Best Football Card Designs

Football cards are some of the best-kept secrets in sports collectibles. These are the best of the best.

Best Football Card Designs

The cool kids collect football cards.

They’re fewer in number. No third-string catchers here.

They’re cheaper. No Mickey Mantle prices, either.

And they’re more fun to look at. Hey, look — real action!

These are the best regular issues since 1950, when Bowman and Topps butted heads in the first card wars. That means no food/regional/team issues, inserts, playing cards, police sets or oddball sets.

25. 1989 Score

Total number of cards in set: 330

Distribution: 36 packs per box, 15 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 25 cents (15 cards)

Most valuable card: Barry Sanders rookie (Detroit Lions)

Bottom line: It took us a while to come around on these, but we grew to like the simple design, red/green/blue borders and abundance of name rookies.

Better yet, it features rookie cards galore — Troy Aikman, Tim Brown, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Thurman Thomas, Rod Woodson and Barry Sanders.

24. 1966 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 132

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Joe Namath (New York Jets)

Bottom line: These horizontal AFL player images appear inside wood-grain color television sets that were all the rage at the time.

Look vaguely familiar? The popular concept was borrowed/stolen from the 1955 Bowman baseball issue, but this marked a first for football.

The majority of images were facial close-ups that gave the league some needed recognition in its first Super Bowl season.

23. 1994 Fleer

Total number of cards in set: 480

Distribution: 36 packs per box, 15 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 25 cents (15 cards)

Most valuable card: Joe Montana (Kansas City Chiefs)

Bottom line: The 1990s were largely known for their glut of products and meh designs. This is the rare exception.

Crisp photos dominate the entire front sides, complemented nicely by gold player names, facsimile signatures and team logos at the lower areas.

22. 1968 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 219

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Bart Starr (Green Bay Packers, first card in set)

Bottom line: With Philadelphia Gum out of the picture, Topps would have the football card market to itself for 21 consecutive years.

It returned with an expanded set of AFL-NFL players that featured player poses surrounded by white borders and thin blue frames.

The reigning Super Bowl players (Raiders and Packers) were pictured horizontally with hand-drawn action images in the yellow backgrounds.

"Groovy” was the word back then.

21. 1965 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 176

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Joe Namath rookie (New York Jets)

Bottom line: When Topps couldn’t come to terms with the NFL on a contract extension, it was stuck with the AFL for four seasons (1964-67).

On the second attempt, it came up with these so-called Big Boys, who have polarized the hobby since ever since.

Us? We like the 2 1/2- by 4 11/16-inch monstrosities because of the larger images (especially for linemen), oversized team city names and debut of "Broadway Joe," who carried this set much like he did the less established league.

20. 1962 Fleer

Total number of cards in set: 88

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 6 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (6 cards)

Most valuable card: Billy Shaw rookie (Buffalo Bills)

Bottom line: The four AFL sets that this company produced in the early 1960s were some of the best ever.

Certainly, none put more time and effort into the fronts and backs, which were unusually informative and well-written. You know, unlike the corny bios that collectors had become accustomed to in the past.

This issue features sharp player photos taken at the home stadium or practice site of their respective teams, yet another notable feature.

19. 1959 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 132

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 9 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 1 cent (1 card) and 5 cents (9 cards)

Most valuable card: Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts, first card in set)

Bottom line: The solid colored backgrounds place the focus where it belongs — on the players and team logos.

Add the first rub-off quiz on the reverse side, and simple rarely has been this good.

Current card manufacturers could learn something here.

18. 2003 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 385

Distribution: 35 packs per box, 12 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 25 cents (12 cards)

Most valuable card: Jason Witten rookie (Dallas Cowboys)

Bottom line: The ideal card design features a large action photo with a smaller headshot that links the face with said player.

This edition pulls it off as well as any except for a few helmeted close-ups.

The headshots appear in a football-shaped inset for added appeal.

Tom Brady collectors will want this one.

17. 1991 Upper Deck

Total number of cards in set: 700

Distribution: 36 packs per box, 12 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 25 cents (12 cards)

Most valuable card: Brett Favre rookie (Atlanta Falcons)

Bottom line: In its football debut, Upper Deck took the hobby to a high-gloss, holographic level like it had done with baseball two years earlier.

Lucky for collectors, the makeover didn’t come at the expense of its amazing photography.

Check out that marvelous Dan Marino card with flakes of snow in the air.

