WAFL Collectables

Believe it or not, there have been plenty of card sets issued over the years featuring teams or players from the WAFL. Sure, there haven't been anywhere near as many as there have been for the VFL, but cards have been a staple of the WA collecting scene since the early days of football in this state.

The first known cards (excluding postcards) were issued in 1907 by cigarette manufacturers Sniders & Abrahams and featured the 56 best players (and umpires) of the day. The sepia set was so popular that Sniders & Abrahams issued a set of 60 cards the following year, this time in colour.

This page only deals with trading and cigarette cards, but you will find details about WAFL postcards, newspaper supplements/tear-outs and stickers & decals on other pages.

My thanks must go to Damien Green, whose football cards website is a bible for card collectors. Some of the information and photographs have come from his site.

Below is a list of known WAFL cards. Those I have in my collection are crossed through, while those I am chasing have been highlighted in red. Feel free to get in touch if you are looking for any more information about anything below or if you can help me with anything from my list.

If you click on some of the photographs, you will be able to view other cards in that particular set (once I have uploaded them all, anyway).

The first known set of football cards issued in Western Australia was manufactured by cigarette company Sniders & Abrahams, which owned the Standard Cigarettes brand, in 1907. Featuring the 56 best players (and umpires) of the day, the first evidence of this set's existence is found in an advertisement in the Sunday Times of 9 June, 1907. A week later, in an article, the Sunday Times reported: "Public interest in the national game is fully aroused and the whole community are eagerly watching the games and the players. In view of this fact, the action taken by the enterprising proprietors of the 'Standard' cigarettes will meet with general approval. Each packet of these cigarettes will contain an artistic photograph of some prominent and favourite West Australian footballer, the present series including those of nearly all the senior Metropolitan, Fremantle and Midland Junction players. These will be hailed with pleasure by players and supporters alike, and the undoubted effect will be to still further popularise the fine old game. A similar procedure in the Eastern States was very successful, and there is no reason to doubt that the public of this State will be equally pleased." Despite following in the footsteps of the Victorian sets issued by Standard Cigarettes, these cards do not resemble any of the previous sets. They measure about 39mm x 68mm.

The second set of WAFL cards released under the Standard Cigarettes brand looked very much like the cards issued for the VFL. But, unlike the first set of cards issued in WA, these were in colour. They were also made more interesting by the inclusion of players from the Goldfields league, which banded together with the WAFL to send a state team to the first national carnival, held in Victoria, in 1908. There were 60 coloured cards in this set, which tend to fetch higher prices than the sepia set that was issued in 1907.

These cards were not of the highest quality and came with a purchase from various Perth retailers, though it's not known how different retailers came to be involved in the one card set. Little is known about these cards because only 14 of them have ever been seen by collectors. The cards themselves had a token on the bottom, which was designed to be clipped off. Once a person collected 50 of these tokens, they could exchange them for a ticket to the picture theatre. But the rest of the card was for the collector. On the back of the card was the player's name and an advertisement for the retailer. The three known retailers involved with the set were Subiaco grocers Munyard & Kenworthy, Subiaco haidresser Jack Briggs, and Subiaco confectioner & caterer GW Dryers, but it is expected that other small retailers also issued them. Interestingly, all three known retailers were in Rokeby Rd, Subiaco, giving rise to the possiblity that they were only issued by shops in the Subiaco area. Sadly, I don't have any in my collection and would love some photographs/scans of any of these cards, if you are able to help.

These cards were made by confectioners Plaistowe & Co in 1932, featuring the best players from across the WAFL. They are poorly made on low-quality paper and measure about 40mm x 62mm (though the size can vary). The company issued 40 cards along with its toffee products, but found them so popular that a second series of 40 was issued later. Its not known whether the second series was issued the same year or in 1933. The second series features the players' names on the front of the cards, making them easy to differentiate from those in the first series at just a glance. I have also found them much more difficult to obtain, and five remain unseen by collectors. I now have a full set of the first series, but am always looking for cards in better condition and, of course, the cards I am missing from the second series.

