Pre-1952 football cards
Early football cards are scarce. The 1935 National Chicle set, with Bronko Nagurski, is the hobby's first major football issue, and the 1948 Bowman and Leaf sets introduced rookie cards of stars like Sammy Baugh. Bowman continued through the early 1950s.
Many early football cards came from short or regional issues, so complete runs are hard to assemble. Few survive in strong condition, so even low-grade examples of key players attract serious bids. Authentication by PSA or SGC is the norm.