A Baltimore Colts White Whale! (or at least the tail)

I've had this on my want list for quite a long time. It's a 1968 Topps Test Issue team card of the Baltimore Colts. They were never distributed nationally and are relatively scarce. With a crease and a stain dinging it's value I was able to grab this with a lowball offer on eBay.

The wonderful Fleer Sticker Project blog posted a lot of info on these in 2010 and you can see that here. In a nutshell these things came in a pack that featured a cloth patch. I dig the team card alot more than the patch but I was never asked to take the test so what do I know? The FSP post I linked has a shot of each of the available cards and stickers.

The back listed the players in the team pic. Topps issued one for 25 of the then 26 teams. The Cincinnati Bengals were a startup franchise and had no team pic to use.

I know that the scans run over the border of the box but using a smaller photo setting kind of makes the card look like a mini. The actual size is 2 1/2" x 4 11/16" which is about equal to a 'tall boy' card turned on it's side.

I'm still actively searching for the Colts patch. I'm optimistic because it seems like my luck in uncovering long sought items is improving. The same week I found this card I also discovered a guy selling another item I've had on my Colts list. That is arriving this week and will appear in another post.

1968 Topps Football Posters

I threw a small bid at these two '68 Topps insert posters awhile back and won. I'd been wanting the Unitas but I hadn't been looking very hard. Usually the really cheap ones are pretty beat up. Since these things are made of such thin paper and were folded to be inserted into packs finding presentable ones at decent prices is hit or miss. I got lucky with these. They are yellowed with age but there are no tears and the folds are not very apparent.

The Sayers was included in the two item 'lot' and hey, it's a Gale Sayers! He was about as exciting to watch as a football player could be. If you never saw him play I think a trip to You Tube would be worth the time.

This is a ten minute 'bio' but if you skip to the 2:10 mark or so you'll see a string of clips showing him at his best.

There were 16 of these posters in the set and with a bit of patience to find decent ones at good prices it's an easily obtainable goal. You can see all 16 at this site.

Messing with neat football items like these helps take my mind off my 3-5 fantasy team. Granted I'm tied for first in what is probably the worst division in the history of fantasy sports but I hate having a crappy (and unlucky) team.