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Let's talk football


Normally, I don't let the seasons dictate what I discuss. I'm primarily a baseball guy and a baseball card collector and it seems ridiculous to me to stop talking about such things just because we're in the offseason. I can't turn my love on and off like that.

However ...

There's almost two feet of snow on the ground, thanks to the storm that cut through the Northeast the last day or so, and there are two supposedly significant football games on the television. I can hear words like "Brees" and "play-action" and "THAT'S PASS INTERFERENCE!" These are not baseball words. And I'm freezing. It's practically silly to discuss baseball today.

Fortunately, I have some football cards I need to post. Remember Jonathan? That guy who sent me the big box of cards? You though I was done with that big box? You think I ask too many questions? OK, I'll be quiet now and show some cards:


Jonathan sent a whole bunch of Score Bills from that beautiful time when I was covering the team and cards were bright and simple.


I like Score's designs a lot, for the most part (don't get excited '92 baseball, still don't like you). And it's good to finally own these readily available cards.


This is during the heart of the Bills' Super Bowl years. Good and bad memories. Good and bad cards. I will never appreciate Ultra the way a lot of collectors do. But, yes, give me some lavender and aqua.


The late '90s football cards I just can't get into. Moving on ...



This is more recent stuff. Panini has now taken over the Score design. I like the look of the Panini-Score cards although sometimes I think Panini's designs don't give Score enough credit. For instance that Spiller card: Score wasn't that fascinated with geometric designs.

A second collector also sent me some football cards recently. John, who is raiderjoe_FO on Twitter, joined in the trend of sending me cards of a team whose season has been over for a long time.


Those are some '90s notables.


This is one of my favorite Bills players to collect. I know Shady isn't the greatest of characters, but I like his cards a lot.


Now, we are talking. LOOK AT THESE.

It's interesting how I have barely a concept of the 1980 Topps football set -- I collected precious few football cards in the '80s -- but the instant I look at it, I feel at home. Those photos, that kind of design is what cards should look like to me. That's why I love early '80s football and hockey. Even though I didn't collect it, it looks like what I collected in the '70s. They are friendly cards. Comforting cards. This might be an entire post in the future.


Three more old-school players on old-school designs. Love them.

However, the centerpiece of the package involved the football set that I hold above all others.


More 1977 Topps greatness for the set quest. These are all needs. I don't know many of the players, but I know the design, and that's about all that matters. That, and the great names, like Dexter Bussey.


Much to address from this scan. Ken Anderson was a favorite when I was a kid. Do you remember the pre-striped Bengals helmets? Their helmets simply read "Bengals," but that was a headache for Topps because it was forced to airbrush the words off each helmet and now every Bengals player looks like a Browns player and that won't do for either the Bengals or the Browns.

Also, I would collect today's football cards if they featured oxygen masks.



More '77 greatness. Punters in action. Giants in action. Jeris White giving his best Diff'rent Strokes "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis" stare.



My favorite football card in the entire package is at the upper left. I owned that Harvey Martin card during the peak of my Cowboys-rooting days. I loved that card and the Golden Richards cards equally. Neither could match my appreciation for the Drew Pearson card though. Still need that one.

Even with all that football talk, I still can't finish a post without throwing in a little baseball. That's because RaiderJoe also sent a few Dodgers cards.


Modern-looking stuff. That's my first look up-close at the 2018 Gallery set. The "artist proof" thing means nothing to me. The design is OK, not feeling it much.



That's a 2018 Archives card I need.



That's the last card I need from the 2018 National Baseball Card Day team set.



And that -- well, that, is plain phenomenal.

That is a vintage Wacky Packages sticker, from 1980. This is the first time I've received a vintage Wacky Pack sticker in a trade package. I could not be more pleased.

I collected the first few Wacky Packages editions as a kid. They are the best parody stickers/cards ever made. I would love to collect them again and maybe I will. This just might be the sticker that sends me in that direction.

OK, that's about it. I'm off to boo Tom Brady. See you when the Super Bowl finalists are decided.

Comments

Jordan said…
As someone who enjoyed collecting Shady McCoy as an Eagle, I'm glad you enjoy collecting Shady McCoy as a Bill.
Commishbob said…
I love some of those old fb designs. Imagine how much better they'd be if Topps could have used the team logos. Doesn't stop me from collecting them though.
bbcardz said…
One cannot live by baseball alone--not even me! I'd estimate about 10% of my collection is '70's football (and I'm so happy the Rams won today).
gregory said…
Hah! "Our prices are Dublin". That's classic.
Fuji said…
Early 90's football might have been way overproduced, but Score and Pro Set sure put out some great card designs. As for the older stuff... I can't look at 74T football without seeing 79T baseball.
Raiderjoe_FO said…
I am glad you enjoyed the cards. From having read the blog for about a year now, I figured you would like the Wacky Packages card/sticker.

A note on the Gordon Bell card- Gordon Bell does not appear on it. The player shown is Leon McQuay. It is a photo from the 1974 Cardinals-Giants game played in Connecticut. I have a DVD of the highlight film of that game. It was NFL Films' selection for their "Game of the Week" program. Bell never played on a natural grass field in any Cardinals-Giants game.

Raiderjoe_FO said…
The Craig Clemons card seems off too. He wore 25, 45, and 43 in his career. Doug Buffone wore 55 for a long time as a Bear including when Clemons was on the team. Why would some other guy be wearing #55? Some type of joke?
BaseSetCalling said…
If 1980 Topps Football isn't "The Hamburger Set" than I don't know what other set could be.

Sometimes I think Football uniforms are so colorful it is harder to make boring football cards than baseball cards. Just put some colorful design to 'em and then - who needs logos? I certainly didn't when I collected all those sets from 75-85.
Matt said…
Bruce Smith towering over a fallen Patriot is the best card I've seen today.