- Just like baseball cards, tobacco companies were the first manufacturers to put football cards in a package with their product. Football cards were first produced before the turn of the 20th century, long before the start of professional football. A company called P.H. Mayo produced 35 cards that featured the likenesses of players from Harvard, Yale and Princeton, three Ivy League schools that were college football powerhouses at the time.
- Football cards have many similarities to baseball cards in that the player's image is produced on the front of the card, and the individual's statistics and career anecdotes are listed on the back. A card's value is largely determined by the player's ability level and popularity, as well as the card's condition. However, the specific event of a player winning a Super Bowl usually provides a significant boost to the value of that player's cards.
- Football cards generally are more popular in regions where pro football teams reside than other areas. Unlike baseball, card collecting in football is not as significant a hobby among the sport's fans in early childhood. Many young fans are happy to get football cards of superstars like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or LaDainian Tomlinson, but most youngsters are more interested in their favorite team instead of building a league-wide collection.
- Some cards will increase in value over the years if they are kept in outstanding condition. This is especially true for cards prior to 1980 since the printing technology was not as advanced then as it is today. It's harder to find older cards in good condition, so ones that are in good condition generally have a higher value. Many collectors store their collections in special card holders and protectors. Rookie cards (a player's first official card) are considered the most valuable because there are usually fewer of them in circulation, and they are more desirable being from early in a player's career.
- Many card collectors believe that football card collecting has a much greater potential for growth than baseball cards since that market is nearly saturated. Since football is more popular than baseball, it stands to reason that football cards can have a greater impact on the market. One of the things that works against the popularity of football cards is that players' faces are obscured by their helmet and facemask. Most players who are not superstars can be difficult for fans to recognize, and that often keeps players' cards from increasing dramatically in value.