In 1933, cigarette giants Godfrey & Phillips issued a set of 100 cigarette cards featuring Australian sportsmen and women (along with a few racehorses and greyhounds). Among them were seven footballers, including two from the WAFL. A third WAFL footballer (Austin Robertson Senior) was featured, but for his running exploits rather than his football skills. The list below is not for every card, but only the two WAFL cards and the Robertson card.

This very rare set of cards features each of the 25 players who travelled to Hobart to represent WA in the 1947 carnival. Strangely, the cards do not bear any maker's mark and it is, therefore, not known who made them. However, they are very similar in format to a set of cricket and tennis cards made around the same era. I suspect both sets were made by a company called AVA Confections, which opened in William St in about 1946 and closed in about 1951. While six cards have not yet been seen by collectors, the identities of the players on them are known because the set only featured players who travelled to Hobart. Those players are: Norm Wendt, Bill Alderman, Jack Sweet, Ron Tucker, Fred Buttsworth and Wally O'Neill.

Until a few years ago, I had only seen one of these cards on a computer screen. They were issued by Walsh's Menswear back in 1961 and some, mainly featuring players from Subiaco and East Fremantle, surfaced over the years. But, recently, another couple of piles were discovered and cards for each of the other six clubs were among them. Most of the photographs are head-and-shoulders portrait photos, with the player's name and club printed underneath. However, there are also some that are three-quarter-length shots and feature the player's signature. As a result, there are now 143 known to exist, but given 30 of them feature Subiaco players, and 28 of them Perth players, it's quite possible there were about 30 for each club - giving a likely total of about 240 photos in the set. The cards, which are actually just photographs on the standard-sized Ilford photographic paper of the day, measure about 90mm x 127mm. They were stamped on the back with an old-fashioned rubber stamp and pad. The stamps read either: "Copyright:- Walsh's Menswear Stores" or "Copywrite:- Walsh's Menswear Stores". Please get in touch if you have any of these as I would like to document them.

One of the most sought-after of the WAFL card sets, these were issued by the beverage giant back in 1961 and featured 24 players from each club on distinctive cards with red borders. There were eight albums (one for each club) and the captains were featured on the front of the albums (they didn't appear on the cards).The cards, which measure 52mm x 78mm, were obtained by collecting a white token which was found under each Coca-Cola bottlecap, though it's unclear how many cards were exchanged for each token. The comparative rarity of these cards today, along with the attractive design and the fact that 1961 was a very special year for WA football, makes these highly collectable.

ALBUMS (0 of 8 Needed)

CARDS (82 of 192 Needed)

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Scanlens first issued football cards for the VFL in 1963 and continued doing so until the early 1990s. During that time, there were three sets produced which featured WAFL players. The first of those was the original 1963 set, which boasted just 18 cards. The three WAFL players were Ron Evans (who had recently transferred from Essendon to West Perth, but was pictured in his Essendon jumper), Bob Johnson (who had transferred to East Fremantle from Melbourne for 1962 and was pictured in his Melbourne jumper) and Swan Districts skipper Haydn Bunton Junior (who appeared in casual clothing). This set is sometimes referred to as the "Holy Grail" for Victorian collectors and the cards are so expensive that I have never bought any. Interestingly, there are a few other links to WA in this set. Alec Epis started his football career on the Goldfields, Verdun Howell coached Claremont from 1972-74 and settled in Perth, and Graham "Polly" Farmer is one of WA's football legends. But only three cards depict players who were playing for WAFL clubs at the time the set was released.

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This was the first card set brought out by the oil giants featuring WAFL players and it was replicated in SA with SANFL players and in Victoria with VFL players. It followed on from the album of stamps issued by Shell in 1963 (you will find details of this set in the Transfers & Stickers page). The large-format cards (82mm x 134mm) were so popular among children - who would pick up a card when their parents filled up at a Mobil service station - that another set was issued in 1965. The first set featured five players from each of the eight WAFL clubs and was designed to be housed in an album. It is probably one of the easiest WA card sets to find today, but it can be difficult to find the cards in pristine condition. Most of the cards were glued into the album and those which were kept separately or secured in the album using photo corners carry a premium today.

