in the series.
3. "T.V. All Stars" (24). [1979]. Partly without firm`s name, see Fig. GOI-1-3
4. "World Cup Soccer All Stars" (36). [1978].
It is not in our updated version, however, because that only includes pre-1970 cards.