The September 1954 edition is often hailed as the “super issue,” and for good reason. It bursts with vivid, full-color action shots—Cliff Holden in his Arsenal kit, Danny Blanchflower sporting his Aston Villa shirt, and Roger Byrne representing Manchester United. One of the major highlights is a special World Cup souvenir feature, capturing the drama of the 1954 final in Bern, where Germany famously defeated Hungary 3-2. Norman Auckland returns in this issue, spotlighting the Amateurs and including a 1954 team photo of the Metropolitan Police, which adds a unique touch. Flipping through the pages, the period adverts are a treat in themselves—charmingly old-fashioned and a real window into the era. There’s also a fascinating article by Len Shackleton that stands out as essential reading, especially as his insights proved so prescient. And for those interested in football legends, the story of Dixie Dean makes for compelling reading. Altogether, the September 1954 issue is more than just a magazine; it’s a colorful time capsule, capturing not only the stars and stories of football’s golden age but also the era’s everyday culture and character.
In the early 1950s, color photography was rare and expensive for publications. To add visual appeal, many photos—especially on covers and center spreads—were black-and-white prints that artists then hand-coloured. This gave the images a distinctive, sometimes slightly surreal look, with bright, flat colors and bold contrasts.
These hand-coloured photos were created by artists who painted directly onto black-and-white images, using watercolors, dyes, or tinted oils to bring them to life with vivid, often slightly surreal colours. The colouring was sometimes slightly inaccurate—kits or backgrounds could vary, and even the ball was sometimes inserted—but that was part of the charm.
The artists at Soccerbooks have taken these classic 1950s A4 hand-coloured images and elevated them with the latest art technology, producing stunning A4 prints that are perfect for framing—all for as little as £9.99. You can explore the collection here:
Hand Coloured Prints The front and back covers are both intact. Naturally, the magazine shows its age after more than seventy years, but we consider this copy a collector’s piece. We’ve carefully cleaned away surface marks using Absorene, leaving the covers looking as fresh as possible. All pages are present, with no signs of previous owners’ names or any newsagent markings. The staples—though a little dull are not rusted and still hold the binding firmly. A manuscript from the forthcoming book (2026/27),
Finding Its Voice: The Identity Quest of Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly, is being shared
here. If you have any memories or information about the magazine, please feel free to leave a comment— We’d love to hear from you—and maybe even have a chat!
We’ve got the biggest collection of vintage football books, annuals, magazines, and a variety of cigarette and bubble gum cards that were popular back in the day. If you think you, a family member, or even an ancestor might appear in one of the thousands of photos in our publications, just email us your details to archives@soccerbooks.co.uk and we’ll help you find out; just allow 2 to 3 weeks for a reply.
