At last the complete BATMAN A&BC Gum Cards 1966. PINK BACK #batman #A&BC

55 Batman Cards…

It has only taken me 48 years to get the complete set of f Batman 1966  A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd cards but I am a happy man… I acquired the missing one today.

Each card is a full colour, hand-painted image by one of several contributing (comic book) artists including: Norm Saunders and Bob Powell.

batman_bubble_gum_cards

Set of 55 Batman cards (British variant of Topps Batman set – Front is the same as US set, reverse has pink background with text.) Commonly known as “Pink Back Series” or “Black Bats”. UK cards smaller in size compared to the US Topps sets

The Beatles A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd (first series) 7 loose cards #beatles

Faded Beatles – my life has faded with them

I unearthed a box of old stuff which was crammed with bits and pieces from my childhood. Photographs of the Beatles printed on cardboard, faded and going the colour of straw – I looked in the mirror and there was the same reflection.

Below are a few of the Beatles black & white cards. Numbers 7, 37, 45, 48, 51, 57, 60 from a series of 60. A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd cards showing John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney with printed signatures in blue.

beatles_series_1

The #Beatles – trading cards better than the real thing

I understand the joys of collecting things like stamps, trading crds etc. there is alway the pleasure of finding, buying that elusive one that will make the set. Chewing gum cards were my thing when I was small – I loved the chance element, the hope of getting what I wanted. I no longer collect things but I still love chance, which is why I now do the lottery.

The Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act and producer George Martin enhanced their musical potential. They gained popularity in the United Kingdom after their first hit, “Love Me Do”, in late 1962. They acquired the nickname “the Fab Four” as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following year, and by early 1964 they had become international stars, leading the “British Invasion” of the United States pop market.

In 1962 / 63 Douglas Coakley of A & BC Chewing Gum Ltd, approached Brian Epstein, The Beatles manager, and his lawyer David Jacobs, to obtain the rights to produce trading cards featuring photographs and autographs of the Beatles. A set of 60 cards was produced and issued in 1964. The photographs were provided to A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd courtesy of Nems Enterprises Ltd, Brian Epstein’s company, and appear to be mostly taken in 1963 and maybe 1962. A second series quickly followed.

I love Beatles ephemera – I hate their annoying music

As far as I am concerned they are not the massive influence on popular music they are claimed to be – mediocrity comes to mind.

beatles_series_1_backs

The backs are clean on 7, 37, 48, 51, 57(obviously age faded) and corners and edges fairly crisp and sharp.

The backs of 45 and 60 are glue damaged and age faded. Corners and edges are fairly crisp and sharp.

#Pentax SP – #Takumar 1:2/55mm lens ideal for #DSLR cameras

Takumar 1:2/55mm lenses are the perfect manual lens for DSLR cameras

Takumar 1:2/55mm lens

Pentax cameras of this era came with fantastic standard lenses. The one I purchased off ebay came with an original Takumar 1:2/55mm lens, a great lens that is flexible and precise. Takumar is the name that Asahi Optical gave to its lenses, which they used on Asahi Pentax cameras. These lenses were named after the Japanese-American portrait painter, Takuma Kajiwara.

Pentax SP 500 -Takumar 1:2/55mm lens

When the first Pentax Spotmatic was introduced to the public at the 1960 PHOTOKINA, photographic fair, in Cologne, Germany, it attracted the instant and close attention of photographers and photographic engineers alike.

The model range included the original Spotmatic, Spotmatic II and IIa, Spotmatic F, plus the SP500 and SP1000. There was also the Pentax SL, which was identical to the Spotmatic except that it did not have the built-in light meter.

To buy a Takumar 1:2/55mm lens click on the images above or here

WHO-Z-AT STAR Chewing Gum Cards – Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE

Going through the attic I have founds loads of complete Chewing Gum Card sets including two from 1959(?) in the series Who-z-at Star. Stars from Arthur Askey to Patrick McGoohan, Adam Faith to Noel Gordon etc. Great nostalgic excursion.

Who-z-at Star Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE

who-z-at star Shirley Bassey

who-z-at star 42

SHIRLEY BASSEY A.& B.C. GUM CARD-WHO-Z-AT STAR? No.42

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE (born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer with a career spanning more than 60 years. Originally finding fame in the mid-1950s, Bassey has gone on to be dubbed “one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century” and has sold an estimated 135 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful British music acts in history. In the US, in particular, she is best known for recording the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979).

Shirley Bassey. (2014, November 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13:48, November 19, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shirley_Bassey&oldid=634386202

Great nostalgia. Shirley Bassey A.& B.C. GUM Card: WHO-Z-AT STAR? No.42