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The Original: 1951 Topps Magic Set |
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Monday, 03 August 2009 |
 Topps' 2009 Magic Football set is an ode to the earliest real football card set produced by the company--one that's fairly affordable.
by Chris Houston
Before its iconic 1952 baseball set was produced, Topps hit the sports card market with two football releases including its 1951 Magic football set. The set gained its "Magic" moniker because the backs of the cards had a scratch or rub-off element where answers of a trivia question were revealed. The quiz asked the collector to identify the player's college by the nickname.
As you can imagine, the cards from that 1951 Topps Magic football set are moderately hard to find in good shape these days. The cards from the 1951 Topps Magic football aren't priced substantially high on eBay or sports memorabilia websites because the players aren't exactly household names. The cards that haven't been scratched off are even harder to obtain. In fact, the cards that are still unscratched gather about 50% percent more in value than the ones that have been scratched.
 There were 75 total cards of the brightest college football players in the 1951 Topps Magic football set. Issued in gum packs, some of the bigger name players in the set included future Atlanta Falcons coach Marion Campbell, future New York Giants' general manager George Young, future NFL quarterback Bill Wade and 1951 Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz, who later played in both the NFL and Major League Baseball. You can view the entire checklist from the 1951 Topps Magic Football set below.
The cards were issued in packages of early Topps gum and connected in two-card strips. American kids sometimes struggled to cut them apart cleanly, which means they're not always universally sized.
The cards aren't easy to find, but interest is limited primarily because of the player selection. At the National Sports Collectors Convention, a complete set was offered in EX overall condition at $875. Here's a list of 1951 Topps Magic football cards currently on eBay.
The 2009 Topps Magic Football set pays tribute to that first nationally distributed set. Every player in the 250 card set for 2009 features a parallel version that comes with an autograph. Some of the big name players in the 2009 Topps Magic Football set include Jim Brown, Dan Marino, John Elway, Bo Jackson and Terry Bradshaw. The set will also feature Alumni inserts with multiple players from the same school on one card.
 The 2009 Topps Magic Football set comes with 3 autographed cards per box. There are 11 inserts per box with randomly inserted original 1951 Topps Magic Buy Back Cards. Boxes have been selling for $50-70 on eBay.
The self proclaimed advertisement for Topps for this new edition is "Topps pulls a rabbit out it's hat in 2009 with the reincarnation of Magic football". The marketing further proclaims that the "2009 Topps Magic Football will cast a spell on collectors everywhere!" But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the marketing is the "Save 'em - Trade 'em!" slogan. It certainly has the "make you feel like a kid again" element...even if you weren't a kid in the early 50s.
1951 Topps Magic Football Checklist
1 Jimmy Monahan RC
2 Bill Wade RC
3 Bill Reichardt
4 Babe Parilli RC
5 Billie Burkhalter
6 Ed Weber
7 Tom Scott
8 Frank Guthridge
9 John Karras
10 Vic Janowicz RC
11 Lloyd Hill
12 Jim Weatherall RC
13 Howard Hansen
14 Lou D'Achille
15 Johnny Turco
16 Jerrell Price
17 John Coatta
18 Bruce Patton
19 Marion Campbell RC
20 Blaine Earon
21 Dewey McConnell
22 Ray Beck
23 Jim Prewett
24 Bob Steele
25 Art Betts
26 Walt Trillhaase
27 Gil Bartosh
28 Bob Bestwick
29 Tom Rushing
30 Bert Rechichar RC
31 Bill Owens
32 Mike Goggins
33 John Petitbon
34 Byron Townsend
35 Ed Rotticci
36 Steve Wadiak
37 Bobby Marlow RC
38 Bill Fuchs
39 Ralph Staub
40 Bill Vesprini
41 Zack Jordan
42 Bob Smith RC
43 Charles Hanson
44 Glenn Smith
45 Armand Kitto
46 Vinnie Drake
47 Bill Putich RC
48 George Young RC
49 Don McRae
50 Frank Smith RC
51 Dick Hightower
52 Clyde Pickard
53 Bob Reynolds HB
54 Dick Gregory
55 Dale Samuels
56 Gale Galloway
57 Vic Pujo
58 Dave Waters
59 Joe Ernest
60 Elmer Costa
61 Nick Liotta
62 John Dottley
63 Hi Faubion
64 David Harr
65 Bill Matthews
66 Carroll McDonald
67 Dick Dewing
68 Joe Johnson RB
69 Arnold Burwitz
70 Ed Dobrowolski
71 Joe Dudeck
72 Johnny Bright RC
73 Harold Loehlein
74 Lawrence Hairston
75 Bob Carey RC |
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