The 1968 Topps Football card set was the first release in seven years to include players from both the AFL and NFL. It would be the first of 21 consecutive years in which Topps was the exclusive licensee for professional football cards. To accommodate the additional players, the set was expanded to 219 cards, each measuring the standard 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches. The set checklist is dominated by Hall of Fame players, including Bart Starr (#1), Paul Warfield (#49), Joe Namath (#65), Gale Sayers (#75), Johnny Unitas (#100), Dick Butkus (#127), George Blanda (#142), Fran Tarkenton (#161), Mike Ditka (#162), and Len Dawson (#171). Key rookie cards in the set include Bob Greise (#196), Jim Hart (#60), Craig Morton (#155), Floyd Little (#173) and Jim Nance (#72). The 1968 Topps Football card set also saw the debut of players from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Design

The front of the cards, for all but two of the teams, feature a posed player photograph with the team logo in an upper corner. Beneath the player is a design element that resembles a capsule and is divided into two sections. One part contains the player's name and team, while the other, his position. Color schemes of this portion of the card are team specific. A thin blue line runs up from each side of this section to frame the picture, and a white border surrounds the entire card. The card backs are oriented in a vertical layout. The card number resides in the upper left corner, with the player's name stretching across the top. Position, team, vital stats, year/life statistics (if necessary) and a short biography are displayed in a box below that. A football-shaped icon has a cartoon that highlights an event in that player's career. On some cards, a coin is needed to rub away the surface to see that cartoon.

There are a couple of exceptions to the basic card format. All players from the Packers and Raiders, the Super Bowl participants from the previous year, feature horizontal-oriented card and a yellow background with a cartoon of generic game action. Some cards feature puzzle backs that form pictures of Bart Starr and Len Dawson.

Printing and Distribution

The 1968 Topps Football card set was printed in two series. The first series includes cards #1-131, while the second series is comprised of cards #132-219. The aforementioned puzzle backs were all printed in the second series. The well-used practice of grouping players on the checklist by team was abandoned. Cards from the second series are slightly more difficult to find and star players often command a premium. The cards from the 1968 Topps Football card set were also distributed in two separate series and came in traditional packaging consisting of wax and rack packs, as well as cellos. In addition to the cards and gum, 5c wax packs included an insert set. The first series was distributed with mini-posters. These 4-color inserts measure 5 by 7 inches and include stars like Gayle Sayers, Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas to name a few of the 16 different players available. In the second series, each pack contained one of 22 different Topps Stand-ups. The player image was perforated and an indented line running horizontally towards the bottom, allowed the player to be punched out and the card folded to create a base so that the player literally stands up. The base also serves as the nameplate of the card and displays the players name, team and position against a red background.

Errors and Variations

While no noteworthy errors have been documented within the 1968 Topps Football Card set, two variations have been identified. The final card in each series is a checklist that can be found with different ink colors. Series One backs are printed in green ink, while Series Two backs are printed in blue.

Condition Issue and Test Products

Experienced vintage collectors commonly complain about the horrendous centering that is common to the 1968 Topps Football card set. The red base of the Stand-Up inserts is also very susceptible to chipping and edge wear. These cards in general, because of their nature to be aggressively handled, can be very difficult to find in high grade.

That same year, Topps also released, with limited distribution, a product call Team Patches. The set includes a total of 44 patches, one for each of the 26 NFL and AFL, plus 18 patches of various letters and numbers designed so that kids could create their own jerseys. Also included in each pack of patches was a black and white team card of an NFL or AFL team. Because of their limited availability, they are considered a test issue.

We believe that all our listings are 100% Original and Authentic unless otherwise noted. They are all covered by a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, if for whatever reason you are not happy with your purchase we will exchange it, replace it, discount it or you can return it for a full refund.