Newport County 1912-1989

In this section you will find a series of articles written by Ade Williams which first appeared in Newport County match programmes around 2005/06. Thank you Ade you are a fountain of knowledge on all things County!

 
THE MEMORABILIA OF
NEWPORT COUNTY 

Badges & Pins

Memorabilia and souvenirs are very much
part and parcel of the modern game, an
integral part of every club's commercial set up.
The souvenirs importantly market their club’s
appeal, whilst also adding important funds to
those needy club coffers. Memorabilia in the
main was rather scarce pre World Cup 1966,
before the introduction of a certain 'World Cup
Willie' demonstrated the consumers’ desire for
such novelty keepsakes. These days, no
match-day experience is complete without a
visit to the club shop.

In 2005 the supporter is spoiled by the huge
selection of the club-related novelties
that greet our eyes, club-themed goodies
coming at us from all angles and in many
different guises, from the expected replica
shirts, scarves and hats, to the more diverse
lines such as umbrellas, clocks and car blinds.
None, however, is more widely collected and
sought after than the traditional enamel badge,
one of the few souvenir items that pre-date’s
Willie, and probably the most commonly
collected football item after match
programmes. The badge has spanned era
after era, proudly allowing the wearer to
display his affections on his lapel, a long time
before replica shirts became the norm.

This last fifteen years has seen a boom in
football merchandising, thanks in no small
part to the ease of the internet. Badges in
particular are now being issued at an
astonishing rate to keep up with demand.
Even small clubs such as ours will issue up
to five new designs each season, with sold-out
past issues, maybe those that are just a few
years old even, obtaining very steep prices.
There are several serious collectors amongst
us, individuals that will pay extortionate
amounts to secure the County badge that is
absent from our proud hoard. We live in an
age where one certain badge design can
come in various different colours, not to
mention a choice of both gilt and chrome
finish, all must-have fodder for the serious
badge enthusiast.

The classic Newport County badge will always
be the traditional 'Supporters Club' design,
one of the earliest examples for our club and a
wonderful concept, which has stood the test of
time. A pre-war version would set the
purchaser back a few hundred pounds now. That
badge, along with the famous 1930s 'Miller
Ball', is easily the most sought after
amongst Newport badge collectors. The trusty
design has changed little over the years, with
issues from the 1960s onwards still readily
available for less than £10, and nearly
every decade having its own version. The rare
1940s issue owned by County fan Bill
Pritchard (pictured) would set you back around
£250 however, should you be lucky enough to
ever actually find one for sale that is.

Post 1966 and like the rest of his memorabilia
chums, the badge
exploded. Many new
designs and formats
appeared, the 1970s
now being famous, or
should that be
infamous, for the
incredibly tacky
'Insert Badge'. This consisted of a
crest sticker mounted onto a metallic badge.
Shapes were much varied and despite its
obviously lack of quality, these are now
amongst the most sought-after of the modern
badges. Incredibly a Newport County example
in nice condition can cost anything between
£15 and £40.

The 1990s saw the beautiful game take a hike
in popularity. Badges have been produced
almost continually as demand grows ever
higher. Some early Newport AFC pins reach
extremely good prices. Many of the coveted
'Programme Shop' issues have sold swiftly,
some trebling in price literally overnight.
Duncan Jardine’s excellent designs have gone
on to fetch large prices in many instances.

The recent '200 Club' issue now commanding a mere £10 to £15, and the even more recent
'FAW Cup Final' match-badge set being
almost as scarce to find now as the proverbial
'hens’ teeth'. Collectors value each of these
badges at £10 to £20, a fair investment for
your three pounds!

Ornamentals

The festive issue NCAFC ‘Lledo’ Model Truck
is a real collectors piece. The limited edition,
die-cast models are extremely sought after
when featuring our beloved football clubs. On
buying one of these quality Programme-Shop
novelties, you will inevitably see your
purchase double in value immediately, a rare
occurrence in the fickle world of football
memorabilia and merchandise.

