• Subbuteo Main page.
• The full text listing of Subbuteo football accessories.
• The Illustrated Accessories List - (Page 1).
• The Team Colours Project (Ongoing illustrated team lists).
• Subbuteo Football boxed editions, Five-a-side and junior versions.
• Subbuteo Catalogues: 1947-1968, 1969-1996, Companion Games Catalogues (this page), and Misc. flyers.
• European Catalogues and Catalogues - Japan & NZ

Although Peter Adolph's range of box sets in the 1950s-60s often featured adverts for other games, he tended to kept them separate as regards to catalogues, price lists and order forms. The non-football boxed editions featured in the Companion Subbuteo Sports Games catalogue, which like the football list, was issued yearly. However, the accessories were not included in this brochure, and the details inside changed very little over time. The Cricket and Racing games did receive their own accessory ranges, and these received appropriate price lists and order forms for Peter Adolph's mail order service. When the OO scale rugby arrived in 1969, it too received an accessory range and an accompanying price list was provided in the early sets. However, by that stage the writing was on the wall for all this separate paperwork for the minor games. A large colour catalogue was produced around 1969, which covered all three games, and the surviving cricket and rugby games found themselves amalgamated into the football catalogues, beginning with 1969-70 (cricket) and 1970-71 (rugby). That brings this era of Subbuteo paperwork to a close.

The Companion Catalogues.

October 1952	Nov 1957

The companion games series started with the card game "Soccer Market" in 1948, with cricket (January 1949) and Fivesides (1949-50) added soon after. These games were sold from a separate brochure to the standard football price list, and the October 1952 version is illustrated fully above. Like the football price lists of the time, this was a simple A5 leaflet. Later in the 1950s, the catalogue added a further fold-out page, which advertised the rolling version of rugby on one side, and Speedway on the other. The Speedway page shown above is from the November 1957 issue. However, the front page was unchanged, with only the original three games listed. The rugby page was basically unchanged all the way to 1968, and can be seen below.

October 1952: Cricket was in three editions (Assembly Outfit 10/7d; Combination 15/0d; Super Assembled 42/9d). Fivesides was also in three editions (Introductory 7/9d in the small box; Standard 16/11d with pitch; Deluxe 20/7d with pitch and celluloid players and bases). Soccer Market was 5/3d.
October 1953: This was the first enlarged Companion catalogue adding rugby and Speedway to make an extra page. The cricket reduced to 10/1d for the cheap assembly version, 14/6d for the Combination and 40/10d for the Super Assembled. The Speedway came in at 11/- for the standard edition and 46/8d for the first version of the track edition.
November 1957: Cricket prices were now 10/1d; 14/5d and 42/-; and Fivesides were actually a little cheaper than before. (7/8d; 16/8d and 19/10d). Soccer Market was still 5/3d. Rugby was 18/- for the standard edition, and 39/- with a pitch. Speedway was 10/10d, and 48/- with track.

This is a more unusual single sheet Companion Games flyer, and is dated August 1957. It seems to be more of a flyer (and is also shown on that page). What is does illustrate is the difficulty of dating game availability using the Companion catalogues. My standard brochure dated November 1957 has Cricket, Fivesides, Soccer Market, Rugby and Speedway. This one from August 1957 lacks the Speedway, but gains Motor Racing and Journey into Space. The layout is also different. This one is really just a selection of Subbuteo's magazine advertisements.

 

September 1963	October 1964

September 1963: The random cricket prices are now 10/6d, 14/3d, and 46/-. The increasing price of the cloth pitches is noticeable though. Fivesides was reduced in price again (7/7d, 16/4d and 19/3d), but rugby was more expensive (18/9d and 40/3d). Speedway was still being advertised, but without a track version. Just 10/6d for the standard edition.
October 1964: The front page was altered to advertise "Table Rugby" instead of "Soccer Market". The advert for Soccer Market which has always been on the back of the leaflet was replaced by an advert for The Beatles - Peter Adolph's 2.5 inch replicas of the band. Price 6/6d. No.1 in a series of one.

 

December 1967	1968

The companion games catalogues continued well into the 1960s, and two different versions are shown here.

Subbuteo Table Cricket (Flat Edition) 1949-1964 (or 1965?)

Whilst the racing price list had a colour illustration, the Table Cricket Price list of the 1950s and early 1960s did not evolve beyond a basic black and white format that actually copied the look of the football list of 1948-49. The range of dated lists available to this site suggests that this was issued annually. The last one I have seen is 1964, but judging from the date of the initial OO scale versions, there could well be 1965 or even 1966. So keep looking!

I have only illustrated a couple of lists here, as they really are all pretty much alike. The ones shown are 1953 and 1964. Each list should have an order form attached, but these are perforated, and easily detached.

