Card Education

It all starts and ends here for Walter Payton collectors. The 1976 Topps Walter Payton #148 Rookie Card is one of the most sought after cards of the 1970’s and possibly all of NFL card collecting. 

1976 Topps offers a 528 card set with profile pictures of the players. Most images are headshots similar to Payton’s photo on #148 where others are sideline photos during games. Topps did not have the NFL license to utilize the team logos, so you will see a number of photos that have airbrushed out any of the trademark logos and emblems. You can see this on NFL Hall of Famer Robert Brazile’s #424 with the Oilers logo airbrushed from his helmet. 

The 1976 set offers a white background with a complementary rounded colored border. The players team name is laid over a football with the teamname colored the same as the border. The players position is displayed to the right in black ink with the players name in the same color as the football icon. This design really highlights the players photo and in my mind what makes the Payton rookie so iconic.

The rear of the card is the color of recycled card board with a blue heading with the team name, blue ink for the players biography with the players stats set in an orange box with blue font. Each player card includes a Guess the mystery “team name” player and a hint as to who the player is.

From 1970 until 1982, Topps did not pay the NFL for licensing of team logos. As a result for 13 years, cards did not have team logos and many cards were airbrushed to avoid any legal trouble with the NFL. It was not until 1989 Topps Traded did Topps produce cards for rookie players for the upcoming season. Prior to this, all rookie cards were actually second year cards with stats from their rookie season.