Card of the Day - 2024-12-28

Panini Football 81
Figurine Panini [trade/commercial : stickers : O/S - Italy] "Football 81" (1980) 62/558 - PAP-17

Unusually, this card was chosen for the first name of the featured player, Mark, primarily for the Deutsche Mark, which was the coinage of Germany - and has a long story, being also used in many of the areas which were eventually combined to form modern Germany. In fact it was only named Mark in the ninth century, and that is a Latin word relating to weight, specifically eight troy ounces of gold. 

It was also used, through the years, in the German colonies, as well as Estonia and Poland, but the only other country than Germany using it at the time of the changeover to the euro was Finland, though they called theirs either the Marka, or the Markka.

And it still remains the currency of Bosnia/Hercegovina

Our featured player, Mark Thomas Lawrenson, was born in June 1957, in Preston, in Lancashire, but he played internationally for the Republic of Ireland, his grandfather having been born in Waterford. 

He is shown here in his Brighton and Hove Albion days, but he started out with his home side, Preston North End. Brighton and Hove came immediately after, starting in 1977, though interest was also shown by Liverpool. Our card comes towards the end of his time at Brighton and Hove Albion, when things were not going so good for the side and many cutbacks were being made. One of these saw our man being put up for sale, in 1981 - and, this time, Liverpool did manage to secure his services, for the record fee of £900,000.  

Today, he is best known for this time with Liverpool, during which they won many honours, both in the league and internationally. However, despite the glory, in 1988 he was injured, in what was at first thought to be just a minor way, but from which he never really recovered to full strength. He then moved into managing, and had a few seasons with smaller clubs, before moving into commentating on television and radio, something which he not only enjoyed, but proved very good at..

Though this set was devoted to players of English and Scottish clubs, it was somehow also issued in Canada and South Africa. It was also issued in Switzerland, but if you look into that set it is only the name "Football 81" which is the same, the stickers, of which there are four hundred and two, are all of Swiss teams. Perhaps there are other varieties too - so if you know of any do let us know.