Weighing in at just 36 players, the 1935 National Chicle football set is quite possibly the most important football set ever manufactured. With first-year cards of virtually every key subject in the set, as well as the hobby’s most valuable and treasured card – the legendary #34 Bronko Nagurski (featured in this auction), the set continues to grow in popularity, attracting both ardent football hobbyists and collectors of other sports who are dabbling in football for the first time.
Featuring colorful art deco designs that were typical of the time, the National Chicle football card artwork is similar to the other National Chicle cards of the day – the 1934-36 “Diamond Stars” baseball cards and also the 1933 “Sky Birds” cards. Despite being printed on heavy stock, high-grade examples are difficult to find, particularly in the super-scarce high number series. Evidence suggests that the scarcity of the high number series is based on those cards only being made available in the cities where the series’ players played.
A quick examination of grading company population reports will reveal the difficulty in obtaining high quality examples of cards from this issue’s high number series. Even midgrade examples are extraordinarily scarce. We are proud to offer a group of eight high number cards, including the incredible Nagurski, plus two cards from the first series (including the difficult #1 card, Dutch Clark).
These cards don’t make themselves available every day, and it’s an opportunity to obtain some incredibly difficult cards from one of the hobby’s most important sets.
