1960-1969 Football Cards

The 1960s football card sets elevated the football card hobby and collecting to a whole new level. This included a strong lineup of former greats and iconic card designs. The main card companies during this period consist of Topps, Fleer and Philadelphia Gum Company. They combined to offer collectors vintage 1960 football card sets for each year of the decade. Vintage football cards still rank behind baseball, but the 1960s helped close the gap.

1961 was a great year for football cards as it ushered in a decade where collectors had a choice. In addition, two football leagues were now vying for fans across America as the fledging American Football League (AFL) emerged to compete against the established National Football League (NFL).

The most valuable 1960s football rookie cards are available for Dick Butkus, Joe Namath and Mike Ditka. Other popular rookie options include Fran Tarkenton, Ray Nitschke, Gale Sayers, Fred Biletnikoff, Lance Alworth, Bob Lilly, Ernie Davis, Deacon Jones, Brian Piccolo, Larry Csonka, Don Meredith, Roman Gabriel, Jack Kemp, and Lenny Dawson.

1960 Topps Football Cards

1960 Topps Football may lack rookie firepower, but its simple structure and attractive design have made it a favorite among budget-minded set builders.

Product Details

The 1960 Topps Football card set is a very affordable vintage offering. There are a few reasons that contribute to this fact. The big one is the lack of a big-name rookie card. The set has no scarce cards as all were printed in equal amounts. Also, the card stock holds up well, making it easier to build a set in EX condition or better. The pureness of the card design allows the player's picture to dominate the card's landscape, making it one of the better looking sets of the era.

1960 Topps Football has a total of 132 cards. Each measures the standard 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches. It was issued as a single series despite the checklists calling them the first and second series. The only rookie card of note is that of Forrest Gregg (#56). However, what the set lacks in rookie cards it makes up for in star appeal with hobby heavyweights like Jim Brown (#23), Bart Starr (#51) and Johnny Unitas (#1) anchoring the set. Other future Hall of Fame players in the set include Paul Hornung (#54), Frank Gifford (#74), Bobby Layne (#93) and Y.A. Tittle (#113). The set also has the distinction of being the first to showcase cards of the Dallas Cowboys.

Design

1960 Topps Football photos are reminiscent of those used in 1957 Topps Baseball. A small football icon in one of the lower corners contains the player's name, team and position. The football itself is depicted in one of several colors: blue, green, red, yellow or orange. A white border frames the card. The back of the cards are laid out similar to those of the 1959 Topps format. A football-shaped icon contains the card number with the player's name, team and position appearing beside it. There are two lines of statistics below that. Some players get a designated area with year and lifetime statistics, while others receive a short biographical write-up. The rest of the area on the cards' back is taken up by a Football Funnies feature, a cartoon hidden under a scratch-off surface. As would be expected, a card that has been scratched is worth less than one that hasn't.

The cards are numbered so that each team has its section within the set, but players are not arranged alphabetically. Instead, the quarterback is usually first, followed by the running backs. The teams are arranged alphabetically by city, so Baltimore is first and Washington is last. Dallas was an expansion team, so the very first Cowboys cards are featured in the set as well. Also, the Cardinals are shown in their new home city of St. Louis. All teams except the Cowboys have a team photo card, which features one of two checklists on the back. The team card is the final card in each team's section of the set.

Errors and Condition Issues

For the second year in a row, Topps placed a picture of Cardinals linebacker Jim Taylor on a card that was supposed to show Jim Taylor of the Packers. This error was never corrected. There are several other known errors including at least three cards that display reverse images; Doug Atkins (#20), Bill Wade (#61) and Frank Varrichione (#97)), while four others - Charlie Ane (#37), Chuck Bednarik (#87), Bob Pellegrini (#88) and Ralph Guglielmi (#123) - showcase misspelled names. In addition, Bill Anderson's card (#152) refers to him as Walt Anderson on the back. Commonly seen condition issues of the 1960 Topps Football card sets are centering, print flaws and the sensitive green borders on the back of the cards make them difficult to find in top condition.

How We Grade:

Gem Mint (GMT): (10.0) A flawless card. To be in Gem Mint condition, a card’s borders must have a ratio of 50/50 side to side and top to bottom. 

Mint (MT): (9.0-9.5) A perfect card. Well-centered with parallel borders which appear equal to the naked eye. Four sharp, square corners. No creases, edge dents, surface scratches, paper flaws, loss of luster, yellowing or fading, regardless of age. No imperfectly printed cards – out of register, badly cut or ink flawed – or card stained by contact with gum, wax or other substances can be considered truly Mint, even if new out of the pack. Generally, to be considered in Mint condition, a card’s borders must exist in a ratio of 60/40 side to side and top to bottom. 

Near Mint/Mint (NM/MT): (8.0-8.5) A super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may exhibit a very slight wax stain on reverse, slight fraying at one or two corners, or a minor printing imperfection. Centering must be app. 65/35 to 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse. 

Near Mint (NM): (7.0-7.5) A nearly perfect card at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may have slight surface wear, slight fraying on some corners, slightly out-of-register picture focus, a minor printing blemish or slight wax stain on reverse. Centering must be 70/30 to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent/Near Mint (EX/NM): (6.0-6.5) Card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect. A very light scratch. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. Card may have minor wax stain on reverse, may have very slight nothing on edges. Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent (EX): (5.0-5.5) Corners are still fairly sharp with only moderate wear. Card borders may be off center as much as 85/15. No creases. May have very minor gum, wax or product stains, front or back. Surfaces may show slight loss of luster from rubbing across other cards. Dark bordered cards may have one or two small nicks.

Very Good/Excellent (VG/EX): (4.0-4.5) Shows obvious handling, but still looks nice. Corners may be rounded or have minor creases. No major creases, tape marks or extraneous markings or writing. Surfaces does exhibit loss of luster, but the printing is intact. May have paper wrinkles. May show major gum, wax or other packaging stains. All four borders visible, though the ratio may be as poor as 95/5. Exhibits honest wear. 

Very Good (VG): (3.0-3.5) A well-worn card, but exhibits no intentional damage or abuse. May be “Mis-cut or Off-Center” with no border visible. May have major or multiple creases, however, creases are not so deep as to show the underlying paper. This card is completely readable, has not been written on, and has no tape marks or holes. Corner rounding may extend well beyond the border. 

Good (GD) (2.0-2.5) Shows excessive wear, along with damage or abuse. Will show all the wear characteristics of a Very Good card, along with such damage as thumb tack holes in or near margins, evidence of having been taped or pasted, perhaps small tears around the edges or creases so heavily as to break the cardboard. Backs may show minor added pen or pencil writing or be missing small bits of paper. Still basically a complete card. 

Poor (P): (1.0-1.5) A card that has been tortured to death. Corners or other areas may be torn off. Card may have been trimmed, show holes from a paper punch or have been used for BB gun practice. Front may have extraneous pen or pencil writing, or other defacement. Major portions of front or back design may be missing. Not a pretty sight.