The Goldstone Wrap

Once, sew on football-themed patches must have been all the rage, judging from these striking designs lent to me by Nick from Fishersgate. We kick off with this printed cloth by B.D.V Cigarettes, featuring an Albion player sporting broad white stripes:

Then, to the other extreme, a rather messy interpretation of the stripes, makes this Albion shirt look like a Luton away shirt from the 1990s:

However, it is the classic round badge with the seagull facing left that was undoubtedly the most popular for sewing on jackets, jeans and bags. Here is a plethora of interpretations and re-interpretations of the crest that first made it onto the Albion player’s shirt in 1977:

But if you were bored of the circle badge, you could rebel by going for these unofficial rectangular and shield designs, with the latter definitely catching the eye:

Or even a triangle! One of the first Albion seagulls to face right.

And look! Here’s a familiar sight for users of this blog who’ve been reading it from the beginning. The ‘King of the League’ patch from an exquisite Brighton tortoise!

And who wouldn’t want this imaginative Y-fronted Superman for sewing onto their favourite underpants?

Finally, there are these three military-themed items. V for victory, a pledge of allegiance and some army sergeant stripes, the latter signed by Eric Steele:

This was amble proof that in the 1970s and 1980s, when it came to patches for enhancing your clothes and school bags, Brighton & Hove Albion definitely had things covered. Respect to anyone who had all fifteen stitched onto one garment…