The Mount Rushmore of Football Cards - Survey

SportsModerator · September 15, 2015 9:37AM

Hi everyone,

In the upcoming issue of SMR, Joe Orlando discusses a great question in his monthly editorial, Taking My Hacks: What four football cards would make up your Mount Rushmore?

Some slots were tough to fill, but in this editorial he provides his top four choices. Now it's your chance to chime in!

Vote at www.PSAcard.com/rushmore

Thanks for your participation,
The PSA Team

slum22 · September 15, 2015 10:11AM

I will be interested to see the opinions that come out on the FB Mt. Rushmore. There was definitely some good discourse on the baseball thread. The Griffey card seemed to be the hot button candidate for baseball. I wouldn't argue too much with any of the choices presented by Joe O. Hard to leave out my favorite card, 1986 Topps Jerry Rice, but my Mt. Rushmore would include cards from all different decades as opposed to two from the 50's and look like this:

1935 National Chicle Nagurski
1958 Topps Jim Brown
1976 Topps Walter Payton
1981 Topps Joe Montana

ETA: I've got two of my Mt. Rushmore with hopefully a Jim Brown being added in the near future

craig44 · September 15, 2015 11:09AM

I'm going with
35 national chicle nagurski
57 unitas
65 namath
81 montana

vintagefun · September 15, 2015 11:52AM

Nagurski and Brown are no brainers for me. And while Namath wouldn't likely have a place on a Football Player Rushmore, I think he absolutely belongs on a Football Card Rushmore. That card has always been a fave.

I personally would give the final spot to Payton...but would understand arguments for Starr, Unitas, Montana or Rice.

Fun stuff.

DanBessette · September 15, 2015 12:25PM

Off the top of my head, the first 2 I came up with were nagurski and Payton. After opening the thread, I think Jimmy brown RC is a no brainer too. Tough call on the 4th spot. I'll go with Unitas slightly over Montana. Namath has no place on this list, in my opinion.

rexvos · September 15, 2015 12:45PM

While I cannot disagree that the Bronko Nagurski is one of the greatest football cards ever produced. I do not see the players from the leather helmet era having the same popularity moving forward as those we have more film on, and that played in the era circa " the greatest game ever played" moving forward. The NFL started gaining momentum after that point, before that the college game was far more popular and pro football was seen as more of a barnstorming side show. I rank the cards more with not only their value but what will always be seen as the truly most collectible cards in the hobby. I have spent most of my life since the age of 7 being obsessed with the NFL it's history and the cardboard I collected. At age 42 I think that not one second I have spent in this pursuit has been wasted. That being said I would rank the Mt Rushmore in this order:

4. 1957 Topps Johnny Unitas
3. 1976 Topps Walter Payton
2. 1958 Topps Jim Brown
1. 1965 Topps Joe Namath

All of which I am glad to own in what I consider high grade. All apologies to these other great cards that I think all should consider

1957 Topps Bart Starr
1981 Topps Joe Montana
1998 SP Authentic Peyton Manning
1986 Topps Jerry Rice
1972 Topps Roger Staubach
2000 Sp Authentic Tom Brady

Which would round out my top 10. When I think of the greats of the NFL I think of these guys. Due to NFL films their legacy will live on for generations to come. I have seen very little of Nagurski and I have no idea if his or Don Hutson's skills would translate into other generations.

49ersGuy · September 15, 2015 4:11PM

1. 1958 Jim Brown
2. 1965 Joe Namath
3. 1957 John Unitas
4. 1976 Walter Payton

3BoyzTrading · September 15, 2015 4:30PM

Montana
Namath
Nagurski
Jim Brown

PSASAP · September 15, 2015 4:39PM

I would think that the 1948 Leaf Sid Luckman would have to be on the football Mt. Rushmore, because it is one of the most expensive cards in the hobby, plus it's a condition sensitive card #1 in the second most valuable set, behind only the 1935 National Chicle set. My top four would be:
1. 1935 National Chicle Nagurski
2. 1948 Leaf Luckman
3. 1933 Sport Kings Thorpe
4. 1933 Sport Kings Grange

SDSportsFan · September 16, 2015 4:51AM

Since we're talking the "Mount Rushmore of Cards", and not specifically the star quality of the player, what about the 1952 Bowman Large Jim Lansford?

I'd go with:

1935 National Chicle Nagurski
1952 Bowman Large Lansford
1965 Topps Namath
Maybe the 1894 N302 Anonymous (John Dunlop)

Steve

SDSportsFan · September 16, 2015 4:56AM

Duplicate Post.

goraiders · September 16, 2015 6:33AM

Couldn't agree more with Rexvos. I also include Namath for the card importance as opposed
to his belonging on any rushmore.