The classic and most commonly produced
Lledo issue is the 'Model T Ford'. The white
Programme-Shop release from last Christmas
would already fetch around £20 or more at
auction, with less than a hundred being
produced. The 'Morris Minor' vans of 2001 and
2004, are even more sought after
amongst the many collectors of replica die-
cast models. Again, deliberately produced in
small numbers, both white and black issues
respectively are today valued at a healthy £20
to £35.

Casting aside the
usual club shop
fodder of mugs and
pennants,
ornamental
collectables are
rather few and far
between for
Newport County.
The 1981 NCAFC Moneybox is an
example that is incredibly scarce today.
Produced sparingly, these charming yet rather
tacky novelties are extremely typical of their
throw away era. Despite being just two halves
of coloured plastic, decorated with club crest
sticker, these will generally reward the owner
with a return of £25 or more.

A much classier affair was the club-shop
issued Wall-Plaques from a year earlier.
Available in two forms, the first plaque was a
standard 'Ironsides' crest on a gold metal
fitting, which in turn was mounted onto a piece
of hardboard, beautifully simple, square and
petite. The second, a commemorative plaque
produced to honour the 1979/80 Promotion
and Welsh Cup winning team, was a much
more delightful effort. A wonderfully engraved
crest, squad and officials, set into a small
copper base, the most charming of
keepsakes. These are scarce today and a nice
example could set you back £30 to £40. One
of these very seldom appears for sale.

The outstanding ornamentals from the
Newport AFC era are without doubt the frosted
glass tankards and framed Somerton Park
aerial-photos of the early 1990's. In keeping
with their predecessors, both should fetch a
pleasing profit on your initial investment.

The most stunning ornamental issue, however, since those wonderful 1980
plaques, surely has to be the limited edition prints of the Somerton Park Painting.
Issued by director and supporter Rob Santwris
earlier this year, these were beautifully framed
and of a staggering visual quality. Individually
numbered and signed by the artist, they will no
doubt be highly sought after in the years to
come, a snip at £60 and a glorious reminder of
our cherished home, one that will be forever
etched in our memories and history.

I guess the moral of this story would be to look
after those club-themed ornamentals, and to
snap up the new Lledo Truck from Duncan or
Neil in the Programme-Shop when you get the
chance.

Programmes

Just the mere mention of the words "football
programme" and the phrase “The Bible"
immediately springs to mind. The match day
programme is very much the modern day
"Good Book", just as the tribal game itself is
deemed the modern day religion!

Unlike souvenirs, the match programme has
been lurking ever since the first pig bladder
was kicked in earnest. Late 19th Century
examples are among the most exquisite
pieces of ephemera to be sought, many taking
on the form of a small, double-sided card with
such limited space that it carried little more
than the team line ups on one side,
and customary advertisement (yes, they have
been around for ever too!) on the other.

Sadly, Newport County didn't exist then, but
ever since our formation in 1912, we have
carried with us a fine tradition of producing a
formidable, and hugely admired match day
magazine, an award winner right up with the
best in the game. The collecting of these
programmes is as old as the game itself,
easily the most popular item amongst anyone
with tendencies to amass football regalia.
Some will collect just the games they have
personally attended - others prefer to collect
specials such as FA Cup Finals, or defunct ex-
League clubs. Many though, will stick rigidly to
just their own treasured club, and to try and
amass a collection that
features all of their team's
complete seasons. That is the
goal of the serious
programme enthusiast.

County's pre war issues are
as good as any of that era, but most collectors
tend to shun anything before 1945 as it
is almost impossible to complete a full
season. Many of the modern day issues (since
1970) can be collected from just a pound
each, although those with low print runs (such
as Friendly games), or with particular infamy
involved, can be expensive exceptions.
Naturally, the harder it is to obtain, the more
you will need to pay to add it to your collection.
County's own infamous seasons of 1987/8,
1988/9 and 1989/0 are all highly collectable,
as well as being sought after by many, not just
Newport County supporters - subsequently,
the majority of them command good prices.
Hardest to obtain are Rochdale away 87/8
(just 300 printed & valued at £60), plus homes
against Burnley 87/8 (£25) and the last game
against Kidderminster 88/9 (£25). A '1st or last
season' tag will always add interest and value.

