Summary

Victorian Football League football card featuring Melbourne player Hassa Mann, from the Mobil Football Photos, 1964 season. There were 40 cards in a series and these could be collected and pasted in a Mobil football photos album. Comments on the featured player were published on the back of the cards, written by Lou Richards, football journalist for the Sun News-Pictorial newspaper, Melbourne and ex-Collingwood Football Club player. These cards and the accompanying album could be purchased at Mobil petrol stations.

The 'Mobil' brandname was first introduced into Australia as the 'Mobiloil' brand, applied only to engine lubrication products sold by the Vacuum Oil Company Pty Ltd., which was formed in 1908 as an Australian subsiduary of the American oil company of the same name. By the early 1950s the name 'Mobil' was being applied to the company's diesel distillate fuels, but it was not until 1954 that the Vacuum Oil Co introduced 'Mobiilgas' petrol replacing its previous 'Plume' brandname that had been in use in Australia since 1916. The 'Mobilgas' brandname was shortened to just 'Mobil' in 1962. During the 1950s, petrol retailing in Australia underwent a major transformation with single-branded service stations replacing most of the earlier independent multi-branded service stations that had each represented and sold a variety of different petrol brands. As part of their single-branding stragegy, major oil companies ran extensive promotional campagins during the 1950s and 1960s, often offering free giveaways or collectibles reflecting popular culture at a nominal price, such as these football cards, to develop better brand recognition and loyalty amongst motorists.

Physical Description

Football card with full colour image of football player on the front and biographical and player statistics information on the back.

Significance

One of a collection of Mobil football cards, these are distinct material manifestations of Australian leisure and popular notions of collecting. They explore the relationships between football club supporter base, community identity, collective leisure and corporate sponsorship and promotion.

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