It’s hard to believe the USFL has been gone for 35 years. As the first league to challenge the NFL since the American Football League took the field in 1960, the USFL was innovative. The league introduced ideas that are now common in the NFL — the 2-point conversation, coaches’ challenges and the salary cap. The USFL also holds a soft spot for football card collectors. The … [Read more...] about Topps 1984 USFL Set A Coveted Classic
Old Football Card Sets
1968 Topps Football Set Marked Company’s NFL Return
Topps returned to the forefront of football cards in 1968, as it reclaimed rights to print cards of not only NFL players and retained its AFL players too. Football collectors would be treated to a Hall of Fame lineup. For the first time since 1961, one Topps set contained players from each league. Topps had lost its right to issue cards of NFL players in 1964 when the … [Read more...] about 1968 Topps Football Set Marked Company’s NFL Return
Called for Clipping: 1956 Shredded Wheat Football Set Offered Prizes for a Slice of the Card
When American youngsters were spotting Topps NFL football bubble gum cards for the first time, kids in Canada were seeing them in their cereal boxes...assuming of course, they didn't mind eating a non-sugary cereal for breakfast. The 1956 Shredded Wheat set offered a single card of a Canadian Football League player per box. Today, the cards are among the rarest … [Read more...] about Called for Clipping: 1956 Shredded Wheat Football Set Offered Prizes for a Slice of the Card
1978 Holsum-Gardner Football Set a Regional Rarity
If you lived in Minnesota or Wisconsin in the late 1970s and early 1980s and collected sports cards, you probably ingested a lot of carbohydrates. It's where Holsum and Gardner's brand breads kept collectors full by offering a few different sets as promotions aimed at youngsters. They cranked out three different football issues during the time period including … [Read more...] about 1978 Holsum-Gardner Football Set a Regional Rarity
1987 Topps Football: Return to “Normalcy”
There were once again 396 cards to collect, but the 1987 Topps football set was hard-pressed to match the 1986 version in terms of key rookie cards. The 1986 set had a bumper crop of future Hall of Famers as rookies, including Jerry Rice, Reggie White, Steve Young, Bruce Smith and Andre Reed. However, the 1987 set was sort of a return to tradition in that it was much less … [Read more...] about 1987 Topps Football: Return to “Normalcy”
Pre-War Football Card Sets Includes Those Issued with Candy, Gum, Matchbooks
While football cards are included in the pre-war era, they aren't nearly as abundant as baseball issues. That's mostly because the professional version of the sport was really just beginning while baseball had been well established by that point. But by the 1920s and 1930s, card companies began catching on and football cards became more popular in those decades. Several of … [Read more...] about Pre-War Football Card Sets Includes Those Issued with Candy, Gum, Matchbooks
Underrated Rookies Highlight 1983 Topps Football Set
The 1983 Topps football set doesn't include the big name rookies found in other 1980s sets. But it is an affordable set that's nearly 35 years old and includes some key players. Here's a closer look at the issue. 1983 Topps Football Basics Topps' focus appears to have shifted slightly in 1983. That year, they produced their smallest set in more than a decade. You have to go … [Read more...] about Underrated Rookies Highlight 1983 Topps Football Set
1926 Shotwell Candy Cards Honored Red Grange
Red Grange was one of American football's first collegiate and professional stars. Grange rose to stardom first at the University of Illinois and later with the Chicago Bears. In 1926, Grange was out of college and starring in a motion picture, called "One Minute to Play." That year, the Shotwell Manufacturing Company sought to capitalize on his fame and created two card sets … [Read more...] about 1926 Shotwell Candy Cards Honored Red Grange
1965 Philadelphia Football Set Still Looking For Respect
More than 50 years after it was produced, the 1965 Philadelphia football set still has problems getting respect. It had six rookies in its 198-card set who would become Hall of Famers, and for the first time, the NFL’s logo was placed on the front of the card. That was a pointed reminder that Philadelphia had the rights to produce NFL cards, and not Topps, who lost the … [Read more...] about 1965 Philadelphia Football Set Still Looking For Respect
1974 Topps Football Featured Powerhouse Teams And Players
The 1974 football season featured powerhouse teams, exciting games and a strike that kept players idle in July and part of August. The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the rise as champions, while the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams all fielded strong teams. Strike or not, it was business as usual for the NFL's trading card partner. The … [Read more...] about 1974 Topps Football Featured Powerhouse Teams And Players