March 24, 2022: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/24/2022
Here's a truly fascinating lot, a massive array of primarily Topps football cards from 1960 to the middle of the 1980s, along with a smaller group of the Philadelphia Gum football sets from the mid-1960s, with both elements boasting Hall of Famers and Specials galore. In addition to more than 9,500 Topps cards from across three decades, there are about 700 or so cards from the fabled four-year run of Philadelphia Gum in the mid-1960s, including some of the key Hall of Famers and major stars of the era; while this obviously is a weighty pile of pasteboards, it’s not just heft we're talking here, with a likely lineup of hundreds of Hall of Famers quietly nestled within the larger body, which also features an astonishing number of Specials. So it’s a lot, but a lot of value, including many of the most important and iconic cards of the era. It’s the kind of lot that begs for a good deal of close examination, and we'll try out best to offer as much information as possible. The condition range varies for the earlier years and is noted below; from the early 1970s it is broadly Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, with some below, and improving by the end of the decades into the 1980s, by then mostly Near-Mint or better, with literally hundreds of Near-Mint to Mint blazers, even among the Hall of Famers. As noted, the massive array includes literally hundreds of Hall of Famers embedded in the main body of each of the years, a lineup that includes the likes of Unitas, Jim Brown, Starr, Ditka, Tarkenton, Bradshaw, Staubach, Swann, Griese, Payton, Dorsett, Harris, Montana, Dickerson, Marino and Steve Young (three 1986 Topps Rookies), among many others. A few of the vintage Hall of Famers and even some commons have a bit of extraneous ballpoint notations on the back, most typically tiny scribblings amending age or tenure with the team, and most barely detract from the presentation. The breakdown (numbers are approximate): 1960-62 Topps (80) – mostly Good to Very Good, some Fair; 1963 Topps (32) – Good to Very Good, some Fair, with seven Hall of Famers, including Ditka; 1964 Philadelphia Gum (100) – Good to Very Good, with the majority having the extraneous writing; 1965 Philadelphia Gum (200) – mostly Excellent to Ex-Mt, with some below, with sporadic instances of the extraneous writing and a roster that includes Jim Brown and Bart Starr; 1966 Topps (60) – Very Good to Ex-Mt, with some below and more than ½ of the array with the extraneous writing; 1966 Philadelphia Gum (200) – Excellent to Ex-Mt, with some below and some writing, and a lineup including Unitas, Starr and Ditka; 1967 Topps (40) – Very Good to Excellent, most with the extraneous writing; 1967 Philadelphia Gum (150) – Very Good to Ex-Mt, with some below; 1968 Topps (50) – Very Good to Excellent; 1969 Topps (170) – Very Good to Excellent, with some below and many with the extraneous writing; 1969 Topps Standups (10) – Very Good to Excellent with the extraneous writing; 1971 Topps (160) – Excellent to Ex-Mt, with some below and a handful with extraneous writing; 1972 Topps (160) – Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, with some below; 1973 Topps (160) – Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, with some below; 1974 Topps (170) – Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, with some below; 1975 Topps (200) – Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, with some below; (1980 and forward, condition is essentially Near-Mint to Near-Mint to Mint, with a few below and the emphasis to the upper end of the spectrum – most arrays with significant duplication, even among Hall of Famers): 1980 Topps (1,600) – with huge number of Hall of Famers and Specials; 1981 Topps (1,400) – with many Hall of Famers; 1982 Topps (1,000) – same general condition range, but some below to Ex-Mt or Excellent; 1983 Topps (200); 1984 Topps (575); 1985 Topps (1,400); and 1986 Topps (2,200).
1960-86 Topps and Philly Gum Football Massive Hoard With HOFers, Specials (10,000+)
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