Way before the NFL became a lucrative business, it was money in the bank for Topps. The company’s 1962 Football Bucks insert assigned money values to players in a 48-piece set, and there was some bang to those bucks. The NFL was beginning to emerge as a “money” sport. The league signed a large television deal in 1962, and players were beginning to command higher … [Read more...]
1969 Topps Football: Last Pre-Merger Set
They were printed just months after Joe Namath proved the AFL was worthy of a merger with the 50 year-old NFL. The 1969 Topps football set was the company's largest to date, accommodating a league that was welcoming new teams and already starting to give baseball a run for its money in popularity. 263 Cards, Two Series You didn't need to tell Topps about the AFL. The … [Read more...]
1968 Topps Football Set Marked Company’s NFL Return
Topps returned to the forefront of football cards in 1968, as it reclaimed rights to print cards of not only NFL players and retained its AFL players too. Football collectors would be treated to a Hall of Fame lineup. For the first time since 1961, one Topps set contained players from each league. Topps had lost its right to issue cards of NFL players in 1964 when the … [Read more...]
5 Cards to Remember Len Dawson, the Last Chiefs Super Bowl MVP
As the clock ticked down to Super Bowl Sunday, Patrick Mahomes remained the oddsmakers' favorite to win the MVP. Many of the folks watching the game don't remember watching the last Chiefs player to win one. Len Dawson took home the honors in Super Bowl IV in 1969 when he helped Kansas City defeat the Minnesota Vikings. Thirty-two quarterbacks have played … [Read more...]
Bronko Nagurski Cards are Popular Pre-War Football Issues
When we talk about pre-war cards, baseball is the sport most commonly referenced. They generally hold the highest values are are easily the most collected. But early football cards have a strong following, too. And, along with Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski cards are the most sought after of the earliest NFL cardboard. A bruising running back who also starred on defense, … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Gale Sayers Rookie Card Image
Look at his rushing numbers from early in the 1965 season and it may have looked like Gale Sayers was struggling. The young running back known as the ‘Kansas Comet’ was not exactly streaking across the NFL sky during his first year with the Chicago Bears…at least not as a traditional running back. George Halas knew he had something in his first round draft pick, but … [Read more...]
5 1968 Topps Football Cards You Should Love
When the NFL kicked off its 49th season in September of 1968, it had gone back to its old trading card partner. The four-year deal with Philadelphia Gum had ended and Topps was back in the fold. It was a relationship that wouldn’t sever until well into the 21st century. The 1968 Topps football set included 218 cards--219 if you include a slight variation on the last … [Read more...]
PHOTO GALLERY: World’s Best Football Card Collection Still on Display in Canton
The most valuable football card collection in the world remains on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, giving collectors attending next month's National Sports Collectors Convention another option for a side trip. For two years, the Hunt-Casterline collection has been on exhibit at the Canton, OH shrine, enabling football fans from around the world who visit the Hall … [Read more...]
One of Hobby’s Top 1957 Topps Football Collections Went Unregistered
Not every PSA-graded set of cards is listed on the company's Set Registry. Some are quietly pieced together by collectors who opt not to put them in the data base. Now, those who do chase one of the hobby's most notable vintage football sets will have a chance to own cards from one of those sets. Baseball Card Exchange (BBCE) recently acquired a … [Read more...]
NFL’s First #1 Draft Pick in 1936 Got a Football Card–19 Years Later
For a guy who isn't in the Hall of Fame, Jay Berwanger sure has a couple of pretty significant football "firsts" behind his name. He was named the winner of the first Heisman Trophy for his efforts at the University of Chicago in 1935. A couple of months later, the NFL held its first college draft and Berwanger was the top choice, taken by the lowly Philadelphia … [Read more...]