Card of the Day - 2022-01-01

Our first card was Newcastle United, whose nickname, because of their black and white strip, is the Magpies. And in fact a picture of a magpie used to appear on their crest in the 1970s and 1980s. I havent found this on a card yet but I bet it is on a sticker somewhere, Other teams are also known as the Magpies, including from other countries, like Collingwood Football Club in Melbourne, Australia.

Why they are here is because Magpies, love them or not, were last year`s ninth most spotted bird. I say love them or not because there are many superstitions about them, including that it is unlucky to see just one, though the bad luck can reportedly be limited in that case by either saluting, or saying “Hello Mr Magpie, where is Mrs. Magpie?”

Now there is also another link to cards here because “Card Times” magazine (remember that?) was from the stable of Magpie Publications. And lets face it, who amongst us is not a bit of a magpie, picking up treasures to take home to our nests!

This card commemorates the 1911 Cup Final, which was Newcastle United against Bradford City. Newcastle United came in as the favourites, for they were the current cup holders, having beaten Barnsley in 1910., whilst their opposition, Bradford City, were in their first ever final. The card mentions that “a gusty wind” interfered with the match, and “no scoring took place in either half”, which led to a replay, to be played at Manchester. Something else in the text might seem odd to modern eyes, for it says the match was at Sydenham, and not Wembley – there is a simple reason for this, it is because Wembley Stadium was not built until 1923.