Forgotten 1992 GameDay Football Card Set Becoming a Favorite for TTM Collectors

Lost in the quagmire that has stigmatized most sports cards produced from 1987 to 1994, a true visual gem has emerged out of obscurity: the 1992 GameDay NFL football set.

NFL Properties’ 1992 GameDay cards have recently been gaining momentum as a favorite among TTM (Through the Mail) autograph collectors. A throwback to Topps 1965 “tall boy” football cards, the 1992 GameDay cards are also rectangular in size, measuring 2-1/2” by 4-11/16”.

These glossy cards feature interesting four color action photos of NFL players. What makes the cards unique is that everything else on the card has been converted to grey scale so the featured player stands out; giving each card an attractive 3-D like quality. The cards are printed on sturdy white glossy stock with white borders. This lends itself to making most signatures pop. The larger signing area provides players the chance to flex their muscles by signing the card with large vibrant autographs. The backs of the cards are also full color. Backgrounds were written by the same people who authored NFL Game Day programs. The card backs include a color player photo, all important yearly stats and career totals, player biographical and physical information, the player’s uniform number as well as team and conference logos.

The 500 (501 for the master set) card set was released by NFL properties in the fall of 1992. Despite positive initial reviews these cards got lost in 1992 in the plethora of football-related issues that year which included multiple offerings from Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck and Pro Set. Over time the cards have never really taken hold even with their quality and stunning appearance.

The set features players from each NFL team with the Bills, Giants and Phoenix Cardinals having the fewest members with just 12 representatives each. The Chicago Bears lead the way with 28 players in the set. Most team sets consist of between 16-20 players. Stars in the set include Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Dan Marino, John Elway, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Ronnie Lott and Lawrence Taylor.

Deion Sanders (card #49a/b) was the set’s lone error card. The back of the error card states, “outfielder” for the Atlanta Braves on the last line of text. On the corrected version in later printings the last line reads “plays outfield” for the Atlanta Braves. I know it was not much of an error but for some reason they corrected it. The corrected version is more difficult to obtain.

A total of 17,500 16-box cases of GameDay were produced. Each box contained 36 12-card packs. With the limited number of cards produced, especially for a set that was created during the ‘junk card era”, it’s a wonder that these cards currently don’t hold much value. Complete sets can be purchased on eBay for $15-$25 (I actually got my set for .99 on eBay about two months ago) and star cards run from $1 to $2. Team sets can be had for a few dollars as well and even unopened cases are under $200 (you can see all of the listings here).

There are few notable rookie cards in the set and that may account for its low demand. The set includes 11 multiple rookie cards with four players featured on each card (like vintage Topps era baseball). These cards are highlighted by mostly forgettable players from the 1991 draft class. The set also includes individual rookie cards for over 70 players such as 1992 offensive Rookie of the Year Bengals wide receiver Carl Pickens, Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hansen and Philip Sparks of the New York Giants.

For the TTM collector the set is a true bonanza. It provides excellent autograph fodder of over 70 ex-players who are fairly agreeable to signing through the mail. Sadly a few of the players featured in the set have passed away including Derrick Thomas, Dennis Byrd, Cortez Kennedy and Junior Seau, so collecting an entire autographed set maybe difficult.

Here’s a list of players featured in the 1992 GameDay set who I have received TTM successes from in the past 6 months:

Albert Bentley
Anthony Munoz
Bennie Blades
Bill Brooks
Bill Pickel
Billy Ray Smith
Bommer Esiason
Brad Baxter
Brent Williams
Brian Blades
Bruce Armstrong
Bubby Brister
Charles Dimry
Chris Jacke
Courtney Hawkins
David Fulcher
David Klingler
Earnest Byner
Eric Martin
Eric Metcalf
Erik Kramer
Ernest Givins
Eugene Lockhart
Gary Plummer
Greg McMurtry
Henry Ellard
Irvin Fryar
James Lofton
Jay Schroeder
Jeff George
Jeff Jaeger
Jim Everett
Jim Jensen
Jim Morrissey
John Gesek
John L Williams
Lorenzo White
Mark Carrier
Mark Chmura
Mark Rypien
Marv Cook
Merril Hoge
Mike Cofer
Mike Piritchard
Mike Tomczak
Nick Lowery
Pat Swilling
Paul Gruber
Rod Bernstine
Roger Craig
Sterling Sharpe
Steve McMichael
Tim Green
Tim Krumrie
Tom Rathman

If you would like to obtain the mailing addresses for the above players send me an email request at [email protected] and I’ll forward the list to you at no charge.