1965 Topps Football (Tall Boys)
 

Hi everyone. I have been thinking about putting this set together. I don't know a whole lot about it regarding condition issues, tough cards etc. I do know about the Namath card and the $$ that comes with it. But any advice on this set for somebody like myself just starting to tackle it would be appreciated. Thanks!

Great set enjoy the chase that’s my advice!
Larry

It’s always best and cheapest to buy the set already complete. If you want to piece it together buy the Namath first. Find one that you are comfortable with and build the set condition wise around it. It can be elusive and the price keeps going up so you want that one sooner rather than later. The Biletnikoff can be difficult and checklists can be difficult to find unchecked - and there are a lot of short prints. Difficult set but it is one of the best.

It’s always best and cheapest to buy the set already complete. If you want to piece it together buy the Namath first. Find one that you are comfortable with and build the set condition wise around it. It can be elusive and the price keeps going up so you want that one sooner rather than later. The Biletnikoff can be difficult and checklists can be difficult to find unchecked - and there are a lot of short prints.

1965 Football set
 

I completed this set a couple years ago in NM condition. I got the high value cards in psa slabs. This was mainly Namath, Biletnikoff, checklists, HOF’s. I always go through the population reports and make a list of the low population commons in the grade i want and actively seek them out from the start, those are also slabbed from PSA. The rest i just passively wait to show up at various auction houses in raw form. REA, PWCC and Probstein were the biggest help for me to complete the set. My set took just over a year to put together. I got various people, auction houses offering to sell me the completed set, but in the end i saved 10% doing it myself plus it was fun Chasing the cards. Just takes some patience.

Troy

Thanks, Troy! Appreciate that. I too, enjoy the chase. Even if I end up spending a little more putting it together myself, the fun is worth it. Would love to see your set if you are able to post some pics.

Good luck building this set! Some good advice on here about going about building it. My only addition is that if you are a centering freak, you're gonna need to work hard to put this together with well centered cards as this set is known for its off center / miscut cards.

I would agree that the joy of putting together the set card by card (or at least lot by lot) far outweighs any financial benefit you MIGHT get from just picking the set up. Also agree that if you have the eye for it, picking up raw cards and then getting them graded (if you want your set to be graded), is still a pretty good strategy for getting decent deals. Of course you will have your occasional challenges with the TPG's getting the grades you want but this is just part of the process.

I personally have moved away from graded cards for my sets for a number of reasons:
1. Raw sets are much easier to look at in binders and take up less space to store
2. Raw cards are easier to find at a reasonable price than graded ones
3. The flips seem to change often and I don't want to be constantly paying to keep them all looking the same

Of course, grading provides some additional protection and authentication that you don't get with raw cards so there is a downside to this approach too. My advice to collectors is to go with whatever you feel is best for you!

jeff

Some pics 1965 Topps
 

Here are some of my pics of the HVC's

The Buchanan and Westmoreland were the hardest 2 cards for me for the set to find in PSA 7. I only have one card with a qualifier, unfortunately its the Namath. I actually picked up that card 8 years ago and by the time I was putting the set together that card shot up in price so I haven't got my 7 yet.

Troy

Jeff, thank you for the advice. Good tips on the graded vs raw. I totally agree with you and for the same reasons. Plus, this set looks good on it's own, slabbed or not. Not looking forward to the centering issues tho, I'm OCD...I'm going to have to learn to breathe..lol ...........Troy, those pics are awesome! Those cards really pop. Thanks for sharing. The 8 Namath, even with the centering issue, presents well. Looks like it came right out of the pack!

The complete set all graded was super heavy to tote around. I kept thinking of the many hundreds of bucks I spent grading them when many came back less than what I though they would grade. Looking over my old grading lists I spent over 900 dollars grading raw cards. I feel like I wasted that money but hind sights 20/20. I agree with raw sets now. I will never again get caught up in the graded world unless they are commonly prone to be reprinted. The 65 set is a beautiful set just wish NFC was included but it was not

I would like to add a Biletnikoff to these.