1960s issues can still
be picked up from just
a few pounds a piece,
likewise 1950s from
upwards of £5,
although as always,
there are expensive
exceptions.
Manchester City
home in the League
Cup of 62/3 for example generally goes for
around the £50 mark, with odd Welsh Cup
issues even higher. County homes from 1945
to 1950 are much scarcer, and as a result,
command steep prices, as well as inevitable
interest from dealers whenever they become
available! Most expensive are our home
programmes from the War League season of
1945/6, these will command £150 to £500 or
more each. The home game with Chelsea
from that season is thought to be the most
valuable County programme of all, worth a
whopping £3,500!

You'll be laughing if you unearth one of those
in your dusty attic. Similarly, single-sheet
Welsh Cup issues, especially those before
1970 are worth substantial figures (£40 to
£100+). Indeed, when your cherished Newport
County collection reaches the "pre 1950"
stage, you will quickly realise that away issues
are far easier to obtain than homes, our club
being amongst the hardest to collect for that
period due to their incredible scarcity. It's fair
to say that as the programmes have grown
bigger and thicker, so has the interest in
collecting them. It's also fair to say that it
matters not the size of your collection, or
indeed the era that it proudly represents, each
and every one of these match day magazines
is a remarkable piece of your club's history,
each as traditional and synonymous with the
game as the ball itself.

Trade Cards - Pre War

The issuing and collecting of football Trade
and Cigarette Cards is as old as the beautiful
game itself. These enchanting examples of
ephemera have spanned over a century of
football devotion around the globe, satisfying
millions of addicted followers of Association
Football and their beloved club team.

The term "Trade Card" is rather relative and
modern, it covers a multitude of card-themed
collectables, from stickers, stamps and
postcards, to the early magazine "cut-out &
keep" features. Despite the hundreds of
individual forms and themes, Newport
County appear rather sparingly, sadly,
as one would perhaps expect of a team
that had never really risen above the
lower echelons of league football.

Classic issues such as the delightful
'Ogden's' series from the turn of the last
century existed long before Newport County
came into being in June 1912. The first
known examples to feature our club are most
probably the rare 'Baines' trade cards of
the 1914 to 1919 period, an unusually
circular-shaped card featuring a detailed
artist's action scene. One of these featuring
the County has a value today of around £25+.
More widely known are the Godfrey Phillips
"real photo" cards of 1920 to 1925.

These are entirely more plentiful and the first
known "Cigarette Card" issued to feature the
Ironsides. Mass produced and of stunning
quality , indeed it is debatable whether they
have been bettered by any of their modern
counterparts since. Most popular were the
"Pinnace" cards, a series of miniature "real
photograph" cards featuring every individual
player, each additional year seeing a
slightly altered rear-side for the anoraks
amongst us. Also available by mail order were
the much scarcer and larger "cabinet-card"
size. Another Phillips issue to feature County
were the 'BDV Tobacco Silks' of 1921,
again available in two sizes, featuring our
club colours bizarrely depicted as blue.
The pinnace series can be obtained for just a
few pounds each still, due to the
sheer numbers produced, silks and cabinet-
cards from around £5 to £15.

Other gems from the 1920’s include the
romantic photographic-postcards,
featuring crowd scenes (usually at Brighton)
and traditional team groups. Moving into the
1930's and club captain Norman Low was to
feature in the 'Wills & Co' Cigarette Card
series of 1938, decked out in unorthodox red
and white stripes, although much harder to
find these days are the "Famous Football
Towns & Their Crests" and "ABC Club
Colours" of 1931, both issued by publisher 'DC
Thompson of Dundee'. Five to ten
pounds should secure either of those dandies,
but you would need to pay anything up to
£100+ to become the proud owner of the
1920's team-group postcard.