These people could have made a chess match come to life.

16. 1983 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 396

Distribution: 36 packs per box, 13 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 25 cents (13 cards)

Most valuable card: Kenny Easley rookie (Seattle Seahawks)

Bottom line: This set was two-thirds the size of the previous year, but less proved to be more in this case.

In an overdue break from the past, flags and banners were replaced by more modern graphics such as transparent block team designators, which make themselves known at the top of the front sides.

The player name and position appear in a solid-colored box near the bottom, yet none of this detracts from the bordered player image that covers the full length of the card.

The 1980s could have used a few more like this one.

15. 1976 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 528

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 15 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 25 cents (15 cards)

Most valuable card: Walter Payton rookie (Chicago Bears)

Bottom line: All things considered, the 1970s were one of the best decades in pro football history. Too bad the card industry missed it. Not this issue, though.

The front design features a large ... football! (This is rarer than you think, kids). The team name appears inside the icon at the bottom left, while the player name along with an All-Pro designation where applicable at the lower right.

Save for the few players in helmets, the bordered photos are solid throughout.

The best set of the 1970s also gave us team checklists for the first time.

14. 1955 Topps All-American

Total number of cards in set: 100

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 9 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 1 cent (1 card) and 5 cents (9 cards)

Most valuable card: Jim Thorpe rookie (Carlisle)

Bottom line: While Bowman had a contractual stranglehold on the NFL market, Topps changed course with this popular issue of Hall of Famers and Heisman Trophy winners.

The set features attractive border hues that complement color-enhanced player images with a black-and-white action photo as a back-drop.

Alma mater and red/white/blue All-American logos lend balance and creative touch.

There’s a lot here, but it all comes together quite well.

13. 1969 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 263

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards) and 10 cents (12 cards)

Most valuable card: Brian Piccolo rookie (Chicago Bears)

Bottom line: In its last hurrah before the AFL-NFL merger would become official, the company produced the largest football set to date — and doubled the price of wax packs to 10 cents.

Hey, the designers also gave us not one but two great looks. The full-bleed backgrounds in the first series are unique and effective, while the white borders in the second series aren’t far behind.

The team logos fit well at the bottom right. Sad to say, it would be the last of them for 11 years because of rising licensing fees.

12. 1966 Philadelphia

Total number of cards in set: 198

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Dick Butkus rookie (Chicago Bears)

Bottom line: This is the second and best of the four Philly football issues. Start with the crisp action poses that dominate the front sides. The subjects appear without their helmets for enhanced recognition and visibility.

Yet what sets these cardboard creations apart is the NFL shield at the top right front, its first such appearance.

It was a stroke of marketing genius — a way to attract consumers, tweak rival AFL torchbearer Topps and score points with the more established league at the same time.

11. 1963 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 170

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Ed Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers, short print)

Bottom line: This edition is known for its vibrant borders that hit with the force of a blind-side block. Boom! They’re color-coded by team for the first time.

Topps fun fact: Why is Ed and not Jim Brown the most valuable card in the set? In his old Chicago Bears uni, no less? Because his card is the scarcest in prime condition of the 76 cards printed in far fewer numbers.

At the start of the 2019 season, only six exist in PSA-graded Near Mint-Mint condition, and none rate higher.

10. 1985 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 396

Distribution: 36 packs per box, 15 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 30 cents (15 cards)

Most valuable card: Walter Payton (Chicago Bears)

Bottom line: To heck with investors. The rest of us love the bold black borders even if they do show the most minute blemishes.

Three-quarters of the card features the player images, while the right quarter is reserved for their names in vertical type.

The post-merger era could have used more creative designs like this one.

9. 1950 Bowman

Total number of cards in set: 144

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 6 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 1 cent (1 card) and 5 cents (six cards)

Most valuable card: Doak Walker rookie (Detroit Lions)

Bottom line: In Round 1 of their football card wars, Bowman staggered rival Topps with a knockout design. So hot was their baseball product of the previous summer, the company wonks retained the basic look but in its purest form.

The square-like, 2 1/16 by 2 1/2 inches painted portraits remained intact but without any mention of player or team names.

Consider its significance, and this may be the most overlooked football set of all time.

8. 1951 Bowman

Total number of cards in set: 144

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 6 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 1 cent (1 card) and 5 cents (6 cards)

Most valuable card: Tom Landry rookie (New York Giants)

Bottom line: The company took its popular 1950 color art reproductions to another level with the addition of player names and large team logos to these white-bordered beauties.

