Pro football trading cards have long served as a way for Americans to remember, idolize, and some would say, worship their favorite players new and old. Millions of people collect the cards anticipating that their value will some day become incredible, and to remember all the exciting moments they once shared watching games with friends and family. The first football cards were sold in the 1890’s as promotional tools for tobacco companies, as they were included with a pack of cigarettes. There was no NFL at the time, so the first cards, produced by a company called P.H. Mayo, consisted of the top 35 players from the powerhouse college teams of the time including Yale, Harvard, and Princeton.
Pro football trading cards are quite like those of other sports, with the front having an “action shot†of a player performing a move associated with his position, and the back detailing his statistics and career accomplishments/highlights. A player’s overall popularity, success, and the card’s condition are all factors that can contribute to increasing or decreasing a card’s value. If a player wins a Super Bowl, MVP, is selected for a Pro Bowl, or is in his “rookie†season, the card can become much more valuable.
Pro football trading cards, unlike pro baseball cards, are not nearly as popular among the sport’s fans nor are they collected at as early an age. Accordingly, people are more likely to possess, buy, sell, and trade the cards in vicinities adjacent to cities where pro football teams play. Most people are not concerned with building huge, valuable collection of cards, and rather focus more on amassing cards of their favorite teams, especially during years of success.
Because card printing technology was not as technologically advanced before 1980, cards produced before that year are significantly more valuable than those made after that date. Since a card’s condition contributes heavily to its value, collectors often use card protectors and binders, ranging from 3 x 3 plastic sheets to single holders for the more rare and valuable cards. Because football is more popular than baseball, and less people have pro football trading cards than baseball cards, many people speculate that they have the potential to become much more valuable. However, most cards show the players in action and wearing their helmets, making it difficult for most people to recognize players outside of a select few superstars, thus discouraging cards from becoming incredibly valuable.