Card one is here simply because it is "stars", and that ought to have directed you skywards. Though our man, if you had researched, also guided you towards the date, for he was born on the 22nd of July, 1935, well into Perseid Season.
Ron Springett was actually born Ronald Deryk George Springett, on the 22nd of July, 1935. And, as you can tell from this picture, he was a goalkeeper.
He started out with Queens Park Rangers, in 1953, but according to the text on the reverse of Barratt`s "Famous Footballers" series A.8, card 40, he "was rejected by one club because he was too small". He was not at Queens Park Rangers for long as he was head hunted by Sheffield Wednesday and it is in their strip that he appears on that card - and, reportedly, there are no cards of him at Queens Park Rangers, though he did play in almost a hundred and fifty matches for them.
His career at Sheffield Wednesday was much longer, and he was there for almost ten years, 1957 to 1967, almost four hundred appearances; though he did not actually play on the squad until 1958. And it was during this time that he became an international player, gaining the first of his thirty three caps in a 1959 match for England, against Ireland, at Wembley Stadium. That information comes from the Barratt card too, but it was issued too early to mention that he was also part of the squad who won the 1966 World Cup.
That leads us to another tale, for he was not playing in the actual final, and so he did not receive a cup winner`s medal. However, subsequently, the Football Association petitioned the World Cup organising body so that all members of a team, not just those on the field, would be treated the same. And so, in 2009, our man, at last received his medal. But sadly this decision was only retrospective, and only allowed for players who had missed out before 1974, so there are still players who find themselves in the same sad situation of being a World Cup team player without anything to show for it.
In 1967 another strange event, mentioned on our card, took place, where he was traded for his brother, also a goalkeeper. That sent our man back to Queens Park Rangers and Peter Springett on to Sheffield Wednesday.
And lastly, to complete the trio of curiosities, all the Barratt A Series "Famous Footballers", from A.8, through A.9, and A.10, to A.11, are all the same picture, and also all card 19. This may have a lot to do with the fact that you can find the same card with either A.8 or A.9 on the back.
He died in September 2015, but his name lived on, as his daughter, Terri, also became a footballer, playing for her country. And, after her retirement, she also became the club secretary for Queens Park Rangers.
Our set is described in our original British Trade Index, but not until part four , and then very quickly, as :
- WORLD CUP STARS. 78 x 45. Footballers. Inscribed "Presented with the ..." Nd. (72). Hornet/Hotspur ...THO-254
This is slightly lengthened in the updated volume, to read :
- WORLD CUP STARS. (H)(HO). 1970. 78 x 45. Nd. (72). Issued as 4 sheets of 8 and 4 sheets of 10 ...THO-805.
We actually know a bit more than this, thanks to a reader. They tell us that "The Hornet" cards were the first to be issued, on June the 6th, 1970, and they also tell me there is a list, at The Football Cartophilic Information Exchange/WCS