As the nation was preparing to choose between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, St. Louis was celebrating the arrival of the NFL. The Chicago Cardinals had relocated to the Gateway City and as the 1960 season was about to get underway, a local meat company was welcoming the team with a set of football cards tied into a pretty splashy promotion.
The limited distribution of the 1960 Mayrose St. Louis Cardinals football card set and its unique design places it among the rarest regional football card sets of the post-War era.
Method of Distribution
The 1960 Mayrose cards were distributed exclusively in the St. Louis area, inserted into packages of Mayrose Franks and bacon as a promotional tie-in.
A newspaper ad from September 1960 highlighted the campaign, offering collectors two free tickets (worth $10) to a Cardinals game by assembling a complete 11-card team set, with 1,200 tickets available.
The ad encouraged trading cards with friends and introduced a contest where the person with the most cards could win a weekend trip with the Cardinals, complete with travel, meals, and game perks.
This promotion began in September 1960, aligning perfectly with the start of the NFL season. The Rams opened on a Friday night in Los Angeles, picking up a 43-21 win against the Rams on Sept. 23.
Size, Look, and Feel of the Cards
Each 1960 Mayrose Cardinals card measures 2-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches, featuring black-and-white action photographs on the front, with the card number and a Cardinals mascot logo in the upper left corner. The backs include redemption details for prizes, such as the free tickets and contest outlined in the ad, tying into the promotional theme.
The cards have a glossy plastic coating for protection, though this can lead to small bubbles or toning over time, especially on the reverses. They also feature rounded or clipped corners, typical of food-issue cards to minimize damage during packaging. Despite being described as die-cut in some sources, they appear as standard rectangular cards with a sturdy, vintage feel that reflects their era. The glossy coating acted as a deterrent from staining.
Alignment with the 1960 Season
The Cardinals finished with a 6-5-1 record, placing second in the Eastern Conference, with notable wins against rivals like the New York Giants. The timing of the promotion was part of a Mayrose sponsorship of the Cardinals, who certainly needed help getting fans in a baseball hotbed excited about pro football. The Cards played their first game in St. Louis on Oct. 2, but pro football hadn’t quite caught on with the locals. Only 26,089 turned out to see the opener.
Player Backgrounds
The set includes 11 cards featuring a mix of veterans and rookies from the 1960 roster:
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#1: Don Gillis, Center, Rice
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#2: Frank Fuller, Defensive Tackle, Kentucky
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#3: George Izo, Quarterback, Notre Dame
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#4: Woodley Lewis, End, Oregon
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#5: King Hill, Quarterback/Punter, Rice
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#6: John David Crow, Halfback, Texas A&M
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#7: Bill Stacy, Defensive Back, Mississippi State
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#8: Ted Bates, Linebacker, Oregon State
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#9: Mike McGee, Guard, Duke
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#10: Bobby Joe Conrad, Halfback, Texas A&M
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#11: Ken Panfil, Tackle, Purdue
Notable players include John David Crow (#6), the 1957 Heisman winner from Texas A&M, who rushed for over 4,900 yards in an 11-year career. King Hill (#5), the 1958 top draft pick, threw for 5,553 yards and punted effectively over 12 seasons. Woodley Lewis (#4) excelled as a return specialist with 26 interceptions, and George Izo (#3) brought Notre Dame passing prowess to a seven-year NFL stint.
The Fate of Mayrose Meats
Mayrose Meats, part of Hygrade Food Products Corporation, thrived as a regional brand into the mid-20th century with products like franks and bacon. However, as larger meatpacking firms consolidated, Hygrade was acquired by Sara Lee Corporation in 1989. The Mayrose brand gradually faded, with Sara Lee focusing on national brands like Hillshire Farm. By the early 2000s, Mayrose products were largely discontinued.
Value
At 11 cards, the 1960 Mayrose Cardinals set isn’t tough to complete but high-grade examples are tough. In 2022, a fully PSA-graded set with all cards rated 8 or 9 sold at auction for $570. In 2012, the number one ranked set on SGC’s registry went for $657.
Ungraded complete sets in reasonably good condition typically sell for $100-$200.
You can find 1960 Mayrose Cardinals cards on eBay here.
