Card of the Day - 2022-05-16

Somportex do not appear in our original British Trade Index part one, issued in 1962. However part two, issued in 1969, contains several sets, and the information that the cards were issued with chewing gum, between 1960 and 1967. It also lists this set, for which the cards are untitled, giving it the title of “Film Scene Series”, and the index number SOP-3, however this is split into our set : SOP-3.1 – described as “Inscribed “A.P. Films Ltd. issued by Somportex London – A Series of 72 Pictures”. Size (a) 77 x 57 (b) 89 x 63. Sectional back in black. Scenes from the filming of “Thunderbird” (72)” - and - SOP-3.2 – described as “Inscribed “No…. in a series of 60 – Issued by Somportex Ltd., London”. Size 78 x 58. Plain back. Scenes from [James Bond films] “Goldfinger”, “From Russia with Love”, “Dr. No”. (60)

By the time of our updated British Trade Index this set had been altered, the James Bond had been re-named to “The Exciting World of James Bond” and re-coded SOM-040, whilst ours was SOM-140. It had also been split into two sets, SOM-140.1, a set of 73 cards, larger of size, at 83 x 58 m/m, and coloured. They could be collected with and without Somportex on the backs. And SOM-140.2, our set, black and white, and still the two sizes originally listed, however it was now known that these were scenes from the filming of Thunderbird, and that the backs were sectional, forming a picture of the mini album record which was available for 7/8d. , 

This set is of major importance as these were the first bubblegum cards in the UK to feature the Thunderbirds. Read more about that at Thunderbirds Fandom.

Some of the Somportex sets were issued without the company name, these include the plain backed set of 36 “Weirdies” (SOM-150 : ZJ9-12 ~ 1967), an odd set of 24 rub down, dry transfer sheets showing soldiers through the ages (SOM-030 : ZJ12-2 ~ still undated), film strips showing Sean Connery as James Bond in You Only Live Twice (SOM-110 : ZT7-1 ~ 1967), and a series of circular plastic buttons; these turn out to be button badges, and they were issued in wrappers which give the names of all the badges in the set, fifteen in all (SOM-080 : ZT6-1). However at the time of typing the British Trade Index part two, only one badge had been examined, this being “I Like the Batchelors”. The rest, still awaiting discovery, are The Animals, The Beatles, The Bluejeans, The Dave Clark 5, The Dreamers, The Fourmost, The Honeycombs, The Kinks, Manfred Mann, The Merseybeats, Peter & Gordon, The Searchers, The Shadows, The Stones.

 Curiously, in 1968, they also issued an untitled set of medium sized cards showing scenes and characters from “The Adventures of Sexton Blake”, but it only mentioned Fleetway Publications Ltd, of London, so its original code was FLC-1. However in the updated index this was listed twice, with Somportex as SOM-020 and with Fleetway as FLE-090.

Somportex were also the UK agents for Dandy Gum, and we know this simply because the Dandy 100 card sets of “Soldier Parade” (DAN-300 : ZJ9-43 ~ 1969) and “Wild Animals” (DAN-360 ~ 1968) included cards with instructions that the album was available “c/o Somportex Ltd., 30, St. John`s Lane, London, E.C.1” You had to send the coupon together with a shilling postal order, or stamps to the value of a shilling, twenty empty wrappers from whichever set you wanted the album for, and fill your name and address in on the lines on the card.