New football collector here

[TanksAndSpartans]

Originally Posted by Footballdude

Regarding the '55 All Americans, I know I'll probably make some mortal enemies with my views. I've always viewed the set as something similar to the 1960/61 Fleer Baseball Greats sets. More along the lines of a commemorative set, highlighting players from the past.

This is a very reasonable point. To me the key cards are:

ERNIE NEVERS
DON HUTSON
WILBUR (FATS) HENRY
MEL HEIN
BENNY FREIDMAN
FRANK (BRUISER) KINARD
CLARENCE (ACE) PARKER

Without AA, you'd have to settle for an even later commemorative issue to get a card into your collection.

Welcome to the Forum!

[Footballdude]

Originally Posted by DezHood

This is a very reasonable point. To me the key cards are:

ERNIE NEVERS
DON HUTSON
WILBUR (FATS) HENRY
MEL HEIN
BENNY FREIDMAN
FRANK (BRUISER) KINARD
CLARENCE (ACE) PARKER

Without AA, you'd have to settle for an even later commemorative issue to get a card into your collection.

Welcome to the Forum!

I'll assume that list represents All Americans who went on to greatness as pro's, who never had a regular issued card? If so then that's kind of along my thinking as well. In fact one of the few I do have is Ace Parker, for that very reason.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Originally Posted by Footballdude

I'll assume that list represents All Americans who went on to greatness as pro's, who never had a regular issued card? If so then that's kind of along my thinking as well. In fact one of the few I do have is Ace Parker, for that very reason.

Exactly. Each of those are HOF "rookie" cards. I knew four off the top of my head, but had to check on Friedman, Kinard, and Parker. Hutson could have had a 35 Chicle as he was a rookie, Hein disappointingly only possibly appears in the card of his teammate John Del Isola's 35 Chicle, Friedman like Red Grange retired right before 1935 (Grange had some pre 1935 cards however so his AA is less significant to me), Kinard and Parker retired before the 1948 issues and Nevers and Henry are really from the early days.

The last thing I want to do is pile on because I know this is a favorite set of many and I definitely feel the aesthetics (and obviously star power) are above average, but I would have been a lot more impressed if the action photo was of the player like 62 Topps.

[Footballdude]

Originally Posted by DezHood

Exactly. Each of those are HOF "rookie" cards. I new four off the top of my head, but had to check on Friedman, Kinard, and Parker. Hutson could have had a 35 Chicle as he was a rookie, Hein disappointingly only possibly appears in the card of his teammate John Del Isola's 35 Chicle, Friedman like Red Grange retired right before 1935 (Grange had some pre 1935 cards however so his AA is less significant to me), Kinard and Parker retired before the 1948 issues and Nevers and Henry are really from the early days.

The last thing I want to do is pile on because I know this is a favorite set of many and I definitely feel the aesthetics (and obviously star power) are above average, but I would have been a lot more impressed if the action photo was of the player like 62 Topps.

What are your thoughts on the 1926 Spalding Champions set? Athough it's a multi-sport set, there are 14 football players including Friedman and Nevers. Up until a few years ago I had never even heard of this set?

I too think it's a nice looking set, but trying to put 60+ sets together and having very limited hobby funds, I have to make some concessions when it comes to spending. Sets like the AA's and 51 Topps magic set, being an all-college player set, aren't on my list to collect. But there are individual cards i do collect in each.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Originally Posted by Footballdude

What are your thoughts on the 1926 Spalding Champions set? Athough it's a multi-sport set, there are 14 football players including Friedman and Nevers. Up until a few years ago I had never even heard of this set?

Thanks for letting me in on that - honestly it is the first I'm hearing of it now - I guess I'm too willing to accept what the standard opinion is of a rookie card and as a result I'm just learning about Shotwell Grange, matchbooks (many matchbooks of players predate the 35 Chicle card of same player) and now this set recently. I'm sure others know more than me - I'm going to have to do some homework now. Anyone out there collect this Spalding set or at least the football players? Who are the other 12 players?

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by DezHood

This is a very reasonable point. To me the key cards are:

ERNIE NEVERS
DON HUTSON
WILBUR (FATS) HENRY
MEL HEIN
BENNY FREIDMAN
FRANK (BRUISER) KINARD
CLARENCE (ACE) PARKER

Without AA, you'd have to settle for an even later commemorative issue to get a card into your collection.

Welcome to the Forum!

While perhaps not mainstream, many of these guys ARE available on older items than the 1955 AA set. Check out

1926 Spalding
1928 Star Player Candy
1930s Wheaties sets
1930s Diamond Matchbook Cover sets

Off the top of my head at least Nevers, Friedman, Hein, and Hudson are in at least one of these sets.

jeff

[Footballdude]

Here is a link to nearmint.com webpage showing all the football cards from the Spalding Champions set. It looks like Friedman and Nevers will carry a pretty hefty pricetag.
http://www.footballcardgallery.com/s...ing_Champions/

[TanksAndSpartans]

Originally Posted by Footballdude

Here is a link to nearmint.com webpage showing all the football cards from the Spalding Champions set. It looks like Friedman and Nevers will carry a pretty hefty pricetag.
http://www.footballcardgallery.com/s...ing_Champions/

Thanks - I saw that too. Also searched eBay and MSB - I bet the HOFers don't come around too often. From what I saw so far, the backs are either blank or have an ad - disappointed as I would've liked to see what a bio from the 20s was like.

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by DezHood

Thanks - I saw that too. Also searched eBay and MSB - I bet the HOFers don't come around too often. From what I saw so far, the backs are either blank or have an ad - disappointed as I would've liked to see what a bio from the 20s was like.

There are three backs. Blank, ad, bio. It is believed that the blank backs came from uncut sample / salesman sheets. I'm not sure it is known whether the ad backs and bio backs were distributed differently.

And good luck finding the HOFers. POP on those is extremely small. Here's one of my bio backs.





An Ad back





jeff

[TanksAndSpartans]

Originally Posted by jefferyepayne

Here's one of my bio backs.

Awesome! Thanks Jeff. That's actually a really thorough write up - they did a nice job.

[PowderedH2O]

The Spalding Champions have a great design and are gorgeous. At various times I have owned quite a few of them. But, as I get older, my eyesight gets worse and those tiny little cards are just too small to read for me. If you haven't owned them, they are about half the size of a small Bowman football card. Maybe, the size of a postage stamp. If those cards were even close to normal size I think they would be much more popular.

Also, I like the Topps All-American set, but I've never felt that I had to have it. I suppose I will pick up the cards one of these days, but it isn't high on my priority list. So, you are not alone.