• Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on Ebay
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • 50 Hottest Baseball Hobby Boxes
      • Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs
      • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Most Watched Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Nolan Ryan Cards
      • T206 Cards
      • Goudey Cards
      • 1952 Topps Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Top Prizm Basketball Auctions
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • National Treasures Cards (all sports)
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
      • Most Watched 2020 NFL Rookie Card Auctions
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched Rookie Cards
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
  • Lelands

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, we may receive a commission.  It helps keep us afloat!

  • Sports Memorabilia News
    • Barnebys Sports Auction Highlights
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
    • Hobby Shops Selling, Breaking Online During COVID-19
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Vintage Sports Card News / Old Football Card Sets / 1964 Philadelphia Football Cards Ushered In New Era
Mile High Card Co.

1964 Philadelphia Football Cards Ushered In New Era

November 6, 2015 By Bob D'Angelo

It was a swell product while it lasted.

In 1964, the Philadelphia Gum Company obtained the licensing rights to produce National Football League trading cards, ending the stranglehold Topps had held since 1956. Topps executive Sy Berger had gotten an agreement through NFL commissionerPhiladelphia Gum 1964 wrapper Bert Bell to produce cards starting in 1956 and continued through 1963.

That pact was not renewed in 1964.

In a surprise move, Philadelphia got the contract and would produce NFL cards from 1964 through 1967. The Philadelphia Gum Company was based in Havertown, Pennsylvania, and its first product was a pink bubble gum product called Swell, which was packaged in a wrapper that was twisted at the edges sold for a penny.

Topps was forced to bide its time, producing cards for the upstart American Football League while Philadelphia handled the NFL.

The 1964 Philadelphia Football set contained 198 cards. Each team was represented with 12 cards, a team card and a diagrammed play card. The teams were presented alphabetically in the checklist, with players also arranged in alphabetical order. The cards were available in penny and 5-cent wax packs and 10-cent cellophane packs, and both versions tattoo transfer inserts.

Philadelphia Football cello pack
Philadelphia Football cello pack

Don Shula 1964 Philadelphia The play cards are interesting not because of the plays drawn up (they are kind of basic, run of the mill calls), but because they feature small black-and-white photos of Hall of Fame coaches like Don Shula (card No. 14), George Halas (No. 28), Tom Landry (No. 56) and Vince Lombardi (No. 84).

The design of the players’ cards is blocky and basic. A solid block adorns the bottom of the card, with different colors for each team. The player’s name, team and position are listed.

The card backs are light blue with black text, with the card number put inside a helmet-like figure. Statistics are used where applicable, with a cartoon taking up a good chunk of the card bottom.

1964-Philadelphia-Jim-Brown
Whether the pink Cadillac in the background belonged to Jim Brown or not, it was featured in the background of almost every Browns player in the 1964 set.
1964-Philadelphia-Merlin-Olsen-RC
Merlin Olsen’s rookie card was one of five depicting future Hall of Famers.

Most of the players were photographed in their dark uniforms, but players from the Pittsburgh Steelers were depicted in their white uniforms. Only two players — Giants teammates Erich Barnes (card No. 113) and Y.A. Tittle (No. 124) — were photographed with their     helmets on. Most of the photographs look like stock photos out of a media guide, although the shot of Baltimore’s Jim Parker (card No. 8) tries to convey a mean glare. Instead, it looks kind of funny. But the 1956 Outland Trophy winner was an excellent player who passed away 10 years ago, so he was entitled to make any kind of face he wanted.

Garland Boyette error 1964 Philadelphia
The card says Garland Boyette, but it’s actually a photo of former Cardinals center Don Gillis.

There are several uncorrected errors in this set. The most glaring concerns the wrong spelling of Herb Adderley’s name on card No. 71. The last two cards in the set are checklists, which touts itself as the “Official 1963 NFL Football Checklist.”

