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...] about 1962 Fleer Football Was Slim, But Trim
1960's football cards
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...] about 1964 Wheaties Football Stamps an Affordable Vintage Set
1969 Eskimo Pie Football Set is Unusual, Rare
During its decade-long tenure, the American Football League managed to secure a bubble gum card contract but it also landed a deal with an ice cream company that yielded one of the rarest football card issues of the post-War era. The 1969 Eskimo Pie football card set remains a bit of a mystery even now. The set included 15 two-card panels for a total of 30 … [Read more...] about 1969 Eskimo Pie Football Set is Unusual, Rare
1967 Topps Football Was Final AFL Only Set
The 1967 Topps football set meshed perfectly with the Summer of Love that year. While this was Topps’ final AFL-only set, the psychedelic design appealed to many collectors. Even the nickel wax packs had an artsy, hippie-like look to them. There were not many big names in this set, although the most expensive cards are quarterbacks Joe Namath and Jack Kemp. Future Hall of … [Read more...] about 1967 Topps Football Was Final AFL Only Set
1962 Topps Football Easy to Collect; Tough in High Grade
Utilizing a horizontal design for the first time since 1957, the 1962 Topps football set gave future collectors of high grade cards some big headaches. The cause for discomfort are the unique but ultra-condition sensitive black borders, which were easily chipped and scuffed. Topps would employ the same strategy for the black backgrounds for its 1971 baseball set, with … [Read more...] about 1962 Topps Football Easy to Collect; Tough in High Grade
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
1966 Philadelphia Football Set Showcased NFL In Transition
The 1966 Philadelphia football set represented a changing of the guard in the NFL. Several big stars would make their debut in this 198-card set, while a few would appear as a regular issue for the final time. This was the third of what would be four sets produced by the Philadelphia Gum Company, which won exclusive rights to issue cards of NFL players in 1964. A pair of … [Read more...] about 1966 Philadelphia Football Set Showcased NFL In Transition
1964 Philadelphia Football Cards Ushered In New Era
It was a swell product while it lasted. In 1964, the Philadelphia Gum Company obtained the licensing rights to produce National Football League trading cards, ending the stranglehold Topps had held since 1956. Topps executive Sy Berger had gotten an agreement through NFL commissioner Bert Bell to produce cards starting in 1956 and continued through 1963. That pact … [Read more...] about 1964 Philadelphia Football Cards Ushered In New Era
Ramblings: Remembering Cards of 1960s Two-Sport Stars
There were a lot of great card “twists” of the 1960s and 70s but one twist was there seemed to be far fewer two sport athletes in those decades than there was in the late 1940s and all during the 1950s. The concept returned with a big bang when Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson both played baseball and football at the same time back in the late 1980s. While Bo and Deion … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Remembering Cards of 1960s Two-Sport Stars