This one is easy, fun, and most importantly cheap! I might even move this one up on the list because it’s so quintessential.
Topps is the one brand that just carries prestige and seems to survive the ebb and flow of the hobby. They’ve been around forever and they’re the best known of the bunch.
So here’s the goal:
From the 2010s, simply head on over to eBay and run a search for (2010,2011) (PSA,BGS) 10 topps (RC,Rookie*,Rookie Card) -(chrome,unique,prime,platinum,bowman,bccg,unrivaled,supreme,red*)
The search essentially looks for 2010 or 2011 cards, from BGS or PSA with 10 & Topps in the title along with RC, Rookie or Rookie Card, but not Topps Chrome, Topps Unique, Topps Prime, Topps Platinum, etc. etc.
Since we’re dealing with the 2010s, you want yourself a 10 unless you can find an 11! I’d recommend waiting a bit because all of these cards normally drop to the $10 range or you can pick them up at auction on the CHEAP!
After that, you’re dealing with the 2000′s and you also want a 10!
Then the 1990s, and you can settle for a 9, but it’s probably just as cheap to get a 10!
Then the 80s and if you go early 80s, you can get yourself an 8, but in the late-80s, you can get a 10!
In the 70s, it’s still reasonable to get yourself a 10 at under 10 bucks, but you just need a 7 if you want to get a nice card!
In the sixties, you get a 6 and in the fifties, you get yourself a five.
All and all, it’s pretty simple and gives you an absolutely amazing spectrum of Topps’ lineage and football card history as a whole.
Here’s my example:
1950s (search link): Dick Lane
, a HOFer, has a 1957 rookie card available for a very reasonable amount. Lenny Moore
‘s a good bet for the 1956 rookie year. If you’re going to go big, Jimmy Brown
would make a great card to snag at a PSA 5 ranking. There’s also the ’59 set that features Karras
, Kramer
, Bobby Mitchell
and most importantly Sam Huff
!
1960s (search link): Jim Otto‘s a pretty safe bet from ’61 but one of my favorite sets of all time is the 1962 set. It’s black-bordered and impossible to get in a good grade so Fran Tarkenton will cost you upwards of $100 in PSA 6
. Ditka
‘s in the set too and makes a terrific buy for around the same price. If you went with Jimmy Brown in ’58 and want a nicer collection, those are the two guys to target. If you’re on a cheaper budget, 1964′s Buck Buchanan is a steal
. Recently inducted Floyd Little is a solid bet from ’68, but I’d lean towards Larry Csonka’s colorful ’69 card
.
1970s (search link): 1970 is chalked full of terrific value at PSA 7. There’s O.J. Simpson, Elvin Bethea, Bubba Smith and Alan Page. Of all of these, O.J.’s probably the only player that you won’t be able to acquire in better than PSA 7 shape on the cheap. I think i’d recommend Alan Page. There’s an off-center PSA 9 for $20. From the colorful ’71 year, there’s Willie Lanier
and Ken Houston
for probably $10 at auction. I skipped over Joe Greene’s and Roger Staubach’s rookies, but if you have the budget go nuts! 1973 is when the cards start looking seventies-ish and Jack Tatum
makes for a great buy. Dan Fouts and Lynn Swann look good for ’75, but can get a bit pricey, but should be reasonable at PSA 7. Three great buys from ’76 (and none are Walter Payton) Jack Lambert
, Randy White
, and Ed “Too Tall” Jones
are all affordable in PSA7 and give you a good feel for the 70s. Steve Largent
should be your go-to guy in ’78 and then Tony Dorsett
and John Stallworth
fill out the 70s in ’79.
1980s (search link): This is where your freedom really comes in because you can get any card you’d like aside from a few big ones in PSA 8 form from the 80s. Even the great ’81 Joe Montana is available in PSA 8 for about 80 bucks. I won’t get into too much detail, but targeting ’84 (Elway
, Marino
, Dickerson
, Green
) is a great option for PSA because these cards are HIGHLY counterfeited. Jerry Rice’s 1986 Rookie Card
is also very affordable in PSA 8 (or if you’re a cheapy, Steve Young had his RC in the same year). 1989 was one hell of a year, but most of the rookie cards are from traded and Topps’ offering isn’t all that great compared to the others.
1990s (search link): The same holds true for the 1990s. You get to pick from an assortment of amazing rookie cards and it’s really up to you. I think I would go quarterback heavy as we got into the 90s and 2000s. Peyton Manning’s 1998 Topps Rookie Card is a must (and if you want, you can get the chrome but it’ll break up our happy continuity). Marvin Harrison’s also a solid bet if you want to go receiver, but I also really like Tony Gonzalez’s 1997 Rookie Card
. He’ll go down as the best tight end ever, easily.
For the 2000s and 2010s, I’m going to assume that you know what you’re doing. I only went through the earlier decades because I figured some of you might be a bit younger and not have a clue as to who to go after and what’s a good deal and what’s a bad deal.
You can basically spend $500 dollars and get a ridiculous collection filled with THE players of their generation OR you can spend $10 per decade and knock this entire project out for under $100! When you think of it, a card from each decade that Topps has been producing football cards is pretty wild for under $100. You can do it by team or position, or just all around player quality. It’s up to you.
