easy enough to identify as a card, but rather hard as a theme-giver. The clue was nothing to do with the player, or the issuer, it referred to the team, Dundee United, because one of their players is still the only professional footballer to win an Academy Award.
His name was Neil Paterson, and he was born just as 1914 became 1915, in Greenock. He played for the very romantic sounding name of Buckie Thistle FC (unless you sit on it, not so romantic then!), in the Highlands, and then for Leith Athletic in Edinburgh. In 1936 he joined Dundee United, and even became their captain, but he had a yen to write and found a place as a sports writer with a company we all know well, that being D.C. Thomson. The Second World War found him in the Navy, passing the time by writing fiction. Some of this was published in the post war years and was quite popular; one of his short stories, "The Kidnappers" was even made into a film, which was released in 1953, and he also wrote the screenplay, something he must have enjoyed because he wrote others, for other peoples` books, including John Braine`s "Room At The Top", which won him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Unfortunately I have not tracked him down on a card, so for the time being this one, celebrating the team alone, must suffice. But maybe there is a card of Mr. Paterson, out there, somewhere that I do not know, with which I might replace it.
Our man was actually christened Emilio Pacione and he was born on March 20th, 1920. He played for Dundee United between 1945 and 1950 as either a centre forward or a right winger, but there must be some Irish heritage in him because he also played for Lochee Harp Juniors and Coleraine. However it looks like this was his only cartophilic appearance, unless you know otherwise?
He died on the 25th of August 2012.
This a rather confusing set, because it contains many different sports. It is described in our original British Trade Index Part II as :
SPORTS FAVOURITES. Sm. 63-66 x 38-40. Footballers, Boxers, Golfers, Speedway Riders, etc
White borders, back in (a) black (b) blue. Following are lowest and highest numbers known in each group of subjects.
1-247 (Footballers), 250-297 (Boxers), 300-301 (Billiards), 306-317 (Athletes), 323-330 (Golfers), 350-356 (Boxers), 360-397 (Footballers), 400-445 (Speedway Riders), 455-460 (Footballers), 58 (479) to 64 (485) (Speedway Riders).
Several numbers with two different portraits of same player.Yellow borders, back in blue, inscribed "Golden Series" (? 20)
The heading tells us that the cards were issued 1948-50, and this is the only set listed.
By our updated British Trade Index, though, more sets have appeared and the dates of issue now start at 1946, and end at 1955. The listing of this set in there is :
SPORTS FAVOURITES. 63-66 x 38-40. Commercial issue, in booklets.
White borders. Nd. (534 highest seen). Backs in (a) black (b) blue. Issued in batches, covering different sports, see details at HD-48.
1950. Yellow borders, blue back,, inscribed "Golden Series". Nd. (64). All footballers.
1953. Oldham Athletic. Unnd. (12). Issued to celebrate Oldham winning promotion in 1953. See HD-58.