4. 1957 Topps Johnny Unitas
3. 1976 Topps Walter Payton
2. 1958 Topps Jim Brown
1. 1965 Topps Joe Namath

Now if it was a front and back rushmore I would include the following,

Staubach
Rice
Marino or Elway
Montana

Warriors8 · September 16, 2015 7:49AM

1935 nagurski
1958 brown
1965 Namath
The last spot definitely 1981 Montana - the greatest QB of all time

cardbender · September 16, 2015 3:19PM

I like:

1935 Nagurski
1958 Jim Brown
1957 Bart Starr (obviously)
1981 Joe Montana

I wouldn't have Namath just due to the fact that he's about the 30th best QB in football history.

miwlvrn · September 17, 2015 12:33AM

Hard to pick an all-time 4. Like baseball and hockey, you could split this up between pre-war and post-war, and for post war, you can come up with candidates per decade.

Here is my top 14 in post-war in no particular rank order:

50's
Brown
Unitas
Starr

60's
Namath
Butkus (surprisingly not enough hobby love due to being a less glamorous position on the field than most)

70's
Payton
Staubach

80's
Montana
B.Sanders
Rice
Elway
Marino

90's -> present day
P.Manning
Brady

garnettstyle · September 17, 2015 3:14PM

57 Unitas
58 Brown
71 Bradshaw
76 Payton

VitoCo1972 · September 21, 2015 7:46AM

I can't believe nobody has mentioned the 48 Baugh. I'd go:

35 Nagurski
48 Baugh
57 Unitas
58 Brown

Publius · September 22, 2015 3:22PM

Here, I fixed it for everyone.

[URL=http://s200.photobucket.com/user/admiral3152/media/Rushmore_zps2ovyzqhs.jpg.html]

[/URL]

DezHood · September 23, 2015 4:29AM

Nice Joe! Gotta have the Largent in there. Are you sure you don't want to put that Jim Thorpe card you like in there too?

How about the 1926 Spalding Champions #2: Benny Friedman? Arguably the first player to have consistent and verifiable success throwing the football. I think the Nagurski and Namath have to be in there. I get Jim Brown and Johnny Unitas as players, obviously, but you can buy one pretty much any time of the day or night. The Brown is certainly tough to get without defects - I've seen relatively few that look nice. And the set the Unitas comes from is very popular, so having a card to represent it makes sense, Starr would be fine too. I don't have a problem with those four. My 4:

26 Spalding Friedman
35 Chicle Nagurski
48 Leaf Bednarik
65 Topps Namath
...........
33 Goudey SK Red Grange (a beautiful card of a very significant player, but there are also several earlier cards out there - a strip card, a Spalding, and several Shotwells, but for me - can't beat the colors in the Goudey)

I may have been reading too fast, but hopefully no one meant football history before 1958 (Colts/Giants game) isn't significant, unpopular I guess is true, but there are those of us out there who enjoy it. I don't think it was a barnstorming sideshow to some of the "small town" folks who lived through the depression and really loved their local teams like the Pottsville Maroons and Portsmouth Spartans. There is footage of some of the old time players out there (20s not that I've seen, but 30s yes) - Hutson, Baugh, Dutch Clark, Nagurski, Mel Hein, Johnny Blood etc. but not that much of it.

Warriors8 · September 23, 2015 8:46AM

you have to include 81 montana on mount rushmore, the rookie card of the greatest QB of all time must be there. QB is the most important position.

jay0791 · September 24, 2015 9:49PM

Everyone has some great ideas.

I take this as a premise that it's not the best players or even the most expensive card.

If that is the case then we must consider the 52 B L Lansford and a few discussed here.

If we were doing a real Mt Rushmore of presidential cards would we choose a pop 1 $10,000
1932 US Caramel Rutherford B Hayes???? Just an example here

The Namath might be the most recognizable card to everyone...inc non card collectors.

In this Hobby for sure its the Nagurski. IMO these 2 cards are "rock solid."

Jim Brown is probably the best player ever. We all want his card and everyone would recognize the card if we took his name off the front.

He is #3.

The Unitas card represents the best QB of his era although Bart star was also great and his card is worth more for a number of reasons.

I am trying to keep scarcity, pop #'s out of the equation

Payton was the best RB ( I didn't say runner) and his card has all the qualities we are looking for.

It would be a representative for the modern era. If not his the Montana is a good choice.

If your team was in the SB what QB would you want????