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Following on from the success of the 1964 Mobil set, the company issued another set of 40 over-sized cards in 1965. This time, the players were photographed in action shots at training. As in 1964, Mobil made a set of 40 cards for both the SANFL and the VFL, too. I've found this set a little more difficult to find than the 1964 set, though it is still one of the more common WA sets. It also had an album and, again, it was common for the cards to be glued into the album at the time.

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Just like in the first release of 18 cards in 1963, Scanlens decided in 1966 that they should include WAFL players in their set of 72 cards. However, unlike in 1963, there were no SANFL players this time around. Strangely, Scanlens settled on two cards featuring a player each from Subiaco, Claremont, Perth and East Perth. Of those sides, only Claremont had played finals the previous season. Swan Districts, East Fremantle, West Perth and South Fremantle only got one card each. The list below only includes the WAFL players in the set.

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In 1968, Twisties issued randomly in its packets 24 different cards concerning WAFL football. There were three cards for each club - one featuring a club crest, another featuring a rosette, and a third depicting a club mascot. Many of these cards have since turned yellow because of the acid content of the food. They are extremely difficult to find today.

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Just like the previous year, Twisties issued cards randomly in its packets in 1969. This time, there were just eight cards, each featuring a caricature of a WAFL club captain. All eight WAFL clubs were represented and, again, many of these cards have not survived. Those that have are almost always stained yellow from the acid in the Twisties.

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After a six-year hiatus, Mobil re-entered the WAFL market in 1971 with what has become the rarest of the three sets the company issued in the west. This set featured action shots of WAFL players and is possibly my favourite card set from this era. Again, there were SANFL and VFL sets, each also boasting 40 cards, and an album for each state in which to house the cards.

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This ten-card set features marks from the 1976 Wills Cup, which was the first real attempt at a national football competition. As the top-three finishers from 1975, West Perth, South Fremantle and Swan Districts were the WAFL teams to take part in the 15-match competition. At 108mm x 89mm, the cards were larger than a regular trading card, but were not of the highest quality. The photographs were actually stills taken from the television. Two cards feature marks taken by WAFL players, while another features a mark taken by a Norwood player while playing against a WAFL side. Only those three cards are listed below.

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A great set of cards that featured players from across the three strongest footy competitions in Australia, these were found in boxes of Kelloggs Corn Flakes in 1981. A set of 30 cards was difficult to complete, unless you ate a lot of corn flakes, but with only seven WAFL players (there were 8 SANFL players and 15 VFL players), you could get hold of all the local cards with some judicious trading. Sadly for local collectors, only four WAFL clubs were represented in this set, leaving Perth, Subiaco, Swan Districts and West Perth supporters without a card to chase. There was also an album to house the cards, which could be purchased from Golden Fleece service stations. Only the WAFL cards from the set are listed below.

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This set was really something different. Released at what was probably the height of the WAFL's marketing era, it was supposed to consist of 192 folder-style cards featuring player caricatures by artist Cedric Baxter. The plan was to release eight new 200mm x 240mm cards each week (one player per club) for 24 consecutive weeks over the course of the 1982 season. But, put simply, they were overpriced. Costing 90c for each card, which could be purchased from the Sunday Times office, Boans or your local Town & Country agent, they were competing with the 1982 Scanlens offer of a packet of WAFL cards for 20c. As a result, they just didn't sell and the whole thing was cancelled after about 8 weeks, meaning a total of about 64 different cards are believed to have been issued. The cards are numbered on the front (1-8 for each club) and the only anomaly is the existence of a Number 9 (John Ironmonger) for East Perth, giving rise to the possibility that there nine cards were released for each club. More likely, though, is that the Ironmonger card was printed, but never officially released.

Collectors did have the option to pre-order their team's entire set (24 cards) for $21, or $36 if you wanted the deluxe version (on thicker stock). There was also a black-and-gold album to house the collection, which cost $7.50.

