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Whats the story with Philadelphia Football?
handyman
Posts: 5,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
Any info on this company. They were not out long and only did 1964-1967. I think they did some non sports stuff but I wouldnt count on it. Could anyone provide some info about this company and set?
Thanks again
Thanks again
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The Philadelphia Chewing Gum Company was an American candy, chewing gum, and confectionery company.
The company was established in 1948 in Havertown, Pennsylvania, by Edward P. Fenimore (a longtime chewing gum expert who was with Bowman Gum). His son Edward L. Fenimore, served as president of the company and for a period, as the Chairman of the National Association of Chewing Gum Manufacturers. His sons, Edward P. II & Richard L., later joined him on the management team, making the company a third generation family owned and operated business. All products, many of which were sold under the Swell brand name, were manufactured in a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) factory just west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In July 2003, Concord Confections acquired the Philadelphia Gum Company and its brand names and shortly after closed the Havertown plant (Concord was acquired by Tootsie Roll Industries in 2004). Recent products include bubble gum cigars aimed at the 2008 presidential election.
On March 31, 2009, the township filed a Declaration of Taking for the condemnation of the property formerly occupied by Swell Bubble Gum, at 891 Eagle Rd. Under letter dated 6/2/09, the owners of the factory tendered possession of the property to the Township and requested payment of the "estimated just compensation." On 6/10/09, the Board of Commissioners directed that the estimated just compensation, 1.26 million dollars, be remitted to the owners.
From 1964 to 1967, Philadelphia Gum had a license from the National Football League to produce trading cards of leading football players, while Topps produced cards for the rival American Football League. The company also produced a set of 55 self-adhesive stickers of Marvel Comics superheroes, as well as trading cards based upon "World War II," "Men of the Green Berets," "The Story of Robert F. Kennedy," and many others. It briefly produced novelty baseball items, including baseball cards.
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
The Philadelphia Gum Company was well-known to collectors for its four sets of NFL cards from 1964-'67. A generation before those football cards, the company made two baseball sets to sell with its gum. One was made to promote the film The Babe Ruth Story starring Willam Bendix, and the other commemorated baseball highlights. Like the 1948 Bowman and Leaf cards, these sets were among the first cards of the post-World War Two era.
Sold one at a time in wax packs with gum for a penny, the 1948 Swell Sport Thrill set has 20 cards. Each showcases a memorable moment in baseball history, mostly in World Series and All-Star Game action. Then-current Brooklyn Dodgers are also heavily represented. The set features events like Mickey Owen's dropped third strike in the 1941 World Series, Bob Feller's 16 strikeouts in one game and Ted Williams's 9th inning home run in the 1941 All-Star Game. Other cards feature Jackie Robinson, Walter Johnson and Lou Gehrig. Four cards are considered difficult: 9, 11, 16 and 20.
Card fronts feature a black and white game-action photo that takes up most of the card. The photo is framed by baseball-related artwork and a white border. A box above the photo identifies the card: "Sport Thrills, Highlights in the World of Sport." Below the player is a white box that gives the card title. A credit is given at the bottom of the photo to the news organization that supplied it. Card backs are standard for 1940s gum cards: a written description of the highlight is given, with a "headline" at the top and an ad for Swell bubble gum below.
This set has never been pouplar and has managed to stay under the hobby radar for a number of reasons. First of all, collectors in 1948 weren't that interested in cards showing "old-time" players -- even Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig -- and the presence of Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams didn't change that fact. Nor were they interested in action shots when other cards showed head shots and posed action photos. Perhaps kids felt the cards resembled their parent's newspapers too much. Despite these negatives, the set is loaded with stars and is small enough to be completed by an average collector without a huge cost. That makes it unique among 1940s gum card sets. The only hurdle in collecting the set is finding the cards; they're not always readily available.
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
definitely a matter of preference.
that's why i sort the raw ones from the backs.