Based on the fact that Unitas is still in the best all time discussions and we all want his card I make him #4

orly57 · September 27, 2015 1:48PM

The 1888 Beecher card is not only the first football card issued by about seven years (before the Mayo cut plug set), but it's a damn good looking card. I think the first football card ever belongs up there. While we are on the topic of the mayo cards, how can we leave out the holy grail of football cards (not nagurski), with the Dunlop "anonymous" card? It's important to seperate the players that belong on a Mount Rushmore from the cards that do.
1. 1888 Beecher
2. 1894 Dunlop "anonymous"
3. 1935 Nagurski
4. 1955 topps all-American Jim Thorpe

I chose the 55 Thorpe over the '33 sport king Thorpe and Grange only because it is such an iconic card.

If I had to keep it only to "professional football" I would go:

1. 1935 nagurski
2. 1933 Grange
3. 1933 Thorpe
4. 1948 Baugh

Post war
1. Brown
2. Namath
3. Unitas
4. Payton

miwlvrn · October 2, 2015 12:03AM

Looking forward to the Hockey edition of the Rushmore series, yes, there are cards that carry more value than the four I'll mention here, but for pure iconic status that should be pictured on "Rushmore", I don't think there is any possible way the top 4 cards could include anything other than:

jay0791 · October 2, 2015 5:01AM

OMG that is a Mt Rushmore of HK cards. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just absolutely unbelievable.

Frozen Caribou had some truly great cards.

miwlvrn · October 2, 2015 5:11AM

I wish I owned those, but they are scans I pulled from google, most of which had the PSA website as their origin.

I don't know how it can be up for debate. For iconic cards, I feel these 4 are a slam dunk.

jay0791 · October 3, 2015 9:31AM

Me either !!!

I don't have any pre-war HK (but I agree a good representative of the C55's should be included) and no early Howe's. I do know that 54 Topps is difficult in hi grade and the Howe..well just iconic for sure.

But I would go with the 51 Parkie of him for Rushmore. Close 2nd 51 Richard.

Like the FB and BB surveys this isn't about rarest or most expensive.

For sure the Gretzky and Orr are rock solid. Period !!!

As much as I loved Mario I can't seem to fit him in.

miwlvrn · October 4, 2015 1:49AM

<< <i>Me either !!!

I don't have any pre-war HK (but I agree a good representative of the C55's should be included) and no early Howe's. I do know that 54 Topps is difficult in hi grade and the Howe..well just iconic for sure.

But I would go with the 51 Parkie of him for Rushmore. Close 2nd 51 Richard.

Like the FB and BB surveys this isn't about rarest or most expensive.

For sure the Gretzky and Orr are rock solid. Period !!!

As much as I loved Mario I can't seem to fit him in. >>

Thanks for the support. Interesting you'd pick the '51 Parkhurst over the '54 Topps. For me, and I'd have guessed the majority of hockey collectors too though I could be wrong, the '51 Parkhurst is just too much of a small dull picture without much detail when compared side by side with the bold beautiful look of the '54 Topps. I respect your opinion though for sure. Yup, too bad Mario, Rocket, and other deserving players don't fit in the top 4.

thebaseballcardkid · October 6, 2015 2:47PM

Naagurski, Brown, Payton, and then hmmm, so many but Id give it to Namath because of widespread appeal including non- card fans.

eagles33 · October 12, 2015 1:42AM

I can't argue with the hockey one. Football is tough because the best football card is nowhere near the best football player. 1965 Namath has to be on it and prob my first choice. It was one of the few cards in the Beckett that cracked 1,000. I think 35 Bronko has to be on there too. The next 2 are much harder to decide. My picks would be 58 jim brown and 81 Montana. So many great options though.. It's hard to narrow it down to just 4. I'm looking forward to seeing the non major sport mt Rushmore

miwlvrn · October 13, 2015 11:05PM

<< <i>I'm looking forward to seeing the non major sport mt Rushmore >>

Me too, though I'd hope it isn't all the sports grouped together & instead has one per sport. Would like to see one series of 4 for boxing, one set of 4 for soccer, for golf, etc.

ClockworkAngel · October 14, 2015 4:17AM

1935 Nagurski
1965 Namath
1976 Payton
1981 Montana

thesouthdoesitagain · October 18, 2015 6:44AM

adding one of the tough cards out there (48/9 Leaf), and he has eye appeal of a card on the later year. Satchel Paige.
Im in favor of Mantle, Ruth & Cobb.

MikeyP · October 18, 2015 7:50AM

1933 Goudey Sport Kings Red Grange

1955 Topps All-American Jim Thorpe

1958 Topps Jim Brown

1965 Topps Joe Namath

miwlvrn · December 8, 2015 5:30AM

I wonder if Joe skipped straight into the Non-Sport edition of the latest in his Rushmore article series instead of doing hockey first since hockey was such an obvious top 4, there would not have been any debate?

The Mount Rushmore of Football Cards - Survey

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