Included in a little-known set of cards issued by the Town & Country Building Society in 1985 was  four cards featuring WAFL players, all of whom worked for the building society. Today, these can be surprisingly difficult to find. Other cards in the unnumbered set featured players from other sports, including cricket. It is suspected that the cards, which measured 90mm x 130mm and read "Join Our Team. Best Wishes", were used as both business cards and promotional cards. They usually turn up with the player's autograph on them.

Clinton Browning - East Fremantle

David Rankin - East Fremantle

Richard Dennis - East Perth

Peter Spencer - Subiaco

This set of 56 cards was issued through the Sunday Times over 14 consecutive weeks in 1986. The set features nice colour portraits of seven players from each club on cards measuring 80mm x 90mm. There was also one card issued which entitled a child to free entry to the footy that season, causing some collectors to claim the set actually consists of 57 cards.

If the was ever an indicator of the WAFL's fall from grace after the advent of a national competition in 1987, the fact that the Swan Districts set of 1997 was the first WAFL card set issued in 11 years is surely it. Issued by the club as a fundraising initiative, these plain-looking black-and-white cards were issued in parallel with a set of stickers. The cards are much more difficult to find than the stickers and fetch a reasonable price today for cards that are only 20-years-old. They were printed by Supreme Printers.

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In 2008, East Perth club photographer Paul Litherland released a set of 36 East Perth player cards, which featured a great, modern design. The cards were released in two series, each of 18 cards, and cost $50 for a full set of 36. But only 30 sets were issued, so they are tough to find nowadays.

After the success of his 2008 cards, East Perth photographer Paul Litherland released another set of cards in 2009. Again, there were two series, but this time there were 16 cards in each series, giving a total of 32 cards in the set. A complete set of these also cost $50, but 50 sets were released this time around.

In 2014, Jajas Collectables produced its first "Legends Of The West" cards, which were designed to be sold at the APCS collectables fair held in Perth that year. The cards were all to be signed by the players involved, who appeared at the show. In the years that followed, Jajas released further cards in the series. Although the APCS show has not visited Perth since 2017, Jajas has continued releasing occasional cards in the "Legends Of The West" series. The cards generally cost between $30 and $50 apiece, when sold at the show.

This set of seven cards came from nowhere when it was released by Perth Football Club in 2016. It was not particularly well publicised and, before most collectors even knew of its existence, they had sold out. The Tropiano card became particularly difficult to find. The cards could be purchased separately from the merchandise stall on match days, as well as the administration office during the week, and cost just 50c each.

Regal Trading Cards released a ground-breaking series of trading cards in 2018, featuring past greats of the game. And there were WAFL players among them. But it's somewhat difficult to determine which cards in this set are WAFL cards and which aren't because many of the players played both in the WAFL and the AFL and the cards feature black-and-white photographs. There are 12 cards in the set that are undoubtedly WAFL cards, and they are listed below. But there are others that appear to depict players who played in the WAFL at some point in their career. Steve Malaxos appears on one card in an East Fremantle jumper and, on another, he is wearing an Eagles jumper. Only the card in which he wore an East Fremantle jumper is included below. The cards were expensive, costing $140 for a packet of five.

This set of 22 cards was produced by the Loton's Club, which is a coterie group of East Perth Football Club, both as part of the group's fundraising efforts and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Royals' famous 1978 premiership.

After selling raffle tickets featuring players' photos in 2017, Loton's Club was at it again in 2018. Again, they could only be purchased at East Perth home games and there were three different tickets on offer at each game, featuring both past and present players and club logos.

Along with the premiership reunion cards released in 2018 and 2019, the Loton's Club released limited numbers of signed cards. Two cards were produced in 2018, but only 25 of each were released. They cost $50 apiece. In 2019, one card was released, featuring Jack Sheedy. It cost $100. 

These cards were again produced by the Lotons Club, this time to celebrate the Royals' 1950s premierships. All players who won a flag with East Perth in 1956, 1958 or 1959 feature on their own card and there are 36 cards in the set.