Description: 1955 Bowman Football Card # 14 Len Ford RC (HOF) - Cleveland Browns (VG/EX) 1950-1959 Football CardsAlthough not technically the beginning of football cards, the late 1940s and early 1950s marked the emergence of regularly-issued football cards. While they don’t have the same popularity as baseball cards from the same period, 1950s cards are very popular for collectors based on their classic design and rookie offerings. Once again, Topps and Bowman battled for card supremacy during the decade. Bowman dominated the early 1950s and Topps owned the late 1950s.Top rookie options from the 1950s include Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore, Otto Graham, Dick Lane, Bart Star, Norm Van Brocklin, George Blanda, Paul Hornung and Joe Paterno.1955 Bowman Football CardsBowman's largest football set was also the final set the company printed before being bought out by Topps. There were 160 cards in all, which provided a fairly nice mix of stars and lesser-known players on each of the twelve teams then in the NFL. They also provided what may have been the widest divergence from the company's baseball set from earlier in the year.Fronts are given a stark appearance, with a player shown in front of a solid-colored background. A white aura runs around his figure. The background color is dependent on the team (all the Steelers have blue backgrounds, all the Bears have orange backgrounds, and so on). The team name usually appears at the top of the card unless the player's picture forces it to be relocated. A black box includes the player's name and position, and a team logo appears somewhere on the card. Most cards are vertical, but a select few are given a horizontal format. For the first time since 1951, the backs are also oriented vertically. The player's name, team and position are inside a red area at the top, with the card number inside a football-shaped icon. Vital statistics and a short write-up appear below that, and the bottom has statics from 1954 and sometimes a diagram of a play, if it fit.The set appears to have been divided into five 32-card printing sheets, with cards 65-160 being slightly scarcer than the rest. Rookies featured in the set include future broadcaster Pat Summerall, as well as John Henry Johnson, Jim Ringo, Mike McCormack, Alan Ameche, Bob St. Clair and Len Ford.How We Grade: Gem Mint (GMT): (10.0) A flawless card. To be in Gem Mint condition, a card’s borders must have a ratio of 50/50 side to side and top to bottom. Mint (MT): (9.0-9.5) A perfect card. Well-centered with parallel borders which appear equal to the naked eye. Four sharp, square corners. No creases, edge dents, surface scratches, paper flaws, loss of luster, yellowing or fading, regardless of age. No imperfectly printed cards – out of register, badly cut or ink flawed – or card stained by contact with gum, wax or other substances can be considered truly Mint, even if new out of the pack. Generally, to be considered in Mint condition, a card’s borders must exist in a ratio of 60/40 side to side and top to bottom. Near Mint/Mint (NM/MT): (8.0-8.5) A super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may exhibit a very slight wax stain on reverse, slight fraying at one or two corners, or a minor printing imperfection. Centering must be app. 65/35 to 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse. Near Mint (NM): (7.0-7.5) A nearly perfect card at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may have slight surface wear, slight fraying on some corners, slightly out-of-register picture focus, a minor printing blemish or slight wax stain on reverse. Centering must be 70/30 to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse. Excellent/Near Mint (EX/NM): (6.0-6.5) Card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect. A very light scratch. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. Card may have minor wax stain on reverse, may have very slight nothing on edges. Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse. Excellent (EX): (5.0-5.5) Corners are still fairly sharp with only moderate wear. Card borders may be off center as much as 85/15. No creases. May have very minor gum, wax or product stains, front or back. Surfaces may show slight loss of luster from rubbing across other cards. Dark bordered cards may have one or two small nicks. Very Good/Excellent (VG/EX): (4.0-4.5) Shows obvious handling, but still looks nice. Corners may be rounded or have minor creases. No major creases, tape marks or extraneous markings or writing. Surfaces does exhibit loss of luster, but the printing is intact. May have paper wrinkles. May show major gum, wax or other packaging stains. All four borders visible, though the ratio may be as poor as 95/5. Exhibits honest wear. Very Good (VG): (3.0-3.5) A well-worn card, but exhibits no intentional damage or abuse. May be “Mis-cut or Off-Center” with no border visible. May have major or multiple creases, however, creases are not so deep as to show the underlying paper. This card is completely readable, has not been written on, and has no tape marks or holes. Corner rounding may extend well beyond the border. Good (GD) (2.0-2.5) Shows excessive wear, along with damage or abuse. Will show all the wear characteristics of a Very Good card, along with such damage as thumb tack holes in or near margins, evidence of having been taped or pasted, perhaps small tears around the edges or creases so heavily as to break the cardboard. Backs may show minor added pen or pencil writing or be missing small bits of paper. Still basically a complete card. Poor (P): (1.0-1.5) A card that has been tortured to death. Corners or other areas may be torn off. Card may have been trimmed, show holes from a paper punch or have been used for BB gun practice. Front may have extraneous pen or pencil writing, or other defacement. Major portions of front or back design may be missing. Not a pretty sight. We believe that all our listings are 100% Original and Authentic unless otherwise noted. They are all covered by a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, if for whatever reason you are not happy with your purchase we will exchange it, replace it, discount it or you can return it for a full refund. Standard/Combined 1st Class Shipping via USPS is $3.95 for the first card and $0.15 for each additional card, with a max. of (40) items per invoice. Subject to change as postal rates continue to increase. Estimated delivery is 3-5 days. Subject to change as postal delivery schedules continue to increase. Please see shipping tab for current postage rates. All cards will ship in penny sleeves, top loaders, team bag & bubble wrap envelopes. Please see all of our other ads & visit our store for some great deals on both New & Vintage cards, comics and more. Get your copy of the DC Rebirth or the All New, All Different Marvel Series before they are gone! Yes! We are always buying & accepting consignments. We are trying to establish a Brand and grow our business within the E-bay cyber world, so please Join/Follow us, you never know what we will list next, because: We are: The Toy Collector 4 U 2 C
Price: 14.95 USD
Location: Madison, Alabama
End Time: 2024-10-30T15:20:12.000Z
Shipping Cost: 3.95 USD
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Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Return policy details:
Card Size: 2-1/2" X 3-3/4"
Autographed: No
Set: 1955 Bowman Football
Year Manufactured: 1955
Player/Athlete: N/A
Vintage: Yes
Event/Tournament: B&b Cards, Comics and more
Card Thickness: 55 Pt.
Sport: Football
Language: English
Parallel/Variety: N/A
Card Name: 1955 Bowman Football
Manufacturer: Bowman Gum Inc.
Features: Base Set
Team: N/A
Season: 1955
League: National Football League (NFL)
Print Run: N/A
Material: Card Stock
Insert Set: N/A
Original/Licensed Reprint: Original
California Prop 65 Warning: N/A
Type: Sports Trading Card
Card Number: 123
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States