Scanlens

{{Short description|Brand of trading cards}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}

{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}

Scanlens is a brand of trading cards first produced in the 1930s and given away with packets of sweets and chewing gum.{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/thieves-make-off-with-collectors-cards-20071018-gdrd7f.html|title=Thieves make off with collector's cards|date=17 October 2007|website=The Sydney Morning Herald}}

The first sports-themed cards series were produced in limited quantities in 1963 featuring 18 players from the Victorian Football League and players in the New South Wales Rugby Football League and Queensland Rugby League{{Cite web|url=https://www.theroar.com.au/2015/02/26/flashback-the-scanlens-guide-to-the-eric-guru-grothe-years/|title=Flashback: The Scanlens guide to the Eric 'Guru' Grothe years|website=www.theroar.com.au}} competitions, which have since become highly sought-after, with some cards commanding a price of up to $2000 each.{{Cite news|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/footy-cards-from-decades-past-fetching-up-to-1000-each/news-story/c84b52455559cc07de4448b649ae29cc|title=Are you sitting on a footy card fortune?|date=24 June 2015|newspaper=Herald Sun|last1=Toy|first1=Mitchell}} The record for a Scanlens card is $7,200, sold in 2014 and featuring Graham "Polly" Farmer; its high price was due to a misprint that greatly reduced supply.{{Cite news |last= |date=2020-07-04 |title=Graham 'Polly' Farmer's football treasures to go to auction |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-05/graham-polly-farmer-football-treasures-to-go-to-auction/12414854 |access-date=2023-07-19}}{{Cite web |title=Graham 'Polly' Farmer '63 Scanlens sells for whopping $7,200 - Hobby Talk |url=https://www.gimko.com.au/forum/topic/271-graham-‘polly’-farmer-’63-scanlens-sells-for-whopping-7200/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Gimko Forum |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2020-02-12 |title=Collecting cards |url=https://manspacemagazine.com.au/collecting-cards/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=ManSpace Magazine |language=en-US}}

Scanlens went on to produce further modern card sets (sport and non-sport) between 1963 and 1991, many of which have since become collectors' items.{{Cite web|url=https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/original-scanlens-lolly-factory-in-chippendale-now-for-lease-as-an-office-59811/|title=Original Scanlen's lolly factory in Chippendale now for lease as an office|first=Sue|last=Williams|date=17 April 2019|website=Commercial Real Estate}}{{cite web |url=http://www.scanlensmuseum.com.au/ |title=Home |website=scanlensmuseum.com.au}}