1957 Topps Football Card # 74 Leo Sanford - Chicago Cardinals (VG/EX)

Description: 1957 Topps Football Card # 74 Leo Sanford - Chicago Cardinals (VG/EX) Football CardsFootball cards have long played second fiddle to their baseball counterparts, but it appears as if times are changing. As football has exploded in popularity to surpass baseball as America's Pastime, football cards have begun to follow suit.1950-1959 Football CardsAlthough not technically the beginning of football cards, the late-1940s and early-1950s marked the the emergence of regularly-issued football cards. While they don’t have the same popularity as baseball cards from the same period, 1950s cards are very popular for collectors based on their classic design and rookie offerings. Once again, Topps and Bowman battled for card supremacy during the decade. Bowman dominated the early-1950s and Topps owned the late-1950s.Top rookie options from the 1950s include Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore, Otto Graham, Dick Lane, Bart Star, Norm Van Brocklin, George Blanda, Paul Hornung and Joe Paterno.1957 Topps Football CardsThanks to its strong checklist and distinct design, 1957 Topps Football is one of the most beloved vintage sets in the hobby. Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr rookie cards lead the release.Product DetailsThe 1957 Topps Football card set is incredibly popular with collectors due to the fact that it is loaded with stars and rookies of future Hall of Fame players. Of the 154 total cards, 31 of the players on the checklist have been inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.Key 1957 Topps Football rookie cards are Bart Starr (#119), Johnny Unitas (#138) and Paul Horning (#151). Other major players appearing for the first time include Dick "Night Train" Lane (#85), Tommy McDonald (#124), Raymond Berry (#94) and Earl Morrall (#104). Collectors often contemplate what this set might have been like had Topps used all of the eligible rookies who had been drafted in the fall of the previous year. Missing from the set are a handful of future Hall of Famers, most notably Len Dawson and Jim Brown.DesignMeasuring, the now standard, 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches, the 1957 Topps Football card set was designed with a horizontal orientation. While far from being a new concept, it was the first time that the format had been used for an entire set. Divided into two sections, the front of the cards display two pictures of the player. On the left side is a head shot, while an action shot occupies the space on the right side. Both pictures are superimposed over solid background colors (different for each side), which are set according to the player's team. A box below the head shot lists the player's name, and another one under the action photo gives his position and team name. The back of the cards are similarly bisected. The left side consists of a red football that contains the card number, with the player's name printed beside it. Several lines of vital information follows, along with a brief, biographical write-up outlining the player's career. Where necessary, year and career stats are added at the bottom. The entire right side is devoted to a pair of cartoons that caption career highlights.Printing and DistributionPrinted in two separate series, the first contains 88 cards, with the second series having 66. It is said that 22 cards in the second series were double-printed to fill out the printing page, one of those cards, number 138, is the rookie card of Johnny Unitas. Generally, high-number cards are a little harder to find than low numbers and, therefore, command a slight premium. 1957 Topps Football cards were originally available in three different package and price options. Single cards were available in a one-cent pack, which also contained a piece of gum. Five-cent packs had six cards and a stick of gum. Cello packs came with 12 cards.Errors, Variations and Condition IssuesThere was also a checklist card printed. It is found with two different color variations. One is red, yellow and blue. The other is red, white and blue. Neither variation is given a premium. Card #58 of Bill Sherman can also be found with the Rams name missing on the front, which is a scarce error card.The cards were printed on a fairly durable card stock for the era, and as a result, while not easy, several high-grade example of stars and rookies can be found. However, as is to be expected, the first and last cards in the set, of Eddie LeBaron (#1) and Fred Morrison (#154) are more difficult to find in high-grade.Considered one of the classic football card sets of all-time, 1957 Topps Football is a release that serves as the foundation for any great vintage gridiron collection.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. 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.Standard/Combined 1st Class Shipping via USPS is $3.95 for the first card and $0.15 for each additional card, with a max. of (40) items per invoice. Subject to change as postal rates continue to increase. Estimated delivery is 3-5 days. Subject to change as postal delivery schedules continue to increase. Please see shipping tab for current postage rates. All cards will ship in penny sleeves, top loaders, team bag & bubble wrap envelopes.Please see all of our other ads & visit our store for some great deals on both New & Vintage cards, comics and more.Get your copy of the DC Rebirth or the All New, All Different Marvel Series before they are gone!Yes! We are always buying & accepting consignments.We are trying to establish a Brand and grow our business within the E-bay cyber world, so please Join/Follow us, you never know what we will list next, because: We are: The Toy Collector 4 U 2 C

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Location: Madison, Alabama

End Time: 2024-08-16T17:14:16.000Z

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