Starting out in vintage football

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Matt, I do like college football! The other sets you mentioned will probably be a target of mine sooner or later. Seeing the '55 Topps All Americans that some of you guys have shared really makes me want them. It is shocking how affordable most of vintage football is compared to baseball. Even if football prices edged up, they still have a long way to go to cease being really affordable. I will still do a little with some baseball, but the prices on the vgex-EXMT stuff I buy are so static that I feel like I could come back to baseball in a year or two and not much would have changed. So, why not go off and have a little more affordable set building fun in football?

Jeff, I figure I will start off with '64 Philadelphia...there is something about that set that really interests me. It is somewhat plain, but I like it. Like I was telling Matt, '55 Topps AA might not be too far behind. I have also noticed several other Topps sets i like. I am not a high roller, this is something that is just fun for me. I work cards in while taking care of the family, paying the mortgage, etc. Most of my stars will be graded and commons ungraded. I imagine most 60s sets would be ex to nm. When backing up into the 50s, I could live with vgex or even crease free vg.

You guys just keep on posting and providing that motivation!

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Thanks, Larry! I enjoyed reading the acquisitions thread and watching all of your progress!

[S_GERACE]

Hi Robert,
Good luck on your venture into vintage FB cards. Below is a link to a website that you may find very informative and interesting.

http://www.nearmintcards.com/blog/ab...ootball-cards/

Take care & keep us posted on your progress,
Scott

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Scott,

What an excellent resource! I am going to read it all and bookmark it for future reference. Thanks for letting me know about it.

In some of my earlier posts I mentioned maybe starting with 1964 Philadelphia or 1955 Topps AA. Another set I am loving is the 1952 Bowman Large. I was initially scared off by the Lansford card listing at $3000 in Beckett, but I have seen decent copies on ebay for much, much less. What I like about that set is the color, and I love the way the team logos look (especially the Rams). so, that might be another way to go. Of course, i could accomplish much the same with Bowman Small for a lot less money. There are a ton of ways to go! This could be fun...

What are your current projects? Matt, Jeff, and Larry (and everyone else), same for you. What are you all collecting right now? Do you guys like graded or ungraded? Condition wise do you go for high grade cards or lower grade cards?

For those of you building vintage football sets, are you extremely conscious about condition, or are you content to complete these sets?

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

What are your current projects? Matt, Jeff, and Larry (and everyone else), same for you. What are you all collecting right now? Do you guys like graded or ungraded? Condition wise do you go for high grade cards or lower grade cards?

For those of you building vintage football sets, are you extremely conscious about condition, or are you content to complete these sets?

For me, most of my sets are raw and range from VG to NM. I like to look at them and that's much easier in binders than if I had a ton of plastic. I have been slowly upgrading the stars / rookies in my sets to graded cards as I see good deals. Some of these sets I put together long ago and they are in rough shape so I try to upgrade cards in them when I'm at shows and there are binders / discount boxes. Trying to get rid of all creases in my cards over time.

I'm working on lots of different projects at once as I like to scour ebay and auctions every day. Here are a few of my on-going projects:

1. Upgrading my raw Topps AA set from G/VG to all PSA 8's just because I really like this set. Just started this effort so have a long way to go.
2. Upgrading my National Chicle set to at least PSA 7's
3. Upgrading my Mayo set to at least SGC 50's
4. Working on a run of NFL Championship team photos from 1920 - 1969 ... first 50 years of the NFL
5. Working on my first autographed card set ... Topps AA
6. Working on lots and lots of regional, odd ball, and team sets outside of the mainstream cards sets... much of this stuff is really hard to find so progress is slow
7. Actively looking for items associated with Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, Ernie Nevers, and Bronko Nagurski as I collect items specifically for these players too. Cards, RPPCs, vintage photos, matchbooks, memorabilia, etc.
8. Team photos of every college national championship team up until 1930.

jeff

[LuckyLarry]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

What are your current projects? Matt, Jeff, and Larry (and everyone else), same for you. What are you all collecting right now? Do you guys like graded or ungraded? Condition wise do you go for high grade cards or lower grade cards?For those of you building vintage football sets, are you extremely conscious about condition, or are you content to complete these sets?

I'm a pre '81 set builder (baseball football basketball hockey) and I collect cards in (affordable) P-VG condition. On the football front I've finished my Philadelphia sets, I need about twenty cards to finish my Fleer run, twenty-two cards (mostly '72 Topps high numbers) to complete my Topps run, and 103 cards for my Bowman run. Lately I've been concentrating on my '52 Bowman Large and Small sets. Almost all of my collection is raw cards stored in boxes.
Larry

[Laxcat]

I started with the 70's Topps sets. The '72 is far and away the most difficult to complete. I have most of my sets(48-79) in the 85% to complete range. My main focus now: some of the SP's from the '52 large and I would like to pick up some more prewar football. I keep hoping to run into some at a show, but eBay and this forum have been my best avenue for picking stuff up.

