Here we have John Fraser, from Hibernian, and the reason for that is two fold. Firstly it marks the first recorded women`s international football match, on May the 7th, 1881, at Hibernian Park in Edinburgh. This was England vs Scotland. Despite that, the match still deserves its honours, for it was the first to be played under the Football Association rules which had been drawn up in 1863. And, secondly, Scotland were the winners of that match - 3-0 - with Lily St. Clair becoming the first ever female goal scorer.
Now very little is known about Lily St. Clair, but it seems that this was a pseudonym, and her real name was Lillian Davis, an actress. I have not yet found a card of her, but will keep asking.
Our original British Trade Index part II tells us that this set is from the "Footballers Grouping" which appears in full with the Card of the Day for October 19 2024, simply because that was the first football set ever to be issued by A & B.C. Gum, in 1958-1959. All the other sets are tackled like today`s, in as much as they simply repeat their section of the listing, and not how it interacts with the other sets.
However there seems to be something awry with today`s card, which is listed in that book as :
FOOTBALLERS GROUPING (A). Md. or Lg. 8 backs illustrated at Fig. ABF-10. Nd. ... ABF-10
3. Portrait or action picture with L/base corner "turned in", brown border 81 x 57.
1. English players. Back in blue, style of Back 3 except Nos. 55, 105 (see below) and 110 which are team pictures with back headed "Footballer Check List". (110). Two subjects at No.105 - (1) Check List inscribed "English Series 2". (2) Dennis Viollet, as listed on back of No.110 which is inscribed "English Series 2 Revised".
2. Scottish players. Back in green, style of Back 4 except Nos 44 and 81 which are team pictures with back headed "Footballer Check List" in horizontal format. (81. Backs of Nos. 44 and 81 are transposed - No.44 is a picture of Glasgow Celtic with list of Nos. 45/81 on back; No. 81 is a picture of Dundee with list of Nos. 1/44 on back.
Now the problem is that our card is definitely Scottish but the text above, from the British Trade Index, clearly says that these cards have back 4, whereas that is very different, not only being vertical rather than horizontal, but also having a coin rub quiz and a box with curving frames to the top and bottom lines. Now if you look at our card, this back is listed as back 3, which is also the back given to the English version of this set. So I imagined that there was a small error, and both sets here ought to have said "Back 3".
However after talking to a footballing collector, they tell us that this description in the British Trade Index is nothing to do with our set, it relates to the 1964-65 A & B.C. "Footballers", again two sets, English and Scottish, which do indeed have a "Portrait or action picture with L/base corner "turned in", like the corner of a page being rolled up, and a "brown border" which is kind of like mock wood. And these cards do have back 3 for the English cards and back 4 for the Scottish ones.
So back to square one I go....