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A Collector’s Toughest Decision
By Steve Liskey
June 28, 2008
www.TheCowboysGuide.com
As a sports card collector of the Dallas Cowboys, or any team for that matter, many of us struggle with where to draw the line with what we include in our collections. When is a card not worthy of being considered part of our coveted collections? With all the time spent putting binders together and the expense of card holders and display cases, can we justify adding a card that has another team’s name on it? Sure he’s in a Cowboys uniform, but can we really tolerate a Washington Redskins card mixed in with our beloved Cowboys? This occurrence was more frequent in the vintage years of card manufacturing. Card companies either didn’t have the resources to keep up with trades or didn’t bother with getting new photos taken often enough. They often relied on using photos already on file. More recently, we had Emmitt Smith finish his career as an Arizona Cardinal. Several cards of the all-time NFL rushing king in 2003 featured him with his new team but still donning the Cowboy threads.
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With the expense of some of the more valuable cards in our collections, what’s a few more bucks for that 1964 Philadelphia Gum Sam Baker. Fresh from the trade to the Eagles, Sam is pictured in his Dallas Cowboys uniform. We don’t hesitate if the player is pictured in another team’s uniform. The entire 1960 Topps team set has every Cowboys player pictured in the uniform from the team they came from. We can’t just leave that year empty in our binders and start with 1961.
The ‘play cards’ from the 1964 and ‘65 Philadelphia Gum sets have an entry or two worth mentioning. The cards feature a play of significance from the previous year and mention the team the play was against. The 1965 Eagles play card (seen below) is against Dallas.
Why would I have a 1966 Philadelphia Bruce Gossett in my collection? He played for the Los Angles Rams at the time and was never pictured as a Dallas Cowboy. The reason why is on the back. Philadelphia Gum placed a ‘guess who quiz’ on the backs of all their cards in this set. The question on this card is “Who is this coach?” Pictured below the question is none other than Tom Landry.
Super Bowl or championship game losses cards are another area of personal preference. The 1978 Topps set has a card featuring Super Bowl XIII. Dallas lost that game to the Pittsburgh Steelers but it is a significant piece of Cowboys history. There are several examples of these through the years - Fleer Team Action sets in the ‘70’s for example - and some of the time you’ll find Cowboys players on the card fronts.
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There is also the rare and complicated occasion of a player pictured in a Cowboys uniform that never previously appeared on a Dallas Cowboy issue. As is the case of the 1967 Philadelphia Obert Logan. He was a RB for the Cowboys in 1965-66 and traded to the New Orleans Saints the following year. Or, the case of a player having never been pictured on a major issue card in a Cowboys uniform until being traded to another team. As is the case of the 1964 Topps Ed Husmann. Ed was on the original 1960 Cowboys roster and did not appear in the Topps set in that inaugural season at all. However he was included in the very first team issue set, 1960 Cowboys Team Sheets. This example also highlights the laziness of card companies not getting updated photos. Husmann was with the Oilers for four years when that card came out. You can see both of those cards pictured below.
None of this should be surprising or new information to the vintage collector. Chances are you’ve already made these choices for yourself. Collectors that include everything have a lot more research to do if they are to find every traded player pictured in a Cowboys uniform, 1966 Philadelphia Gum ‘quiz back’ answer, ’64 play card, or the Super Bowl and championship game losses. Perhaps now, after maybe seeing some of these cards for the first time, you’ll reconsider what should be included in your collection.
1969 Mike Clark in his Steelers uniform
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1965 Eagles Play Card #140
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1964 Topps Ed Husmann
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1960 Cowboys Team Sheets Ed Husmann
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