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...]
5 Great Football Cards From 1967
The NFL is ingrained in our sports conscience now, so it’s hard to remember that it once was a league that battled a bitter rival for nearly a decade. The AFL secured a merger with the more established NFL at mid-decade and played the inaugural Super Bowl on Jan. 15, 1967. The two leagues would merge for the 1970 season, but the merger in football cards already had … [Read more...]
1972 Topps Football Offered Stars, Scarce High Numbers
The 1972 NFL season showcased perfection in Miami, the beginnings of a dynasty in Pittsburgh (aided by an Immaculate Reception), the Over the Hill Gang in Washington and dominant squads in Minnesota, Dallas and Oakland. Topps’ 1972 football set would be the last time the company would issue the set in series form, and also the only time a set would contain three series. At … [Read more...]
1948 Bowman Football a Landmark Issue
1948 Bowmanis the granddaddy of all football sets. It’s a set that has a stark, black-and-white look that is perfect for the post World War II era. One might say it coincides with the expansion of television sets, only this football set did not require rabbit ears. 1948 Bowman Football Rookies and Hall of Famers Collectors believe this is the first true football set of the … [Read more...]
PSA/DNA Holding Authentication Event at Pro Football HOF
PSA/DNA, the autograph authentication division of Professional Sports Authenticator, will be at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Nov. 12 offering onsite authentication services. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Hall’s Event Center. Prices for authentication and grading average around $20 per item. Guests who have an autograph authenticated … [Read more...]
Building the Most Valuable Football Card Collection
Last month, we told you about the Hunt-Casterline Collection of high-grade and rare vintage football cards set to go on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Actually, it’s about 1,000 cards in all—about three percent of what Dan Hunt and Robert Casterline put together in the span of only a few years. The duo, who obviously have some deep pockets, went on a buying … [Read more...]
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...]
Top Football Card Collection Gets Hall of Fame Billing
If you’ve never been to the Pro Football Hall of Fame before, this might be a good time to put it on your summer travel agenda. The Hall is opening an exhibit showcasing the highest graded and most valuable football card collection in the world. The Hunt/Casterline Pro Football Hall of Fame Card Collection exhibit opens this July at the Canton shrine. The collection’s … [Read more...]
1964 Draft Produced the Biggest Crop of Football Hall of Fame Rookie Cards
The 1964 NFL Draft has gone down in history for producing the most Pro Football Hall of Fame players of any draft to date. Eleven of the 280 players selected for that season’s draft have now been enshrined in Canton. On December 2, 1963, the NFL’s representatives that made up its 14 teams assembled in Chicago to divvy up that season’s prospects. At the same time that the … [Read more...]
1975 Topps Football Rookies a Bumper Crop
Topps football card sets of the 1970s were not noted for innovative design or risk-taking. After all, Topps had a monopoly on the football card market, and its airbrushed sets were doing just fine. So why mess with a good thing? Besides, there were some great rookie cards, and whether Topps realized it at the time or not, these first-year cards would be the keys to those … [Read more...]