  The pi electrons of isolated fullerene anions C60^{n-} (n betwen 1 and 6) are
a quite unique finite system of electrons with an attractive interaction due to
exchange of intramolecular phonons. This interaction may overwhelm Hund's rule
and lead to an ordering of levels that can be interpreted as on-ball pairing,
in a manner similar to the pairing in atomic nuclei. The weak-coupling
treatment of the Jahn-Teller effect is analogous to the seniority model used in
nuclear physics for pairing in a single j-shell. The odd-even effects may be
sought in solutions of fulleride ions: recent experimental results are
discussed.
