In 1961, professional football was split between two leagues, the decades old National Football League (NFL) and the newly formed American Football League (AFL). It would be five years before the two leagues would announce a planned merger and six before the first Super Bowl. The football card industry was also divided that year as both Topps and Fleer produced large … [Read more...]
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1977 Topps Football An Affordable Set To Complete
The 1977 Topps football set is known for one major rookie card — Steve Largent — but it is a very affordable product that still contains some well-known NFL stars, including the second Topps card of Walter Payton. This was the third of four consecutive 528-card sets Topps put out during the mid- to late 1970s. 1977 Topps Football Basics 1977 Topps football cards … [Read more...]
1962 Fleer Football Was Slim, But Trim
After including players from the NFL and AFL in 1961 with a 220-card set, Fleer cut back in 1962. Only players from the upstart American Football League were included in the third of Fleer football sets issued during the early 1960, and the set was cut back to a mere 88 cards. The set might have been slim, but it sure was trim. The photography is surprisingly clear for an … [Read more...]
Colorful 1959 Topps Football Set Not a Bank Breaker
As the 1950s came to a close, the NFL was a one league sport. The pro football landscape was a year away from the change brought about by the American Football League. Vince Lombardi had just taken over the woeful Packers. Twelve teams. One maker of football cards. The 1959 Topps football set would be the company's biggest to date. 176 cards--44 more than they … [Read more...]
1967 Philadelphia Gum Set Was Company’s NFL Finale
The 1967 Philadelphia football set was the company’s final season of featuring players from the NFL. In 1964, the Philadelphia Gum Company had wrested rights from Topps to print and sell cards with NFL players. Topps would be relegated to the upstart AFL until 1968, when it regained the NFL rights and began issuing cards of players from both leagues. 1967 Philadelphia … [Read more...]
1971 Topps Football Was Condition-Sensitive But Filled With Stars
They weren't singing about cardboard when the tune "Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition was getting regular radio airplay, but it's one collectors might be humming when they try to piece together a nice 1971 Topps football set. High-grade cards from this set are a tough lot. The set mirrors the … [Read more...]
1984 Topps Football Loaded With Key Rookies
The 1984 Topps football set is easily the most sought-after product of the 1980s and beyond, especially because of the great crop of rookies. Start with quarterbacks John Elway and Dan Marino; add running backs Eric Dickerson, Roger Craig and Curt Warner; and throw in wide receivers Mark Duper and Willie Gault, and that’s quite a rookie card class. And on defense, … [Read more...]
1964 Wheaties Football Stamps an Affordable Vintage Set
A check of auction prices can tell a sometimes discouraging tale about the rising cost of collecting vintage football card sets. Collectors who want something a little different--and a lot more affordable--might consider the 1964 Wheaties football stamps issue. Just a couple of months after its baseball stamp promotion, the company launched a virtually identical concept for … [Read more...]
1971 Kellogg’s Football Set Proved to be a Challenge
A check of the cereal aisle in September confirmed it. There was a 1971 Kellogg's football card set. It said so right on the back of the box. Sixty "3-D" style cards there for the collecting. If you were a kid and thought a couple of box tops and two bucks would put a complete set in the mailbox by mid-season, you were sadly … [Read more...]
Star of the 1981 Holsum Bread Football Set? Mustachioed Montana
An odd world we live in. Football card collectors swoon over Joe Montana’s Topps rookie card and ignore not just a card that’s about 10,000 times harder to find but pictures the Hall of Famer in a sort of Fu Manchu style mustache. Behold, ye unenlightened, the 1981 Holsum/Gardner’s football card set and its glorious depiction of a young quarterback on the … [Read more...]
