The Football Hobby Timeline: 1935 and the Growing Interest in The Sport
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The hobby is filled with history, some of which has yet to be fully uncovered or realized by modern day collectors. In the sports of Football, Baseball, and Basketball, there are countless releases, players, and events that have led the hobby to the shape and strength that it lies in today. This series will chronicle major years within major subsections of the hobby, starting with Football. Baseball and Basketball will get their own standalone Timeline articles due to the amount of information available.
With that being said, welcome to The Hobby Timeline, where we start in the year 1935 to look at the Football side of the hobby.
Prior Releases Introduced the World To Football and Set Up a Future Roadmap
One of the first releases that included Football players on a trading card came back in 1894 in the Mayo's Cut Plug set. These are tobacco-size cards (think T206 for Baseball collectors) that are scarce to find and tough when it comes to condition. The front of the card is all black except for the photograph of the player. College players make up the set, which makes sense given that the NFL did not exist yet.
A couple of decades later, Football continued to grow in popularity. Red Grange was a standout college star at the University of Illinois and went on to play for the Chicago Bears. He was included on a "card" release that chronicled his achievements up to a certain point in the 1926 Shotwell set. Some of the cards feature Grange in Football attire, while others showcase him in everyday life. Grange's popularity helped set up a landmark release within the hobby less than 10 years later.
1935 National Chicle Features Key Hall of Famers and a Memorable Set Within The Hobby
After Grange helped popularize the sport, the public was ready for what many in the hobby consider the earliest vintage football set: 1935 National Chicle. It is a 36-card set that features NFL players at the time. The cards are quite difficult to find, and a collector might go to numerous card shows without seeing one. The key card in the set is the rookie card of Bronko Nagurski, which sells for five figures even in a low grade. Other Hall of Famers can also be found in the set, including legendary coach Knute Rockne, among others.
The Timeline Moving Forward After 1935 and the Impact of National Chicle
The major impact of the National Chicle set is that it was the first time gridiron legends were featured on a card. More importantly, viewers and fans could obtain cards of their favorite players to take home and create memories with. It would also continue to fuel the growing interest in the game, which would only increase with time. Without the National Chicle set, the game of Football might not be what it is today, and the Football hobby might not be as strong or even around.
The 1935 National Chicle set is a bit like folklore in the year 2026. The cards are hard to find, and given their age, some may not even know their significance behind them. With multiple Hall of Famers in the set, these cards mark the first vintage football set (by most collectors' standards) within the hobby that can be collected.
As the football hobby timeline moves forward, collectors will continue to see how the hobby has been transformed over the years, and it all starts in 1935.
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Dylan is a collector based in Central Pennsylvania, and sports fan rooting for the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Pirates, and LA Lakers. He is currently attempting to collect a complete run of Topps flagship sets across football, baseball, and basketball. He is passionate about the history of the hobby including its continual growth and evolution.