His rookie card is one of the most coveted among football collectors, and his career was even more magnificent. You never had to say his full name, either. Just “Johnny U,” and football fans knew who you meant. Johnny Unitas. He threw for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns in an era when the National Football League was ground-oriented. That included 47 straight games … [Read more...] about High-Grade 1957 Topps Johnny Unitas Rookie Cards Tough To Find
1950s football cards
Newly Discovered 1958 Topps Football Wax Box Hits Auction
Another unopened sports card time capsule is about to reveal itself to the world. What is believed to be the only surviving complete unopened box of 1958 Topps football cards—and the original Topps shipping case—will be offered in Robert Edward Auctions’ fall catalog that’s set to open for bidding on Friday. An added bonus for the buyer: There’s a Jim Brown … [Read more...] about Newly Discovered 1958 Topps Football Wax Box Hits Auction
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...] about Colorful 1959 Topps Football Set Not a Bank Breaker
Jim Brown Rookie Cards Soaring in Red Hot Vintage Market
It wasn't always this bad for Cleveland Browns fans. There once was a time when they had not only one of the NFL's best teams--but the best player, too. His time in the league was too short but as he turns 81 on Friday, it seems fitting to look back at Jim Brown rookie cards and the player many still believe to be the greatest running back in … [Read more...] about Jim Brown Rookie Cards Soaring in Red Hot Vintage Market
1959 Bazooka Football Set Includes Greats, Extreme Scarities
It doesn’t often come up when the rarest post-War sports card sets are discussed but it probably should. It’s also one of the best-looking sets Topps ever produced. The 1959 Bazooka football card set was issued within months, possibly weeks, of the company’s initial Bazooka box set that featured baseball players. The baseball issue spawned several more years’ … [Read more...] about 1959 Bazooka Football Set Includes Greats, Extreme Scarities
1952 Bowman Large Football is a Vintage Card Classic
The names may not be familiar to fans of today's game but for those who appreciate vintage cards, the 1952 Bowman Large football set has everything a collector could possibly want: a brightly colored design, a 144-card roster filled with Hall of Famers, rookies and veterans, and a larger, 2½ inch-by-3¾-inch size that enhances the card’s eye appeal. 1952 … [Read more...] about 1952 Bowman Large Football is a Vintage Card Classic
1955 Was Swan Song for Bowman Football
Bowman put out its largest football set in 1955, with 160 cards. It would be the final year that the Bowman brand would compete with Topps for dominance in the market; Topps would buy out Bowman in 1956 and would not release a football product with the Bowman name on it again until 1991. There were only 12 teams in the NFL in 1955, and the New York Giants have the … [Read more...] about 1955 Was Swan Song for Bowman Football
10 Vintage Football Cards to Keep an Eye On
Like their baseball brethren, quality vintage football rookie cards have shown some significant price increases in the last year or so. Major rookie cards of NFL icons can sometimes catch five-figures when only a small number exist at a certain grade level. Unitas, Starr, Brown, Staubach, Namath and Payton rookie cards are among the hottest. As a whole, though, card prices … [Read more...] about 10 Vintage Football Cards to Keep an Eye On
Top 10 Topps Football Cards of All-Time
An era comes to an end this week as Topps wraps up its uninterrupted run of producing football cards. They produced a set of Felt Backs in 1950, but Topps didn't go head first into football until the 1955 season when they issued the All-American set, which pictured former college greats. Their NFL contract started the following season when commissioner Bert Bell got … [Read more...] about Top 10 Topps Football Cards of All-Time
Berger-Bell Meeting Launched Topps Football Cards
The curtain may have dropped on Topps NFL cards—at least for now. Panini’s exclusive license has left the company on the sideline for the production of physical football cards. The story of how they got into the game in the mid-1950s is worth telling. Having purchased its bubble gum rival Bowman and produced its first exclusive baseball card set months later, the … [Read more...] about Berger-Bell Meeting Launched Topps Football Cards