THE FA CUP

C 128

Subbuteo’s earliest domestic trophy introduced in 1970

Considering this was produced at a time when heavyweight teams were still being hand painted, the exacting detail and high quality of this replica cup was astonishing for the 70s era. It remains a firm favourite of mine. As always, I liked the slide box of the first cups, similar to the statuette box at that time. It’s funny really how the presentation can be so important. The box had an appeal in its own right. It has lost something since then with the various morphs in time.

The original FA Cup trophy was crafted from 14 pounds (6.3kg) of sterling silver and standing at a majestic 24 inches (61.5cm); the new trophy, and 3rd edition, is a perfect replica of the 1911 trophy. The FA Cup is a masterpiece of British silversmithing, hand crafted by Thomas Lyte's Master Silversmiths. It is the oldest football trophy in existence - so quite fitting that its Subbuteo replica remains the oldest in the Subbuteo domestic trophy range.

Sub Stuff Rating 9/10

Jules Rimet World Cup

C 119

One of Subbuteo’s earliest trophies introduced in 1969 - the year I first started collecting Subbuteo Stuff.

Subbuteo stuff doesn’t get better than this and is without doubt my holy grail when it comes to Subbuteo trophies. It shares the attributes of the Subbuteo FA Cup in that the detail and quality is second to none. Again, the presentation slide box sets it apart.

Unlike the real Jules Rimet trophy, which was stolen in Brazil in 1983 and never recovered, my Jules Rimet Subbuteo trophy does still exist and probably has better security in my home than the wooden-backed cabinet it was publicly displayed in at the time. Designed by Abel Lafleur, it comprised an octagonal cup, supported by a winged figure representing Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory. The original trophy was therefore named ‘Victory’ but was renamed in 1946 in honour of FiFA president Jules Rimet who in 1929 passed a vote to initiate the first World Cup competition. Subbuteo stopped production in 1984, so it outlived the real trophy.

Sub Stuff Rating 10/10

Football league cup

C 172

The Subbuteo replica League Cup introduced in 1980

This is an interesting and remarkable trophy. Despite the fact that the League Cup competition had been around since 1961, Subbuteo ignored it. So its inception in 1980 was a surprise, and a good one at that. Is there better detail in a Subbuteo trophy? Probably not; it is a popular and sought-after cup due to its three-handled design. That said, it never really caught my imagination. Owning one was different of course and it has graced the Subbuteo Stuff trophy room for many a year since.

The irony is that the real trophy stopped being used when the dreaded sponsors got involved in the 1981/82 season. Over the next 10 years, three sponsors supplied 3 different cups… what a travesty! Thankfully the original League Cup was reinstated in 1990/91. With no sponsorship arranged in 2016/17 the competition was officially renamed to the EFL Cup. Subbuteo stopped it in 1986, presumably because the sponsors called the tunes back then and the trophy was defunct.

Sub Stuff Rating 8/10

subbuteo world cup

C 157

The Subbuteo World Cup was introduced in 1979

This cup is quite aloof in many ways. Produced by Subbuteo around 1979 and it lasted just a year or two. Not much is known about this and what the thinking was behind Subbuteo’s producing it. Even Peter Upton’s reference website can’t throw much light upon it, although Peter does have some good theories that make great reading. It is not a favourite amongst collectors, although potentially it could be quite a rarity to add to your Subbuteo Stuff as it only had a shelf life of 2 years.

Personally I like the simplicity and naivety of it. It strangely mimics the real FIFA World Cup C182 of latter years (see below), which I don’t think is really very good. Like many things produced in England in and around that time it lacks sophistication and build quality. It has a C reference so it has a Subbuteo Stuff rating.

Sub Stuff Rating 7/10

FIFA world cup TROPHY

C 182

The Subbuteo FIFA World Cup introduced in 1981

Despite the real Jules Rimet World Cup being decommissioned following Brazil’s famous 3rd World Cup final win in 1970 and the new FIFA World Cup Trophy being inaugurated at the 1974 World Cup Finals, Subbuteo didn’t introduce their replica until 1981.