I can see why people dont like the 1967 philly set but to me it stands out of all the 1960s sets that are regular size. I put tall boys in a different ball park as they take up so much room. But of all the tall 1965s are #1.
I remember back in about 1995 I passed up on a 1965 Philly wax box at 40.00 a pack because the dealer tallked me out of it. He said theres nothing in that set why would you want it! He was kind of mad because I was interested in the wax box so I passed and went to Mark Murphys table and bought a 1980-81 BK box instead.
Still wish I bought that box.
Oh and the same show another guy just got about 200 1959 1 cent BB packs and I walked up right after he bought them. He wanted 25.00 each but he also talked me out of them becuase he said they would all be gum stained and wax staind so your really just buying a wrapper kid. Was a bad day of buying!!
you start a thread about a particular topic, i.e. Philly FB sets.
after a few responses, you come back and chime in about your own experience regarding the topic, but then somehow move on to a new story about something completely different, like 1959 Topps penny wax packs.
if only more posters were like you. complex. opinionated. tough to follow.
but never dull.
unlike the Philly FB sets.
I guess my main question was why didnt they produce more years than the short period they did make them. Because I was thinking to myself man I like those 1967s wonder what the 1968s would have looked like. And it made me sad because they never made a 1968 set yet I wish they had. So I said why why did they stop in 1967 and my man Dboneesq said hey dumb as use the internet you lazy mofo. But he was nice and understanding that Im lazy most of the time and also dont know what I want the rest of the time.
Where am I?
Just wanted to hear some thoughts on these sets but I think I only hear whats in my head.
BTW Im full blown crazy.
So the philly sets stole some of the players from the topps sets by having the rights hugh? That is a game changer in my mind for what topps would have looked like if the philly sets kept going. Am I reading this right? I always thought the 1964,1966-67 Topps sets were lacking the goods but didnt relat them(phillys having the rights) for some reason.
a 1967 Topps Gale Sayers would be a nice thought. Would have liked to have both.
I also wonder if that would have increased the demand for topps if the Philly sets were never made. They would have some mean RC in topps form from those years. But they had a large gap with them all being in the Philly sets.
This is really on my mind now. Ive always not liked those topps sets because they didnt have any key players in them. But now Im thinking the Philly rights took away from topps in a way. This is warping my opinion as we speak.
I brought up the 1965 wax box bc the guy said there was nothing in the sets. Which made me question it. I know its not topps. I was mainly interested bc it was old wax only. But he changed my mind like this thread is now.
This is an interesting area for football sets....
This is a mess of thoughts and I dont expect anyone to understand it.
Ill call this a proof sheet of thoughts.
Topps Vs Philly with who gets what cards.
When I first started collecting there were a few companies and they all had the same Rookies and Stars. Donruss, Fleer, Topps Ripken rookies you can have them all in each product.
I just thought Topps choose not to have those rookies in there sets from those years and that made me just not desire the sets. Its starting to sink in now that Philly had a chance to become a main stream brand but lacked what needed at the time. The 1964-65 I agree seem to look the same and come out blured like said earlier by a board member. I do like the 1967 Design with the yellow. But I do wish to have seen some of those key cards in the main Topps sets now.
100 edits.
1988 Swell
1989 Swell (My personal favorite of the designs)
1990 Swell
Seeing old wax for me is like when a raccoon sees tin foil.
The design of the Philly football sets is simple.
Maybe that's why I like them so much.
No rainbows or lightning or fireworks or artsy fartsy crap.
Just a picture of the player, the name of his team, and his position.
And that's exactly what a football card is supposed to look like.
"How about a little fire Scarecrow ?"
ML lot # 837 : 1966 Philadelphia Football Rack Pack with 100 Cards and Toy Football "RARE"
Robb
I collect all the Phily sets:
Purchased on ebay a few years ago. The cello pack ended up grading a PSA 7.
Below, a Sonny 4 of a kind:
IMF