The 1888 N162 Goodwin Champions set is one of the more famous of the 19th Century tobacco card releases. Known for its vivid lithography and colorful backgrounds, the set is very clearly a fan favorite. As a premium item to supplement that famous set, the company produced a complementary album for collectors (now known as the A36 Goodwin Album). A36 Goodwin Album … [Read more...]
1950s Football Cards: Ten You Should Own
For many fans of the baby boomer generation and younger, the NFL starts in the 1960s. The first Super Bowl. The Packers. The Giants. The birth of the Cowboys. But pro football--and football cards--were coming of age a little earlier. Some of the most legendary names in the sport are found on 1950s football cards issued by Bowman and Topps, including many iconic rookie cards … [Read more...]
Panini Releases Elite Football
It was near the middle of May when the NFL held its annual draft. Now, some mere weeks later, after the evaluations and debates over who "won" or who "lost" the draft, the really important follow-up takes place…the first rookie cards of the players drafted in the uniforms of their new teams. 2014 Panini Elite Football delivers in that regard. Wednesday, July 23,was the … [Read more...]
2014 Bowman Football Preview
NFL training camps will open next month and ahead of that comes 2014 Bowman Football, set to be released June 25. The timing works as Bowman tries hard to keep their tagline reputation “Home of the Rookie Card.” That means the pre-camp release will mean the inclusion of cards of many of the young hopefuls on NFL rosters so that fans and collectors can be a bit more in the know … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: No Football Cards for Te’o Yet; Odd, Ominous Start for 2013
Blessed doesn’t even begin to describe hobby shops in 2012. There was Bryce Harper’s long-awaited big league arrival that lit the fuse. Then came Mike Trout, whose cards became even hotter by season’s end. We had a guy who was a rookie in the early part of the last decade win the Triple Crown, sending dealers and collectors scrambling for their old 2000 Topps Update sets to … [Read more...]
2012 Panini Playbook Preview
The season will be over when it hits store shelves late this winter, but Panini Playbook is back for a second season. The 2012 version of the product will again feature Rookie Booklet cards, tweaked slightly to include one prime jersey piece, one jumbo jersey swatch and an on-card autograph numbered to no more than 149. You’ll get one Rookie Booklet, plus one additional … [Read more...]
2012 Topps Platinum Football Doing Well in Marketplace
by Rich Klein The 2012 Topps Platinum Football product is one that fits into the Topps "mid-range" brand package. The price point is one that most collectors feel comfortable with. And, of course, that is one of the most interesting parts of collecting in that companies have to try to come up with products that will be successful at a certain price point, while delivering … [Read more...]
2012 Topps Finest Football Box Break
by Rich Klein When we recently reviewed 2012 Finest Baseball, we discussed how important the 1993 Finest product was in terms of generating interest for really short printed cards. I do realize in today's collecting world 241 is not a small number but back in 1993, a print run of 241 was extra limited. If you think about that, we considered Donruss Elite insert cards scarce … [Read more...]
What’s Hot in the Shop: Feelin’ Kinda Wednesday
by Mike Fruitman I understand that some more intelligent marketing guru came up with “Feeling Kinda Sunday” for NFL fans everywhere, but when you kick off the season on a Wednesday night, it’s what you get. Plain and simple, these days no sport dives the hobby like the NFL and when you start things off with the world champion New York Giants vs. the Dallas Cowboys, people … [Read more...]
Mayo’s Football Set Among Sports Collecting’s Rarities
Topps revived the name with its modern era Mayo football set but the new find of one of the hobby's most rare sports cards has brought the original back into focus. The 1894 Mayo’s Cut Plug card set is the first ever football set to be offered exclusively featuring football players. Strange as it may seem today, the tobacco cards featured student-athletes from three … [Read more...]