Similarly rare and highly sought-after are the
1931 "Barrett Team Folders",
a pinnace-sized card that would open up to
reveal the photographs of the relevant 
team members faces, like the Phillips issues
of a decade earlier, it too has few 
equals when contemplating quality. The Folder
is one of the hardest cards to obtain for
Newport County, indeed should you ever
spot one of these up for grabs, you can
expect to be relieved of around £45 to £50 for
your trouble.

A team-group collectable much more
affordable, and indeed available, is the
'Sherman's Pools Spotlight On Famous
Teams' series from 1939. These were
postcard-sized and made from thin paper. A
sublime collectable which treated us to
our legendary 1939 Championship winners
in glorious colour, still easily obtained in 2006
for just a few pounds.

Trade Cards - Post War

Football Trade Card collectables since
1946, are unsurprisingly far more readily
available today than their pre-war cousins.
Despite their arguable failings in matching up
to the glorious standard of quality set in the
1920s and 30s, many are no less desirable
and sought after.

Newport County sadly never ever featured in
the famous bubble gum cards of the fifties,
sixties and seventies, as issued by 'A&BC' and
later 'Topps Bubble Gum', although we did
appear in the charming 1950 "Its A Goal" card
game set issued by 'Pepys of Glasgow'.
A lovely, coloured card, which depicted the
Ironsides in a truly bizarre “stripe-fest” of
a playing strip! These are fairly common and
worth around five pounds in 2006. We next
reared our heads in 1960 when an updated
version of 'DC Thompson's’ 1931 ABC Club
Colours' depicted County's Barry Meyer as
proud club captain. Around the same time the
'Anglo American Gum Company' produced
their enchanting Wax
Paper Club Crests, a desirable
collectable featuring
the classic 1950s
County crest , most
reminiscent of the
“Bazooka Joe’s” from
my own 70s childhood.
Either of these would
cost around £5 to
obtain now, although for less than half of that
amount, you could get a terrific colour "quiz
card" featuring the legendary John ‘Polly’
Rowlands in photographic colour from 1969,
issued by 'Anglo Confectionary'.

The 1970s was an era awash with various
new issues, a decade that began with County
appearing in the intriguing new Soccer Stamps
Album of 1971 , produced by 'The Sun'
newspaper, along with the team group Soccer
Cards of the same year, a card that was rather
typically, near-identically issued by 'The Daily
Mirror' also , I guess some things never
change! These carry little value, around just a
pound each, although the collecting of 'Sun'
tokens and consequent sending away would
see you rewarded with a postcard-sized,
colour team group card. In stark contrast to
the other 'Sun' issues, these "My Club"
postcards are rare and valued at around £25
today, by dealers and collectors alike.

Space prevents me detailing every post-war
issue sadly, but also worth a brief mention
were the 1967 'Roy Race' gummed crest
stickers (incredibly petite and valued at £3 in
unused condition), the 1978 'Sun Soccer
Cigarette Cards'
which featured our
Howard Goddard and
Tony Byrne (value
50p each), and the
excellent post-1990
issues from 'Memory
Lane' and 'JF
Sporting Collectables',
which feature the
County in true
nostalgic heaven.

Promotion in 1980
saw our little club elevated to previously
unseen heights with a first ever appearance in
the famous 'Panini' Stickers Album, a real
card-collectors highlight, and the colour team
group, which wonderfully appeared is still
easily available for around a pound. However,
our first taste of European football that year
meant we also prestigiously appeared in the
Italian version, this sticker being
incredibly difficult to obtain in unused condition
and valued at a hefty £20+. The following year a
wonderful foil club crest sticker was added too,
a beautiful reminder of great times watching Newport County at their best. 

Despite their fluctuating values and market
appeal, each and every one of these
quality trade card collectables are equally
fascinating. Incredibly difficult to choose
between, all are well worth having in your
prized hoard of NCAFC memorabilia.