For our second clue we probably baffled a lot of our younger readers, but these four men are The Searchers, and they had a huge hit with a catchy little number called "Love Potion Number Nine", which was released in November 1964. And do note that cards 35 and 43 in our set are also of the Searchers. You can see those, and a few more cards of the band, at the Trading Card Database/Searchers - though the post 1990 cards shown seem to be unconnected cards
They were not the first to sing it, that was a band called The Clovers, or The Four Clovers, who released in it in year it was written, 1959. You can see a card of them at the Trading Card Database/Clovers too
Anyway the potion did what most of you thought of first when I said potion, and that was make people fall in love, or want to "get together" shall we say. Yet sadly, the nature of love often seems to make the one we set our heart on be the one who is the most uninterested in us, hence the popularity of the, unfortunately mythical, love potion. Though I am not sure that feeling you have to trick someone into it is really ever love.
However the song ends with a cautionary tale, because the potion taker ends up kissing a policeman, (I have to say it must have been really powerful stuff), and in the process the bottle was broken.
Now this set is rather confusing if you look in our reference books. It first appears in the British Trade Index part II, as :
Pop Star Grouping (A) 81 x 57. Back with blue rectangular panel at centre base, inscribed "No...., in a series of ..... photos". "A. & B.C. name below.
1. The Beatles. Back "Photos with the courtesy of Nems Enterprises Ltd."
1. "....series of 60 photos". Black with blue facsimile signature.
2. "2nd series of 45 photos." Back with blue facsimile signature, Nd 61/105
3. " ...series of 40 photos." Coloured, no captions.
2. The Rolling Stones. (40) Coloured. All Rolling Stones caption.
3. Top Stars (various groups). Coloured
1. "....series of 40 photos"
2. "....series of 50 photos"
This is rather a mix-up, and in our updated version of the British Trade Index the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are catalogued separately. That leaves our set to be catalogued as :
TOP STARS (A). 81 x 56. Nd. Two issues
1. Inscribed "No....in a series of 50 photos (c) A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd."
2. Inscribed "No....in a series of 40 photos (C) A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd.". This series has been entirely re-numbered, many photos replaced, and with 11 new subjects.