Season 1949: I assume this is the first list. It has twelve items on it - the card and celluloid editions of the game, and then all the components available separately, followed by an unmarked green baize cloth, and an imprinted version.
Season 1950: We see one extra item added to this price list - a pair of sight screens for 2s 5d. And that is pretty much the flat cricket component list completed. Prices were the same as 1949.
Season 1953: Prices of sets and components are the same as 1949 and 1950 except for the baize pitches, which increase to 15s (plain) and 21s 4d (printed).
Season 1956: The pitches have increased in price once more, but the sets and some of the accessories are actually cheaper than they were in 1950. A purchase Tax reduction or something else?
Season 1961/62: I've seen a front page for a combined season catalogue, which is unusual for cricket.
Season 1962: Item 14 arrived somewhere between the 1956 list and this one. This was simply the batting figure with base, and the bowling figure with the base. Overlooked in the range to that point (although both bases were pretty much unbreakable).
Season 1964: This finally added the Assembled Edition to the accessories range, but it was added it at number three. This makes sense in keeping the sets together, but of course it means all the other accessories have to move down a number to accommodate it. This is the kind of confusion that Newfooty did just about every year, but the fixed numbers in Subbuteo ranges were always a big plus. Well, a big plus for construction of this site, if nothing else!

• cricket accessories - flat era has all the details from these lists. That page shows prices from four different lists: 1949, 1956, 1962 and 1964.

Subbuteo Table Cricket (OO scale version) 1966-69

 Peter Adolph had actually ordered the first OO scale figures for this cricket game update from model maker Charles Stadden in 1962, but the game was delayed until 1966. At present I am aware of three different price lists that were made available for the season 1966-67, two dated August 1966 and the other is January 1967. In essence, the layout was the same as the flats version, with the accessory range starting on the front, and carrying over to the back. In addition, a perforated second page had an order form.

1966-67: August 1966 (1). Two versions dated August 1966 exist. the first one had the accessory range ending at TC-K.
1966-67: August 1966 (2). This second version on the same date had TC-L and TC-M (both bowling figures) added.
1966-67: January 1967. This seems identical to the second version from August 1966, apart from the date of issue.

1967-68: August 1967 Dated along the top, the second year of OO scale cricket saw this much more colourful affair, featuring the illustration from the full edition boxes on the front, along with details of box sets and their prices. The reverse had the accessory price list down the centre between two pictures. The pictures on this early version were black line drawings in green rectangles,, featuring a cheering West Indian, and a kangaroo batsman.

The accessory list had reached TC-Q at this point (which was the spectators in deck chairs), but the full Test Match Edition featuring these items was yet to appear. Text on the front of the catalogue read "New items are currently being designed and will be detailed on future lists". However, only the fence hadn't arrived, and I get the feeling this text probably applied to the items TC-N to TC-Q which were new to this list.

1968-69: April 1968. The list for the 1968-69 season was dated April 1968, and featured the Test Match Edition priced at 69/11d. The back of the list had an accessory list that was still at TC-Q, so there was no sign of the fence. However, the "new items are currently being designed" text had gone. Note that the two pictures have changed to Subbuteo's more regular advertising pictures for the cricket game, a bowler and batsman with wicket keeper.
1969-70: March 1969. There was no date of release in the usual spot on this later list, and a new sticker had been placed over the larger season date. This sticker was dated to March 1969 and explained that the prices are prior to a 10% P/T Regulator introduced by the Government. As a further budget was due, the price lists were not being reprinted. In the combined 1969-70 catalogue, the Test Match Edition had increased in price to 72/6, and in 1970-71 it was 74/. After that comes decimalisation, and even more inflation.

• Cricket Accessories - has all the numbered accessories from this range.

Subbuteo Table Rugby (OO scale version) 1969-70.

The basic "rolling" rugby of the 1950s-60s didn't have a proper accessory range. The OO scale rugby game was a late arrival when compared to football and cricket, and it finally launched in 1969, which was in the Waddingtons era. The rugby accessory range was amalgamated into the general Subbuteo catalogue of 1970-71, but there was just time to issue a separate list, on a suitable tan coloured paper. The list is actually undated, but the early date can be determined by prices in old money, and fact that the team list only goes up to R25, and not R26 (which arrived in 1972-73). Only the late arriving kicking wedge is missing from the accessory list. Nothing else was ever added. The fence was included in this list, and the amalgamated 1970-71 catalogue suggested that the brown picket fence was due in July 1971. However, the price goes down in that catalogue compared to this list, so this earlier list might be the only place where the original white cricket fence was offered as a rugby accessory.

• Rugby accessories - details all the OO scale rugby accessories on this list.

• Subbuteo Main page.
• The full text listing of Subbuteo football accessories.
• The Illustrated Accessories List - (Page 1).
• The Team Colours Project  (Ongoing illustrated team lists).
• Subbuteo Football boxed editions, Five-a-side and junior versions.
• Subbuteo Catalogues: 1947-1968, 1969-1996, Companion Games Catalogues (this page), and Misc. flyers.
• European Catalogues and Catalogues - Japan & NZ

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