I bought a ticket and stood in line and got Jim Brown’s autograph, just like everyone else. It meant a lot to me. I have always considered him to be the greatest football player of all time, even though I am not old enough to have seen him play. He was my dad’s favorite player, and my dad, who was a football player in Canada and the same age as Brown, talked about him a lot. He … [Read more...] about Recalling a Chat with Jim Brown at the 2006 National and a Complex Legacy
Jim Brown
Shop Talk: Flashy Helmets, Vintage Slabs and Robbery Hits Close to Home
As I've mentioned in past Shop Talk installments, we really continue to make a concerted effort to buy higher-end, iconic slabbed rookie cards to have in store. We are currently focused on vintage pieces with a sprinkling of some modern rookie cards in baseball, basketball and football. We have also (slowly) skated into the hockey rink and picked up a few 1979 Topps and … [Read more...] about Shop Talk: Flashy Helmets, Vintage Slabs and Robbery Hits Close to Home
Jim Brown Rookie Card Photo, Babe Ruth Items Among Hot Sellers in Memory Lane Sale
Eighty-five years after his last big league at-bat, Babe Ruth is still swinging a big bat. When the final tally in Memory Lane’s Spring Rarities Auction was totaled early Sunday morning, five of the top ten selling items featured either a Ruth autograph or trading card. The top selling Ruth item was one of only two PSA/DNA-certified copies of autographed 1929 Kashin … [Read more...] about Jim Brown Rookie Card Photo, Babe Ruth Items Among Hot Sellers in Memory Lane Sale
Photo of the Day: Jim Brown Preps for First Competition Against NFL Players
It seems almost impossible to fathom but it's true. When the College All-Star team he was on met the NFL champion New York Giants in the annual summer benefit game in 1957, Jim Brown didn't carry the ball once. Yes, he was healthy. Coach Curly Lambeau did have some other options on a wet summer night at Soldier Field. Notre Dame's Heisman Trophy winner, … [Read more...] about Photo of the Day: Jim Brown Preps for First Competition Against NFL Players
The Toughest (and Easiest) Jim Brown Cards to Find in High Grade
His career was relatively short as NFL greats go but there was no one better running the football during the time he was employed by the Cleveland Browns. From 1957-1965 he terrorized opposing defenses at over 100 yards per game for his entire career. Brown appeared on football cards from 1958-1966 and while his rookie card is the most valuable of all, it's not the … [Read more...] about The Toughest (and Easiest) Jim Brown Cards to Find in High Grade
Original Card Photos of Brown, Mantle Headline Huggins & Scott Auction
A collection of contact proofs and original photos used for the creation of some well-known vintage cards, including Jim Brown’s 1958 Topps rookie and Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Bowman card are among the top items in Huggins & Scott’s Summer Premier Auction. The 4x5” Type 1 contact proof photo of Brown was taken during his 1957 rookie season in Cleveland Browns training … [Read more...] about Original Card Photos of Brown, Mantle Headline Huggins & Scott Auction
Malcolm Emmons Photo of Jim Brown at Auction
“Ultimately, a running back has to get rid of tacklers without his blockers being a part of it.” That quote from Jim Brown could have been the caption for an image captured by one of America’s great sports photographers on the opening day of the 1963 NFL season. Malcolm Emmons, whose regular clients included Sports Illustrated, SPORT, The Sporting News and other … [Read more...] about Malcolm Emmons Photo of Jim Brown at Auction
1965 Philadelphia Football Set Still Looking For Respect
More than 50 years after it was produced, the 1965 Philadelphia football set still has problems getting respect. It had six rookies in its 198-card set who would become Hall of Famers, and for the first time, the NFL’s logo was placed on the front of the card. That was a pointed reminder that Philadelphia had the rights to produce NFL cards, and not Topps, who lost the … [Read more...] about 1965 Philadelphia Football Set Still Looking For Respect
1958 Topps Football Set Built Around Brown
The 1958 Topps football set can be defined by one player — Jim Brown. Brown’s rookie card (No. 62) is one of the top football cards of all-time and the key piece of this 132-card set. The rookie out of Syracuse would become a force in the National Football League, leading the league in rushing in eight of his nine seasons. He rushed for 12,312 yards on the ground and … [Read more...] about 1958 Topps Football Set Built Around Brown
1961 Fleer Football Set Topped Topps in Size
In 1961, professional football was split between two leagues, the decades old National Football League (NFL) and the newly formed American Football League (AFL). It would be five years before the two leagues would announce a planned merger and six before the first Super Bowl. The football card industry was also divided that year as both Topps and Fleer produced large … [Read more...] about 1961 Fleer Football Set Topped Topps in Size