Clevedon Confectionery, based in Blackpool, Lancashire, was a British confectionery company best known for issuing colourful and collectible trading cards during the late 1950s and early 1960s.While sweet cigarettes were the primary known method of distribution, it is possible the cards were also included with other confectionery formats popular at the time.
According to official records from Companies House, Clevedon Confectionery (Blackpool) Limited was incorporated on 13 June 1963 (source).
However, strong evidence suggests the company was in operation well before this date. All three of the known football-related series attributed to Clevedon — Football Club Managers, Famous Football Clubs, and Famous Footballers — bear the imprint “Clevedon Confectionery (B’pool) Ltd., England” on the reverse. Under UK law, it would not have been permissible to include “Ltd.” in a company name unless the company was already registered as a limited company at the time.
Further supporting this, the Football Club Managers cards include references to managers and club roles that date to 1958, suggesting that this series was released that year. The Famous Football Clubs series, based on the teams featured and league success, can be placed around 1960–61, while the Famous Footballers set most likely dates to the 1961–62 season, as indicated by the player affiliations shown on the cards.
Eventually, the company became dormant, with no trading activity recorded in later years, and was formally dissolved.
1958/59
Football Club Managers
Perhaps the earliest of Clevedon’s football-related series, this set features illustrated portraits of football managers from English clubs. Based on the positions held by the managers depicted, the series is confidently dated to 1958. For example, Harry Potts is listed as manager of Burnley, a role he assumed in February 1958, while Dave Halliday appears as manager of Leicester City, a position he left in November 1958. These details clearly indicate the cards were issued during that season.
Interestingly, the series was printed in two colour variations — one with a blue background, the other with a mauve background — though the reason for this difference remains uncertain. It may have been due to multiple print runs or intended as a deliberate variation for collectors.
The series could also be housed in a specially produced collector’s album, which featured a colourful cover and dedicated spaces for each card inside (an example is shown to the left). The images of the album cover and interior pages were sourced from Alan Jenkins’ excellent website.
The cards follow a similar artistic style to Clevedon’s other issues but stand out for their focus on managers rather than players.
Number in set: 50
Gallery: N/A
Checklist: N/A
1960-61
Famous Football Clubs
The series consists of 50 cards, each illustrated with a footballer wearing the club’s colours alongside the club’s crest. The cards were distributed with confectionery items such as sweet cigarettes.
The most recent facts included suggest a production window of May 1960 to October 1961:
Mentions of Wolves’ FA Cup win and Southampton’s Third Division title (both 1960)
Jack Marshall listed as Blackburn manager, Manchester United’s top scorer from 1959–60
No reference to Tottenham’s 1961 and 1962 FA Cup wins
Norwich’s (Macauley) and WBA’s (Clark) managers listed, both of whom left their posts in October 1961
No mention of Stoke’s 1962–63 D2 title, the League Cup (first final in 1961), or the rise of Ipswich in 1962
This strongly suggests that the set was compiled and printed before these later milestones occurred.
Number in set: 50
Gallery: N/A
Checklist: N/A
1961-62
Famous Footballers
The Famous Footballers series contains 50 cards, each featuring a full-colour caricature-style illustration of a well-known footballer in his club colours. The artwork is bright, bold, and instantly recognisable, with each player shown in a distinctive pose representative of his position or playing style.
The reverse side of each card includes: The player’s name and club and a short paragraph describing his playing style, career highlights, or popularity with supporters.
Alan Jenkins received an interesting email from Bob Thomas regarding the Famous Footballers series:
I thought I’d send you an image of a card I have. It’s the original artwork for the Brian Walsh card, and measures 76 x 135 mm. It looks like it was painted on a piece of reused card. I bought it on eBay. I have the following information, if it’s of use.
These drawings were painted by the late Stan Jones of Crosby, Liverpool. These were painted for Clevedon Confectionery Ltd of Blackpool, from which Clevedon printed the set of 50 ‘Famous Footballers’. Stan and Vera Jones owned a Sweet and Tobacconist shop and stocked Clevedon Sweets. Stan offered to draw and paint a set of footballers for Clevedon and in 1961 the set was released as a free insert (to become collectors cards) in each packet of sweets.
I was told that this artwork is the only surviving example left of the original artwork.
Bob