Like many others, I feel they got the dimensions and shape completely wrong in relation to the original FIFA trophy. So for that reason and also for what can only be described as an ugly aesthetic, this cup was never that desirable to me; even to this day I look at it with a kind of virtuous disdain, but then in fairness to Subbuteo the original isn’t much better to look at. Maybe if England ever do win it I may change my view, although it will still not look good unless its proportions are corrected. Subbuteo dropped it by 1985, so maybe that speaks volumes about sales and popularity.

Sub Stuff Rating 6/10

PREMIER LEAGUE TROPHY

Ref: 61125

Not strictly the Subbuteo of my preferred era but a good-looking trophy all the same - if a tad on the small size and glitzy in appearance. For this Subbuteo enthusiast the Premiership era in Subbuteo has always felt tacky and toy-like in comparison to my formative years. Although the Premiership Trophy was not included in the set, I particularly remember the chocolate box set (1998) that was produced in the same tacky style. Unforgivable!

That said, tacky or not, at least Hasbro addressed the balance of yesteryear’s failings by finally producing a league trophy for the top English division, by then the Premiership of course. The Division One Championship Trophy was always the one omission in the Subbuteo trophy line up.

The real Premiership trophy is a spectacular trophy to look at with a distinctive style and was cast by Asprey London, the Crown Jewellers, with the main body made from solid sterling silver. The base is made from Malacite, a semi-precious stone found in Africa, with the green colour of the opaque stone representing the field of play. I guess that is a hard act to replicate in plastic.

It has a Subbuteo reference number so despite its minute size and tacky feel I have given it an extra mark for being produced in the first place.

Sub Stuff Rating 6/10

The european cup

C 204/61204

Another late edition to the Subbuteo trophy range, arriving around 1983.

The Subbuteo European Cup just scraped in with a C204 reference number before the later references were added with the preceding ‘61’ the original number. Unlike the European Competition Trophy below, this is without doubt the poorest of trophies associated with the Subbuteo logo. Apart from the lack of plinth, its tiny size (even for a Subbuteo trophy) did not bear witness to the real trophy which is absolutely huge! Its saving grace was the stylish original box it came in. Sadly, even that was replaced a number of times before eventually ending up being presented in the proverbial Hasbro blister pack.

Nevertheless, the European Cup has a prized C reference number so it will get an extra mark in the ratings.

Sub Stuff Rating 6/10

The European Competitions cup

C 120

The Subbuteo European Competitions Cup introduced in 1969

Last and definitely not least, this cup brings back such good memories for me personally. As a budding aficionado this was the first Subbuteo trophy I ever owned so it takes pride of place in the Subbuteo Stuff trophy cabinet for that reason alone. Just looking at it conjures up good memories of playing as a youngster. This was the cup that was the prize time and time again for whatever we kids decided to name the competition that day. My trophy has the distinction and honour of a tiny crack in one of the handles, which I endlessly reminded my brother was his fault - probably to gain a psychological advantage when playing him. I like to think he rarely won it but my memory is not quite what it was.

It did though represent the old European Cup that Real Madrid won in the late 50s & mid 60s. They eventually kept the cup as multiple winners so it was replaced in 1967 with the new European Cup.

The C120 arrived on the Subbuteo scene in 1969, ironically two years after the new and current European Cup (C204) was introduced to the competition - so its authenticity was in question from the start. Regardless of this anomaly, the cup remained very special and, for me at least, retained its dignity by never receiving a modern 61 reference number. The Subbuteo powers of the day eventually phased it out by 1983. So with the emphasis of this site being firmly about experiences with Subbuteo Stuff, this trophy (along with the Jules Rimet C119) receives the highest accolade and a top Sub Stuff Rating!

Sub Stuff Rating 10/10