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Peter Upton's

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The Team Colours Project.

References 1 - 50.

Obviously, references 1-50 were the first teams produced by Subbuteo, and are therefore mostly the colours that English and Scottish club sides were wearing during the 1950s and 1960s. The catalogues of the time also make reference to Irish teams, and international country sides, but these are secondary sides and not the reason the team was produced. Note that a couple of famous international club sides have sneaked into this early era. Barcelona at No19 looks like the major anomaly, but this is explained by the fact that number 19 was previously a completely different kit, representing Bradford Park Avenue, which was dropped in 1961-62. It is worth noting that the flat figures don't have coloured socks, and sock colours are not consistent in the early OO scale figures either. The sock colours seem to be fixed by the 1970s, when teams were illustrated in Subbuteo catalogues for the first time, and after that date new teams were introduced just for sock trim variations.

These teams date from an era with no advertising, or much in the way of shirt trim. This gives very simple kits in basic colour variations, and means that many of these colours have represented twenty or more teams down the years. For this reason, for these first fifty teams only, I've concentrated on the British clubs at the expense of overseas ones. So my apologies if your team has played in one of these kits and I haven't acknowledged it. You can find the foreign teams listed in the international appendices if you follow the links.

May 2003: To see the first 55 teams in their original "flat" versions, you can now visit the Card and Celluloid Team Project.

The Team Colour Chart.

Alternate No3 Hasbro No 3.
  1. One of the two standard teams. Take your pick on teams for this one.
    1960's - Arsenal, Bournemouth, Barnsley, Charlton, Lincoln City, Liverpool,  Man Utd, Middlesboro, Notts Forest, Brechin, Stiring Albion, Doncaster, York, Aberdeen, Third Lanark, Wrexham. 1970s Workington, Cliftonville, Portadown
  2. The other standard kit. Just about every team in blue has touched base here.
    1960s: Chesterfield, Everton, Gillingham, Halifax, Leyton Orient, Leicester City, Portsmouth, Albion Rovers, Cowdenbeath, Rangers, Raith Rovers, St Johnstone, Queen of the South. 1970s: Cardiff City, Carlisle Utd, Hartlepool, Ipswich, Peterboro, Rochdale,
    Stranraer, Glenavon, Linfield
  3. West Brom, Huddersfield, Kilmarnock. 
    Heavyweight Notes - Normally painted without arm stripes, but sometimes these are added. Teams with arm stripes often have sock trim as well (but not always!)
  4. Stoke City. Was Sunderland for a time in the 1960s, and New Brighton (3rd Division North) in the 1940s
  5. Manchester City. Also Ballymena (Ireland), Malmo (Sweden), Lazio, Napoli, Treviso (All Italy). Deleted in 1987
  6. Watford, Hull City, Oxford Utd. 1970s Cambridge Utd, Alloa, Bewick, Meadowbank, East Fife.
  7. Main British team: West Ham Utd - 1960s until late 1970s. In the early years it was also Aston Villa and Burnley and Aldershot. Ran until 1981.
  8. Newcastle Utd, Grimsby Town, Notts County, Dunfirmline Athletic. Final appearance - 1993.
  9. Southampton, Sheffield Utd, Sunderland, Brentford, Lincoln, Exeter
  10. Mainly Fulham, but also Darlington, Derby County, Luton, Bradford, Swansea, Clyde, Port Vale, Rochdale, and Gateshead. International Sides:  Austria and West Germany. Final appearance 1988

1985-96

Until 1969

 18 changes to white socks in 1985. The original 20 (from Peter Whitehead's collection)

  1. Queens Park Rangers, Reading, Morton. Deleted 1982

  2. Bristol Rovers. Deleted 1982

  3. Blackpool. International Side Holland. Was Newport County in the 1960s. Deleted 1987
    Heavyweight notes - There have been sightings of a 1970s Holland away, with reversed colours (i.e. white shirts and orange shorts), but I'm not sure if it was an official variation.

  4. Originally Belgium. British clubs in the '70s. Swindon, Crewe and Bournemouth. Also international sides: Yugoslavia, Albania, Beringen (Bel), Edo (Hol), Nurnberg IFC (Ger). Deleted in the 1987 team range reduction.

  5. Originally Eire, and Northern Ireland.  Was Plymouth in 1980. Other international sides: Mexico in the 1960s, Also Cork Hibernians (Ire). Deleted 1982.

  6. Arsenal until 1980, Rotherham in the 1970s. Deleted 1982

  7. In the 1960s this was Sheff Wed, and Brighton. However, by the 1970's they were No.51, and this kit had no other takers until it was removed in 1981.

  8. Very popular kit. British Teams: Bury for the longest. Also Bolton, Spurs, Preston, Scunthorpe, Mansfield and Tranmere at various stages. International teams include: Finland, Greece, East Germany, and Iceland for a time in the 1970s. 

  9. Barcelona. Also Crystal Palace during the 1970s. The original 1940s No.19 was Bradford and had red, amber and black hooped shirts with white shorts..

  10. Hamilton Academicals. This had black shorts until 1969, and was finally deleted in 1992.

"New" Partick Thistle Red and orange Black shorts Alternate version? Black shorts Yellow Socks With Trim

The lightweight era 023 is red and orange.

  1. The original Leeds Utd kit. Also Tranmere Rovers, Swansea City and Torquay Utd are frequent users of this number. Almost as popular as No's 1 & 2, this kit was used by Milwall, Doncaster, Port Vale, Northampton, York, Colchester and Darlington in England and countless others abroad.

