USFL sets

Futureman

I've always liked the look of the USFL sets. When I was younger in the early 90's I wanted a set because of the rookies of the stars I was watching. Now the sets would be a little easier to get a hold of since I'm older, and the sets aren't as expensive as I remember them being. There are RCs of HOF players, and I think the '84 set has a nice design. Now relative to other sets from the 80's, I imagine this is fairly limited. Is that accurate? Does anyone have an idea of the production numbers? Were many sets broken up? What should I keep in mind if I look at buying a set?

As kind of a history of the league, what do people that remember the league think about it? I'm not old enough to remember when it existed. Looking back, I'm surprised it wasn't able to stick around. The XFL failed miserably, but they had former college semi-stars that couldn't make it in the NFL. The USFL had owners with money, and signed some big names. They had at least thee recent Heisman winners (Rozier, Flutie, Walker), and plenty of young star players (Young, Kelly, White). These were guys with NFL talent, so it isn't like the USFL should have been lacking talent or marquee names.

I've seen a couple of old games on ESPN Classic, and other than the players looking reasonably human (lineman that don't average 300 lbs.) I notice how empty the stands are. Eventually the USFL showed that the NFL hurt its business, even if it did only get $1 out of the ruling. Was it just a case of a poorly run business? (If so, should I be surprised that Donald Trump was involved.)

In another, but unrelated question: how did Mark Moseley, a kicker, win the MVP? I believe it was a strike year, but still ...

Anybody want to tell me how it used to be?

easttexascardsandgames

I don't remember much about the USFL either, I do remember going and seeing the Showboats play once.

fsjeter

Problem was, they forked over the big bucks to get the players but didn't have the TV contracts or the attendance to keep pace with the salaries. I think the average attendance was around 40,000 on opening day and steadily declined throughout the season. Also, the USFL season ran from March thru July. Direct competition with baseball was not a very good idea. The league was anticlimactic after the Super Bowl. Back then, the Super Bowl was played in January so there was a big gap in time from one league to the next. The inagural season for the USFL just happened to be the best season for rookie quarterbacks (Marino and Elway) in the history of the NFL and the USFL just couldn't compete. This is why I think the USFL failed. This is just my $0.02!!

Scott

denwd1

yes for a 1980's set they were fairly hard to come across,about the same as 1984 fleer bb update. but they were available because the league was not all that popular and football cards were yet to really get popular as they are today.

Billa

Be careful when buying a '84 or '85 USFL set, as many of the star cards were probably switched with lower grade cards. The sets were difficult to find and as stated were low production numbers. I picked up two of each from my brother who purchased them at the Ft. Washington in 1985 or so? It is best — if you are interested in some of the cards — to purchase cards you want already graded by PSA. I pulled the star cards: Young, Kelly, White, etc. and had them graded and I think I sold the rest of the cards at a show for $5 or $10 or something like that. The cards I had graded came back 9s with several 8s directly from the unopened sets. If I am not mistaken I think several of the USFL teams were doing quite well and became NFL franchise teams (?) The Pittsburgh Maulers went under and several years later they auctioned off all their equipment, I think the helmets went for about $29 each at the time, wow, wouldn't they be a nice conversation piece now. In looking at the USFL graded cards I believe they are all accurately priced except for the Steve Young card which I think is a little high. It should be about the same price as the Kelly. Expect the price to drop for the Young card. Look for an upward swing on the Reggie White cards.

5thScaleRacer

I do not think any USFL team merged with the NFL....

you might be thinking of the AFL...

Also, I thinkt he reason why the Young card is selling for more si because of the Championships the 49ers won. Kelly, and the Bills, will always be remembered for not winning the Superbowl.

milbroco

I remember setting up at a card show and paying $10.00 per set (only bought 2) but I was going to buy more with the money I made at the show. Unfortunately, I never got back to get them.

That however was not my most disappointing non purchase ever. In 1986, my friend and I were doing a show and I forgot to tell my friend to hold aside 10 Jordan rookies at $0.75 (seventy five cents!) each and he sold out before the show was over. How depressing.

ctsoxfan

I am sorry I sold this card a few months back -



I broke a 1985 factory set I bought at a show, and the Young, Kelly, and few others came back 9's. This was my only 10.

mrchris74

In Tampa we loved Steve Spurrier's Bandits, since they were better than the Bucs. There was some good football being played in the USFL. The league failed when Trump and others tried to move the league to the fall and couldn't land a TV contract because the NFL were putting pressure on the networks. Trump wanted to force a merger like the AFL did. I still think there's a market for summer football. The XFL had great ealry ratings until everyone figured out that the XFL wasn't about football but rather a bunch of skanks in a hot tub.

I sold my '84 set as a teenager to pay for a speeding ticket. Ouch.

CJ

AlanAllen

Centering is tough on these. Centering is somewhat consistent throughout a factory set (from what I've seen), so if you see a few cards from a set and they look nice, it might be one to go for. How the box was handled is also important. My dad had a factory set and one edge of it got dinged, which made every card an 8OC at best.

Joe

pandrews

the Jacksonville Bulls..