The more obvious change was to a larger size (2 1/16 by 3 1/8 inches) that matched its baseball product of months earlier.

7. 1955 Bowman

Total number of cards in set: 160

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 10 cards per pack

Manufactured Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (10 cards)

Most valuable card: Tom Landry (New York Giants)

Bottom line: Bowman killed it in its farewell issue, which features a host of remarkable poses. (Y.A Tittle fastens his chin strap!)

Even better, the players are cast in white shadows that make them larger than life. (Andy Robustelli swoops like a monster!)

Wait, there’s more. Each team has its own background color. When Topps bought out the company in January 1956, collectors were the real losers.

6. 1956 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 120

Distribution: 120 packs per box, 1 card per box; 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 1 cent (1 card) and 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Jack Carson (Washington Redskins, first card in set)

Bottom line: No sooner did Topps become the undisputed king of the card world than it struck paydirt.

Its NFL coming-out party featured bold colors as well as attractive still images/action shots and well-placed team logos.

Check out the Norm "Wild Man" Willey pose that lives up to his name. If that’s not the best football card ever made, then it’s on a list of about two. Fly, Eagle, fly!

5. 1960 Fleer

Total number of cards in set: 132

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per card

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Jim Woodard (Oakland Raiders)

Bottom line: When I first came upon this first-ever AFL issue, my immediate response was like many others. "Huh?!" Because this issue was released before the new league had played its first game, recent draft picks were featured in their college unis, not all of them household names. Fortunately, also included were several future Hall of Fame coaches who wouldn’t be carded again for years.

Yet it’s the design that makes these an all-timer. The player images superimposed onto a solid background with white auras around them are absolute killers. The green football field-shaped areas reserved for the player names at the bottom left are another welcomed feature.

Fleer fun fact: The Woodard card is extremely scarce in prime condition, although he would never play a down of pro football because of knee problems.

4. 1952 Bowman Large

Total number of cards in set: 144

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 card per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Jim Lansford rookie (Texas Longhorns/Dallas Texans, last card in set)

Bottom line: The same set was released in two sizes — a 2 1/16-by 3 1/8-inch mini edition and 2 1/2-by 3 3/4-inch standard one. No matter.

The company decision-makers stuck with the colorful painted photo design of their most recent baseball issue with similarly brilliant results.

We especially like the variety here. Some players are identified by their college team on the fronts and pro team on the backs, while a select few are pictured horizontally on the front sides.

For the first time, player statistics from the previous season appear on the back side along with bios. Doesn’t get much better than this.

3. 1958 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 132

Distribution: 120 packs per box, 1 card per pack; 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 1 cent (1 card) and 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Jim Brown rookie (Cleveland Browns)

Bottom line: This creative oval look doesn’t get its full due. The concept would be so well-received that it served as the inspiration for the classic 1959 Topps baseball set only months later.

One of our all-time faves shows airborne Chicago Cardinals quarterback Lamar McHan on a jump pass with two burly blockers in front of him, the first action football card with multiple players. At old Comiskey Park.

Sweeeeet.

2. 1961 Fleer

Total number of cards in set: 220

Distribution: 24 packs per box, 5 cards per box

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns)

Bottom line: This largest set to date offers the best of both worlds — the first 132 cards picture NFL players, the final 88 are AFL ones.

The posed shots are nothing short of brilliant, all taken at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, home of Fleer headquarters.

Even Iggles fans would cheer these. Well, most of 'em, anyway.

1. 1957 Topps

Total number of cards in set: 132

Distribution: 120 packs per box, 1 card per pack; 24 packs per box, 5 cards per pack

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) per pack: 1 cent (1 card) and 5 cents (5 cards)

Most valuable card: Johnny Unitas rookie (Baltimore Colts)

Bottom line: In its second football card venture, the Topps makers thought outside the box with the first-ever split image — head shot on the left, action pose on the right, both superimposed over solid backgrounds of different bold colors.

Has there ever been a better rookie card than that of smiling Johnny U and his classic delivery of a white football, which were used in night games at the time?

Add the debuts of all-time greats Raymond Berry, Paul Hornung, Bart Starr and Tommy McDonald, and it’s easy to understand why so many collectors rank this numero uno six decades later.