Walter Payton’s brother once said that the Hall of Fame running back was a great white shark in a previous life. “If he stops moving forward, he will die,” Eddie Payton said. Jim Brown, whose NFL career rushing record Walter Payton would break 40 years ago this week, called the Bears great a gladiator. NFL fans and football card collectors called him “Sweetness” — … [Read more...] about Sweetness Stack: 12 Great Walter Payton Football Cards
1970s football cards
1978 Slim Jim NFL Disc Set Kept Collectors Chewing
Your memories of them may include Randy “Macho Man” Savage or another pro wrestler exhorting you to “Step into a Slim Jim!” You may have recently eaten one (ConAgra sold about $404 million worth last year). For football card collectors, it’s a ride back to the 1978 Slim Jim football disc set, a one-and-done issue that turned folks who’d never tasted smoked meat … [Read more...] about 1978 Slim Jim NFL Disc Set Kept Collectors Chewing
Cards Help Recall Steelers’ Legendary 1974 Draft That’s Still The Best 50 Years Later
The NFL Draft has changed a lot in 50 years. Now, it is a major event supported by two months of combine coverage and analysis on the NFL Network, and endless breakdowns of which quarterbacks’ rookie cards will be the most collectible. Fifty years ago, records were kept by someone in the commissioner’s office writing on lined paper in a school binder. There were no … [Read more...] about Cards Help Recall Steelers’ Legendary 1974 Draft That’s Still The Best 50 Years Later
1976 Popsicle Football Set Brought Credit Card Look
You couldn't run them through one of those clunky old machines (remember?) but the people at popsicle certainly must have taken inspiration from the rising popularity of credit cards when it came time to create a set of-- well--cards, I guess, back in the mid-1970s. They didn't have player names and there were only 28 of them (29 if you count the one variation) but they … [Read more...] about 1976 Popsicle Football Set Brought Credit Card Look
The Topps 1977 NFL Mexican Football Set, Volver a Examinar: A Discovery, Rarities, and Challenges
Unique is a word that gets spread a lot in our American popular culture. There are unique artists, actors, authors, fashions, movies, books, plays, art—you name it. Unique is everywhere and overused. There are, however, certain rare instances where the term might actually apply, and one of them has recently come to light. An absolutely fascinating example of a once-forgotten … [Read more...] about The Topps 1977 NFL Mexican Football Set, Volver a Examinar: A Discovery, Rarities, and Challenges
Johnny Unitas: The Career and Cards of ‘Mr. Quarterback’
He was known as “Mr. Quarterback.” The Golden Arm. Or simply, Johnny U. For 18 seasons, Johnny Unitas was the yardstick for other quarterbacks. He threw for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdown passes and led the NFL in passing four times. Unitas passed for 3,099 yards during a 12-game season in 1959 and was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1959, 1964 and 1967. It is a tribute … [Read more...] about Johnny Unitas: The Career and Cards of ‘Mr. Quarterback’
CFL Fans and Collectors Had Great Stuff to Chase 50 Years Ago
The long-awaited Grey Cup is over for another year, and football fans got the chance to see an instant classic. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers scored a 33-25 win over the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats in overtime in one of the greatest CFL games ever played. In the hobby, collectors always speculate that championships will equate to rising card values. Sometimes, that is true. For the … [Read more...] about CFL Fans and Collectors Had Great Stuff to Chase 50 Years Ago
1970s Wonder Bread Cards Featured Top Crust Of NFL Stars
It’s an old expression: some NFL running backs carried the football as if it were a loaf of bread. Holding the ball gingerly could lead to fumbles, and in the 1970s that was problematic since ball-carriers took some hard hits. But no matter how you sliced it, football fans had a chance to collect cards through a notable baking company. From 1974 to 1976, Topps collaborated … [Read more...] about 1970s Wonder Bread Cards Featured Top Crust Of NFL Stars
An American Idol – Looking Back on Roger Staubach’s Life and 4 Classic Cards
Many American Dreams have been built around the pursuit of becoming successful in business, tasting fame as a professional athlete, or experiencing glory in battle. To accomplish one sometimes takes a lifetime of devotion—but to accomplish all three? That’s reserved for legends like Roger Staubach. Whenever duty called, Staubach was there to answer the bell. Whether that was … [Read more...] about An American Idol – Looking Back on Roger Staubach’s Life and 4 Classic Cards
The Man Behind the Curtain. 4 Classic Jack Lambert Cards
The "man behind the curtain" is a phrase that invokes memories of The Wizard of Oz, a scene where the trusty watchdog named Toto pulls the curtain back to reveal the man behind this frightening persona. In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers discovered their own man behind the curtain—a second-round draft pick from Kent State named Jack Lambert—who would punish ball carriers who … [Read more...] about The Man Behind the Curtain. 4 Classic Jack Lambert Cards