And many thanks to Mr. Collins who so kindly sent us this front and back photo.
Now the first induction Ceremony was just over a year to the day that USA Today readers had picked Cleveland, Ohio to be the site for a permanent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However the idea of having a Hall of Fame for music personalities had been rocking and rolling about in peoples minds for almost three years earlier.
Cleveland was just one of the choices, for there were many places with claims to prominent performers or events. Cleveland`s was Alan Freed, who had not only provided the name of the musical genre, but had held what came to be considered the first major rock and roll concert there.
However the museum was not actually opened until 1995.
Now despite our connecting this Cleveland with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio, Cleveland Petrol was originally an independent producer based in the North East of England, who took their name from the Cleveland Hills. However though they started as an independent, they were bought out by Esso in the 1930s, who kept the name purely for one of their well known and instantly recognisable brands, Discol. That was discontinued in the mid 1970s and the Cleveland stations were renamed to Esso.
Cleveland did issue standard cards, but I am certain that there will be many readers who instantly remember these three-dimensional, solid plastic busts.
This white colour was just how they were issued, but do note that there were many collectors who took them home and straight away painted them either gold, or in the team colours. Whilst the white is authentic, there is a certain charm to the others as well, though the purists may disagree.
However if you are a real purist you probably would not call this a cartophilic item at all.
Now if the original owner was a very careful child you may also find their black plastic stand, into which they were frequently manhandled, and on that it says that this set is called "Joe Mercer's GB Football Squad Busts".
As to the identity of Joe Mercer, or, more correctly, Joseph Mercer, OBE, he was both a player - for Everton and Arsenal - and a manager - of Aston Villa, Manchester City and England, which he took over for the 1974 season after Sir Alf Ramsay resigned.
This could mean that the date of these is slightly wrong? Anyone know more about that?
Now this set is not listed in our British Trade Indexes, but in part III you will find two sets, "Campaign Medals" and "Golden Goals".
In actual fact the medal set was called "Historic Campaign Medals 1793-1945", and they were metal coins produced to look like the round part of a medal. Sixteen medals made a set and they were to be mounted in a special wallet in which were a series of holes, and above which was the ribbon, printed in colour, and the silver suspender. Unfortunately if they are out of the album they are just round coins, and way less attractive, to me anyway. First in line was the Naval General Service Medal 1793-1840, and the set closed with the War Medal for the Second World War 1939-45.
"Golden Goals".was a set of forty-one stickers issued in 1972, and they were given out at the counter when you paid for your petrol. However you had to buy three gallons, which cost £1. Yes, younger readers, petrol was once this cheap. There was also a rather nice, hardback, album - compiled by Jimmy Hill and Brian Moore - which cost 20p.
There is also another set, not listed, which preceded ours, issued in 1970, and that was another set of plastic busts, but these were "Kings, Queens, and Various Figures Who Made Britain Great". You also often find them painted rather than the original white in which they were issued. This had a similar press-in stand to hold the figures, and it was just as flimsy, but it did also have a section in the middle which held a booklet all about the figures and why they were there. I am surprised that this was not done for the footballers? Anyone know why not?