1957 Topps Football Cards
Product Details
The 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 Hornung (#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.
Design
Measuring, 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 Distribution
Printed 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 Issues
There 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.
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Key Cards
Key 1957 Topps Football Cards
Johnny Unitas RC #138
Bart Starr RC #119
Paul Hornung RC #151
Willard Sherman ERR #58
Raymond Berry RC #94
Set Checklist
1957 Topps Football Set ChecklistBase Set Checklist
Featuring 154 cards
Base Set Checklist
2 Pete Retzlaff RC
3 Mike McCormack
4 Lou Baldacci RC
5 Gino Marchetti
6 Leo Nomellini
7 Bobby Watkins
8 Dave Middleton
9 Bobby Dillon
10 Les Richter
11 Roosevelt Brown
12 Lavern Torgeson RC
13 Dick Bielski
14 Pat Summerall
15 Jack Butler RC
16 John Henry Johnson
17 Art Spinney
18 Bob St. Clair
19 Perry Jeter RC
20 Lou Creekmur
21 Dave Hanner
22 Norm Van Brocklin
23 Don Chandler RC
24 Al Dorow
25 Tom Scott
26 Ollie Matson
27 Fran Rogel
28 Lou Groza
29 Billy Vessels
30 Y.A. Tittle
31 George Blanda
32 Bobby Layne
33 Bill Howton
34 Bill Wade
35 Emlen Tunnell
36 Leo Elter RC
37 Clarence Peaks RC
38 Don Stonesifer
39 George Tarasovic
40 Pete Brewster
41 Bert Rechichar
42 Billy Wilson
43 Ed Brown
44 Gene Gedman RC
45 Gary Knafelc
46 Elroy Hirsch
47 Don Heinrich
48 Gene Brito
49 Chuck Bednarik
50 Dave Mann
51 Bill McPeak
52 Ken Konz
53 Alan Ameche
54 Gordon Soltau
55 Rick Casares
56 Charlie Ane
57 Al Carmichael
58a Will Sherman ERR
58b Will Sherman ERR
58c Will Sherman
58d Will Sherman
59 Kyle Rote
60 Chuck Drazenovich
61 Bobby Walston
62 John Olszewski
63 Ray Mathews
64 Maurice Bassett
65 Art Donovan
66 Joe Arenas
67 Harlon Hill
68 Yale Lary
69 Bill Forester
70 Bob Boyd
71 Andy Robustelli
72 Sam Baker RC
73 Bob Pellegrini
74 Leo Sanford
75 Sid Watson RC
76 Ray Renfro
77 Carl Taseff
79 J.C. Caroline RC
80 Howard Cassady RC
81 Tobin Rote
82 Ron Waller
83 Jim Patton RC
84 Volney Peters
85 Dick Lane RC
86 Royce Womble
87 Duane Putnam RC
88 Frank Gifford
89 Steve Meilinger
90 Buck Lansford
91 Lindon Crow DP
92 Ernie Stautner DP
93 Preston Carpenter RC DP
94 Raymond Berry RC
95 Hugh McElhenny
96 Stan Jones
97 Dorne Dibble
98 Joe Scudero DP
99 Eddie Bell
100 Joe Childress RC DP
101 Elbert Nickel
102 Walt Michaels
103 Jim Mutscheller DP
104 Earl Morrall RC
105 Larry Strickland RC
106 Jack Christiansen
107 Fred Cone DP
108 Bud McFadin RC
109 Charley Conerly
110 Tom Runnels RC DP
111 Ken Keller RC DP
112 James Root RC
113 Ted Marchibroda DP
114 Don Paul
115 George Shaw
116 Dick Moegle
117 Don Bingham
118 Leon Hart
119 Bart Starr RC
120 Paul Miller RC DP
121 Alex Webster
122 Ray Wietecha DP
123 John Carson
124 Tommy McDonald RC DP
125 Jerry Tubbs RC
126 Jack Scarbath
127 Ed Modzelewski DP
128 Lenny Moore
129 Joe Perry DP
130 Bill Wightkin
131 Jim Doran
132 Howard Ferguson UER
133 Tom Wilson RC
134 Dick James RC
135 Jimmy Harris RC
136 Chuck Ulrich
137 Lynn Chandnois
138 Johnny Unitas RC DP
139 Jim Ridlon RC DP
140 Zeke Bratkowski DP
141 Ray Krouse
142 John Martinkovic
143 Jim Cason RC DP
144 Ken MacAfee
145 Sid Youngelman RC
146 Paul Larson RC
147 Len Ford
148 Bob Toneff DP
149 Ronnie Knox RC DP
150 Jim David RC
151 Paul Hornung RC
152 Tank Younger
153 Bill Svoboda RC DP
154 Fred Morrison
AD1 Al Dorow Harlon Hil
AD2 Bobby Watkins Gino
NNO1 Checklist Bazooka SP
NNO2 Checklist Blony SP
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