Card No. 169 identifies the player as Garland Boyette, but the photo is wrong. Boyette was African-American and played at Grambling. The middle linebacker did wear No. 50 in 1963, but was out of football in 1966 and did not emerge again in pro football until 1966, when he played for the AFL’s Houston Oilers.  The photo was actually of former center Don Gillis, a crew-cut white guy who played center for the Cardinals from 1958 to 1961. Gillis appears in the 1960 Topps set and in the 1961 Fleer product. Boyette (the real one) appears in the 1970, ’72 and ’73 Topps sets.

1964-Philadelphia-Checklist-2
The final card in the set is a checklist that is hard to find in top condition. It also has the glaring error of the wrong date (1963) at the top of the card.

Fun fact: Boyette was the uncle of former AFL star and pro wrestling heel, Ernie Ladd, even though he was two years younger than “The Big Cat.”

The cartoon quiz on the card back of Lamar McHan (No. 163) notes that he won th1964-Philadelphia-JohnnyUnitase Heisman Trophy, which must have come as a big shock to running back John Lattner of Notre Dame, who actually did win the statuette. McHan, a quarterback out of Arkansas, finished ninth overall but did get 15 first-place votes.

The front of card No. 78 notes that Jim Ringo was a member of the Green Bay Packers, while the back refers to him as center for the Philadelphia Eagles. Ringo had, in fact, been traded from Green Bay to Philadelphia before the 1964 season. The card front should have been updated, but wasn’t.

Another quirk concerns the photos of the Cleveland Browns. On most of the player shots (with the exception of card No. 31, Gary Collins), a pink Cadillac can be seen in the background. Legend has it that it belonged to running back Jim Brown, but I have not seen any confirmation. Others have claimed it was a car sold by his dealership. The Browns photos have that parking lot background (intentional or not), which is definitely quirky.

Errors aside, the 1964 Philadelphia set boasts the rookie cards of five future Hall of Famers — Adderley, John Mackey (card No. 3), Willie Davis (No. 72)  Merlin Olsen (N0. 91) and Jim Johnson (No. 161).

Some of the key veterans include Raymond Berry (card No. 1), Johnny Unitas (No.12), Mike Ditka (No. 17), Jim Brown (No. 30), Bob Lilly No. 48), Don Meredith (No. 51), Paul Hornung (No. 78), Bart Starr (No. 79) and Frank Gifford (No. 117).Add New

The Philadelphia brand would stick around for four years. With the upcoming merger of the NFL and AFL, Topps regained the rights to produce football cards. The 1968 set would feature players from both leagues for the first time since 1960, and Topps would continue to dominate the football market until the late 1980s.

Complete sets can be found in off-grade condition for a few hundred dollars but expect to pay $600 and up for a nicer one.

The 1964 Philadelphia Gum football cards are readily available on eBay via this link.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

1961 Fleer Football Set Topped Topps in Size Bart Starr 1967 Philadelphia GumBest Football Cards of the 60s Include Champions, Tragedy Topps 1962 football box1962 Topps Football Easy to Collect; Tough in High Grade 1965 Philadelphia Football Set Still Looking For Respect 1967 Royal Castle Dolphins Set Marks Auer’s Place in History Topps 1965 Football pack1965 Topps Football Set is More Than Just Broadway Joe Lance Alworth autographed 1964 Topps1964 Topps Football Set Marked Big Change Jim Brown 1961 Topps football1961 Topps Football Set Included Stars of Both Leagues 1958 Topps Football Set Built Around Brown Vintage Pack Facts: 1965 Philadelphia Football Rack Pack
Mile High Card Co Accepting Consignments
Avatar

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Old Football Card Sets, Popular Stories, Sports Card News, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1960's football cards, 1964 Philadelphia, Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Paul Hornung, Philadelphia Gum, vintage football card sets

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click one and make a purchase, we receive a commission.  The revenue is what helps keep SC Daily afloat!

