• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • 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 Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

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

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • 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
  • 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 / Despite Payton Push, 1976 Topps Football Sets Still Within Reach

Despite Payton Push, 1976 Topps Football Sets Still Within Reach

July 19, 2016 By Bob D'Angelo

Forty years later, the 1976 Topps football set remains a sweet product to collect.

The ’76 set was driven by one major card — No.148, which was the rookie card of Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton. “Sweetness” had a Hall of Fame career, and his card continues to soar in value. Higher grade Payton cards are by no means cheap, but if you’re looking to build your football card collection around some key players, then the Payton card belongs in the conversation.

Payton By the Numbers1976 Topps Walter Payton

A quick look at PSA’s Population Repor shows that 6,466 of Payton’s rookie cards have been submitted for grading. Of that number, 49 attained a gem mint grade, while 643 were graded at PSA 9. Currently, one eBay seller offering a Payton rookie graded 9, is asking for a staggering buy-it-now price of $4,444. In October 2014, a PSA 10 Payton rookie sold for a little over $10,000.

There is more than Walter Payton to the 1976 Topps football set, however. The ’76 product was the fourth consecutive out of 10 sets to contain 528 cards.  Back in the bi-centennial year, wax packs cost 15 cents and included 10 cards per pack. Or, for a quarter, a collector could buy an 18-card cello pack.

The set included first-year cards of the NFL’s two new expansion teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Rookies and Hall of Famers

Jack Lambert 1976 Topps rookie cardBut in addition to Payton, the set has some solid rookie cards, including several players who would reach the Pro Football 1976_Topps_packHall of Fame — Jack Lambert, Harvey Martin and Randy White. Other notable rookies include Steve Bartkowski, Russ Francis, Steve Grogan, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Ron Jaworski and Randy Gradishar.

And there are many other Hall of Famers scattered throughout the set. The list is impressive: Terry Bradshaw, Alan Page, Fred Biletnikoff, Bob Griese, George Blanda, Paul Warfield, John Riggins, Willie Lanier, Franco Harris, Len Dawson, Dan Fouts, Ray Guy, Fran Tarkenton, Curley Culp, Roger Staubach, Larry Csonka, Mel Renfro, Mel Blount, O.J. Simpson and Charley Taylor.

It’s tough to find a Bradshaw card in higher grade. There are only three PSA 10s, for example. Of the 196 Jaworski rookies submitted to PSA, only one came back graded gem mint.

Design

George Blanda 1976 ToppsThe design for the set was straightforward. While Topps’ habit of airbrushing logos on helmets and uniforms continued with this set, the large player photographs, framed by a white border, still made for an attractive-looking set. The bottom of the card includes a football-like icon, with the team name included john_riggins_1976Toppsin large letters. The player’s name and position are placed at the bottom right-hand part of the card, opposite the football icon.

The card backs contain a blue bar at the top of the card, with the player’s vital statistics underneath. The player’s year-by-year record is positioned at the bottom of the card. To the far right there is either a mystery question about that player’s team, or a trivia cartoon. A small helmet adorns the top left corner of the card, with a black number inserted on top of the helmet’s orange crown.

Subsets and Super Teams

The 1976 set includes several subsets. Record Breakers (Nos. 1-8) pay tribute to players who surpassed milestoSuper Bowl X 1976 Topps footballnes during the 1975 season. Leaders (Nos. 201 to 206) depict players who led various statistical categories. Cards 331 to 333 recall the NFC and AFC title games, along with Super Bowl X. For the first time, team checklists were included in the main set, ranging from card Nos. 451 to 478. In addition, there was a mail-in offer that allowed collectors to obtain the 28 team checklists plus two “regular” checklists. The difference is that these cards were made of thinner stock.

One lure of this set is that it contains many stars of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, two of the glamour teams of the 1970s. The Lambert card probably ranks second behind the Payton rookie as the most valuable—and coveted — card in the set. But there are plenty of cards from each team to keep a 1970s collector happy.

Complete sets are now a little pricey because of the increased prices for the Payton rookie but you can still buy a solid one for $200-$300.

The 1976 Topps football set offered variety, plenty of Hall of Famers and cards at (mostly) reasonable prices.  The Payton rookie will be costly if you’re inclined to seek out only the best. But even the raw cards have some value–not to mention plenty of memories of one of the NFL’s great backs.

And that’s a sweet scenario for football card collectors.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Vintage Pack Facts: 1976 Topps Football 1976 Topps Football Cello Pack Break at NSCC Tony Dorsett 1978 Topps1978 Topps Football Set Anchored By Hall of Fame Rookies Dan Fouts 1976 Topps6 Underrated Cards from the 1976 Topps Football Set 40th Anniversary: 7 Key Rookie Cards From 1976 Topps Football Set Jimi Brown 1959 Topps10 Vintage Football Cards to Keep an Eye On 1976 Topps Walter PaytonWalter Payton Rookie Cards Show Consistently Strong Growth Joe Greene 1971 Topps rookie cardToughest PSA 9 Football Rookie Cards of the 1970s

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, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1970s football cards, 1976 Topps football, football rookie cards, Walter Payton rookie card

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Grey Flannel Auctions Accepting Consignments & Buying
  • Goldin 2023 Weekly Auctions
  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Baseball & Football Card Auction Ending October 3, 2023

Footer

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
  • Featured Articles
  • 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
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • 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
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads 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 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 Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window