  2. Sheffield Wednesday at one point, and was Argentina in the 1960s, before they became 67. It then remained unused until 1981 when it became Stockport County, and survived as this until 1984 (when it was phased out).

  3. Bradford City off and on (lasts to the 1996 catalogue). Was Partick Thistle in the 1970s.
    Heavyweight notes - There seems to be a "with trim" version circa 1978 to match the Partick Thistle kit of the time. Not featured in the catalogues.

  4. Queens Park. Was also East Stirling, and Ayr early in its life. Had black shorts until 1969. Lasts all the way to 1996

  5. Celtic. From 1952 all the way to the final full range of 1996.

  6. Leeds Utd in the 1950s. Also Bangor (NI) and Drumcondra (Ire). 1952-88

  7. Hearts, Arbroath, and Stenhousemuir. In the 1970's York and Burnley used this kit. 1953-89.
    Heavyweight notes - Possible alternate version that looks a little like Ajax. Worn by Hearts for the 1972/73 season, it doesn't feature in the catalogues (but Hearts fans have remembered seeing it, and several have now been sighted in collector circles).

  8. Norwich City. 1953-81, but also returned in 1985-86 Had black shorts until 1969. 
    Heavyweight notes - black shorts until 1969, so classic h/w version should exist. Yellow socks are a common 1970s variation. Gained trim as "New Norwich" in the late 1970s, but catalogue image remained unchanged.
    Other Notes:
    The trim version is common as a zombie, but the first (machine printed) lightweight seems to be the white socks variety.

  9. Partick Thistle. When they changed to No23, this was left blank until it was deleted from the range. 1954-80

  10. Dumbarton in the 1960s. Later it was Bewick Rangers, Cambridge Utd, and Burton Albion. Lots of international teams keep this side in the catalogues until the final big catalogue of 1996.

Reversed socks Hasbro stripes/sock variation 1960s versions
  1. Blackburn Rovers. Final appearance 1981, as Blackburn then became 369.
    Heavyweight Notes - Socks can be reversed.
  2. Barnet. Also an early Alloa kit, before they became No.6. Existed 1957-80
  3. Bishop Auckland. Famous non-league team, once of the Northern League, now in the Unibond. 1957-80.
  4. St Mirren, also Dunfermline. Key International side: Juventus. 1958-86
  5. Milano and Barnet (again). Also East Fife and Hull City at times in the 1970s. 1958-80
  6. Starts as Bradford, then blank in the 1960s, before it gains Floriana (Malta) and Wageningen (Ger) in the 1970s, and other international sides later on e.g. Real Betis (Sp). Later sides ensured its survival to the final full range of 1996.
  7. Kilmarnock in the 1960s, this gains BSC Hertha (Ger) in the '70s, and Helmond Sport (Hol) in the 1980s. making it 1963-82
  8. Grimsby Town in the early 1960s. Possibly also used by Montpellier (France) 1963-80
  9. Airdrie in the 1960s, Walsall in the 1970s. Also Poland. Fredrikstad (Hol) ensured its survival for a while. 1963-86
  10. Crystal Palace. First Version. red and blue hoops, black shorts 1963-64, Second Version: as above with white shorts 1965-67, Third Version: Claret and light blue stripe, white shorts. 1968-1980 Although even this one was only used by Palace for a couple of seasons, and was then a blank side.

"With Trim" 1970-1973 Tangerine Gold, Tangerine, and possibly Amber
  1. Liverpool. Also Scunthorpe, Stirling Albion, Brechin City. Other British clubs using this no: Bristol City, Orient, Rotherham, Crewe, Aberdeen, Middlesboro, Lincoln, Doncaster. Also Wales. Still in 1996 range
  2. Chelsea. 1960s: Carlisle, Shrewsbury, Birmingham, Leicester, Peterborough, Mansfield. 1970s: Southend, Oldham, Montrose, Raith Rovers. 1980s: Brighton and Hove Albion Final appearance - 1986
    Final version has white trim on the shirt. Seen as a h/w and a l/w.
  3. Coventry City. Others: Reading, Chester City. 1965-80
  4. Dundee, Falkirk. Also Scotland in the 1960s. 1965-80
  5. Hibernian. Still in the final full range of 1996.
  6. Motherwell. Then Marsaxlokk (Malta). Dropped in 1983
    Heavyweight Notes - This kit has amber shorts from 1970/71 until 1972/73. (Thanks to the N.R.D.S.L. for photographing their team for the site.)
  7. Southport, Mansfield. Also a host of away kits. (Man Utd, Arsenal, Ipswich, Southampton, Everton etc.)
    International side: Sweden.
    1965-91.
    Heavyweight Notes - Shirt was tangerine from 1970/71 to 1972/73 when it was Oldham and Halifax.
  8. Spain. Also Chile in the 1960s before they became No68. 1965-86
  9. Wolves, Cambridge, Southport, Torquay, and in the 1970s Dundee Utd and Motherwell. 
    Heavyweight Notes -
    First version: All Gold with black trim until 1969. This kit is found in both h/w types. Second version: Tangerine with black trim 1970-83. However, there is also a possible "amber with claret trim" version from the mid 1970s. Motherwell were on this number from 1971/72 until 1973/74 and no mention of trim is made. A couple of figures in this trim have been seen in blurry photos, but definite proof is awaited. 
  10. Brazil. 1966-82 (replaced by 410)

That's the first fifty looked at. Follow this link for 51-100.


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