What\
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan Cards Under $5
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $100
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $75
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1985 Graded Football Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1980 Graded Basketball Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1990 Graded Hockey Cards $5 and Less
  • Complete Sets Under $10 with Free Shipping
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1

RSS Auction Report

  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Graded Football, Basketball, Baseball & Autographed Cards Ending January 19-21, 2021
  • CollectibleXchange February 2021 Auction Preview – Register Now
  • Heritage Auctions Modern Sports Cards Catalog Auction – Ends February 4, 2021


Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forum
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cards
  • Game Used Jerseys
  • 1952 Topps Baseball
  • Championship Rings For Sale
  • Vintage Basketball Cards
  • NBA Signed Items
  • Signed Sports Memorabilia
  • UFC Memorabilia
  • Autographed Baseballs
  • NASCAR Autographs
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cards
  • Player Pictures
  • Vintage Football Cards
  • Sports Card Boxes
  • Sports Collectors Store

Pages

  • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
  • 100 Hottest UFC Trading Cards
  • 100 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 20 Hottest Barry Sanders Football Cards
  • 2016 Cubs Replica Championship Rings Don’t Cost a Fortune
  • 2017 Topps Definitive Collection Box Breaks, Most Watched
  • 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Championship Memorabilia Guide
  • 2019 US Women’s World Cup Apparel, Merchandise, Memorabilia Guide
  • 50 Hottest Baseball Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Kareem Hunt Rookie Cards
  • 50 Most Watched Kevin Durant Auctions on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • 8 Types of Kobe Bryant Collectibles to Remember Him By
  • Aaron Judge Game Used Memorabilia Inventory Growing
  • About Us/Contact/Advertise
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Affordable Vintage Sports Cards and Collectibles
  • Barnebys Sports Memorabilia Auctions
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Best Derek Jeter Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Best Display Cabinets for Sports Memorabilia
  • Best Joey Votto Rookie Cards
  • Best Pascal Siakam Rookie Cards
  • Chiefs Super Bowl Champs Memorabilia Hits the Market
  • Current Most Watched Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Dale Murphy Rookie Card Remains Popular, Affordable
  • Eagles Super Bowl Champions Memorabilia Guide
  • Fanatics Under Wraps 2017 Next Level Edition Autographed Baseballs
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Frank Gore Rookie Cards Get No Respect
  • Gardner Minshew Rookie Cards Heat Up as Fun-Loving Rookie Shows His Ability
  • Great Gifts for Cubs Fans
  • Guide to 2018-19 Clemson Tigers National Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Houston Astros Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to LSU National Championship Merchandise, Memorabilia
  • Guide to Nationals World Series Champs Memorabilia, Merchandise
  • Guide to St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Champions Merchandise, Memorabilia
  • Guide to Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Memorabilia
  • Hank Aaron Cards on eBay
  • Henrik Lundqvist Rookie Cards a Strong Long-Term Play
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Hottest 2019 Baseball Rookie Cards
  • Hottest 2019 NFL Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Chicago Bulls Memorabilia Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Devin Booker Rookie Cards as Suns Star Piles Up Points
  • Hottest Kyle Lewis Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Lonzo Ball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini World Cup Stickers on eBay
  • Hottest Pokémon Card Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Topps NOW Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Xander Bogaerts Rookie Cards
  • LeBron James Lakers Jerseys Already Available
  • Links
  • Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Popular Mark McGwire Rookie Card Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Kobe Bryant Basketball Card Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Topps Project 2020 Auctions on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Nick Bosa Rookie Cards Getting Collectors’ Attention
  • Patriots Super Bowl 51 Champions Merchandise
  • Ryne Sandberg Rookie Cards, Minor League Issues Still Collector Favorites
  • Selling Sports Cards on eBay for Cash
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Test
  • The 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Kris Bryant Auto Saga: A Timeline
  • Tony Gwynn Rookie Cards Recall “The Best Hitter Since Ted”
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Top Selling Patriots Super Bowl Championship Items
  • Upper Deck Authenticated Autographs Remain Popular, Accessible
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
  • Wade Boggs Rookie Cards Still a Collector Favorite
  • What’s Hot on eBay
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Where to Buy the Anthony Fauci Topps Baseball Card
  • Write About Your Sports Collection
  • Write for Sports Collectors Daily

Copyright © 2021 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Genesis Web Design by Wickam Group