Good choice with the Philly sets. Good clean photography, RC's that topps doesn't have, and the sets aren't too big.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Hi Robert, Great news you are diving in! Looking forward to seeing your progress.

My only real card project right now is the Chicle set. I'm 5 cards away, but I'm also working on upgrades at the same time as some nice ones have become available recently at relatively low prices (relative to where they were recently at least). Also looking forward to some time around the holidays to finally finish putting my best of each example from the 84 Topps set (pulled this from packs as a kid) into binders (that's an out of town project - started last Christmas). I only had to buy 1 card from eBay to finish, but I think I still need some inserts - heading into the home stretch on that one at least. No plans to upgrade as I want the ones I collected.

I also really like early NFL and semi-pro (specifically Ohio teams like the Tanks and Armcos) history (specifically 1920-1939). Other than the Chicle set and a few scattered single NFL players here and there (Star Player Candy, Spalding, some strip cards), one would have to dive into other collectables like matchbooks, photos, programs, etc. and I'm not sure if I'll take that plunge yet. Maybe someday.

As a kid in the 1980's I sat at a used book store filing thru boxes of loose miscellaneous cards to gather pre-1976 football for a couple summers. I managed to cobble together an entire 1976 set at 1 penny a card this way. I did not collect baseball because they were 2 or 3 cents. These cards are in PR-G condition, a lot of my cards from the 1970's are beloved beaters.

Fast forward thirty years and the cards are no longer a penny apiece , but I still enjoy set building. While I have been tempted to buy an entire set at auction before (SSA's recent '51 Bowman's set was real nice) I prefer the process. I typically buy large partial sets at auction in the VG/EX range raw. I enjoy trading for commons, and purchase graded stars with good eye appeal, 3-4 cards per set. Usually working on a half dozen sets at any time. My earlier sets 1959-1972 are in much better condition than those I gathered as a youth, but hard to say which I like more in the collection.

Most importantly, have fun!

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by LuckyLarry

Larry

I used to keep all of my sets in boxes as well, Larry. Very good for maintaining them but not so great for looking at them without handling them. I would occasionally nick on of my cards while handling them.

A while back I started moving sets to binders sloooowly and have made quite a bit of progress. Of course the valuable stuff is in the bank but these are some of my football sets I keep around to look at.



jeff

[sockwell123]

Best of luck with your collecting!

Jeff - Looks like you're fixing to need another cabinet to hold more binders. Very nice sir.

[LuckyLarry]

Originally Posted by jefferyepayne

A while back I started moving sets to binders sloooowly and have made quite a bit of progress. jeff

Jeff: A couple years ago I tossed all my binders and moved my cards to boxes. I use "penny sleeves" when I can, which does help when I handle them. Binders just took up to much room.
Larry

[Samsdaddy]

I personally like my cards in individual Card Saver 1's. Now, I don't have as near as many cards as you all here so it is easier for me to have them this way. I always found the sheets sagged somewhat and cards could get bent.
Plus, having them in Card Saver 1's is the closest thing to having them as a kid in piles looking through them one at a time and being able to handle them without damaging them.

All that being said, for what it is worth, I am working on my second set from the 60s, 1967 Topps Football, raw. I picked this set because it is the year of my birth and I love the old AFL. Plus, at a 132 cards with the limited funds I have, makes it a very doable set for me.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Ok, fellas, I have the '69 Topps set and after a few upgrades it will be a solid set. I am thinking over my next move and have been researching, number crunching, etc. There are several '60s sets that I like (64 Philadelphia, 68 Topps, 61 Fleer to name a few) and could build in exmt/nm grade. However, I can't quit looking at the early Bowman sets. One reason that I wanted to try vintage football was the affordability factor relative to baseball. If I went the Bowman route, the cards wouldn't be as sharp. I would be aiming more at crease free VGEX to ex. The first of the Bowman sets I think I would want to go after might be '51 Bowman. It has 144 cards and I don't think it would cost anymore to build in mid grade than the 220 card 1961 Fleer set would in high grade. Also, the more I look, the more iconic the Bowmans look to me.

What do you guys think? You all have been in the football circuit for much longer than me. I feel like there is good value in vintage football. I just feel like a late arriver and want to build sets that I like before the values rise and they aren't any more affordable than baseball.

When I first started thinking about vintage football, I really looked at the 60s and saw the opportunity to collect lots of stars for not much money, again relative to baseball. However, now I may be drawn to the early 50s Bowmans. They are not as inexpensive as the 60s material, but I guess relative to early 50s baseball (again) they aren't too bad.

I know I went around and around there, but I hope you guys get the jist. Thoughts?