Divided By Design: When Topps and Philadelphia Split the Football Card World in the 1960s

In the early-to-mid 1960s, football fans and young collectors found themselves living in a strangely divided cardboard world.

If you wanted cards of stars like Jim Brown or Johnny Unitas, you bought packs made by the Philadelphia Gum Company. But if you were chasing the rising stars of the American Football League—players like Joe Namath or Lance Alworth—you had to turn to Topps.

For a brief and fascinating period in sports card history, two different companies produced cards for two rival football leagues. The arrangement reflected not only the competitive landscape of professional football but also the evolving business of sports licensing. For collectors today, the split between Topps’ AFL cards and Philadelphia’s NFL issues from 1964 through 1967 represents one of the most distinctive eras in football card history.

Football’s New Rivalry Comes to Cardboard

The story begins with the birth of the American Football League in 1960. Created by a group of ambitious owners led by oilman Lamar Hunt, the new league challenged the dominance of the National Football League.

For card manufacturers, the sudden existence of two competing leagues created both opportunity and confusion.

At the time, Topps had already established itself as the dominant force in sports cards. After buying out its major rival Bowman in 1956, Topps controlled the football card market as well as baseball cards. The company held agreements with the NFL and the players association that allowed it to produce football cards annually throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s.

But the arrival of the AFL changed the equation.

In 1960, competitor Fleer seized the opportunity to produce the first AFL card set while Topps continued producing cards featuring NFL players. The split mirrored the real-life rivalry on the field, with each company essentially promoting a different league.

For collectors at the time, it meant there were suddenly more football cards—and more companies—than ever before.

The Licensing Shock of 1964

The real twist came four years later.

In what remains one of the biggest surprises in trading card history, Topps lost its license to produce NFL cards after the 1963 season. Instead, the rights were awarded to the upstart Philadelphia Gum Company, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer known primarily for its Swell brand chewing gum.

The decision stunned the industry.

For nearly a decade, Topps executive Sy Berger had helped build the company’s sports card empire, negotiating licensing agreements and developing the look and format of modern trading cards. Losing the NFL contract threatened a major part of Topps’ football business. 

But Topps quickly pivoted.

Instead of leaving the market, the company secured rights to produce cards featuring players from the AFL. The result was an unusual arrangement: Topps produced AFL cards, while Philadelphia handled the NFL.

For collectors opening packs in 1964, the divide was immediate and obvious. To build a complete picture of professional football, they had to buy two completely different products.

Philadelphia’s Short-Lived NFL Run

Philadelphia’s first football card set arrived in 1964 and contained 198 cards featuring players exclusively from the NFL. The product included rookie cards of several future Hall of Famers, including John Mackey, Herb Adderley, and Merlin Olsen.

Compared with Topps’ colorful designs, Philadelphia’s cards often looked simpler. Many collectors today describe them as utilitarian—straightforward photography, minimal design elements, and muted color palettes. Yet the sets have a charm all their own.

Because the company produced NFL cards for only four seasons (1964–1967), Philadelphia football cards have become a defined niche within the vintage football card market. Collectors today often point to the 1964 issue as particularly significant. Not only was it Philadelphia’s first set, it also represented the first time Topps had been shut out of the NFL card market in nearly a decade.

Topps Turns to the AFL

While Philadelphia focused on the established NFL, Topps leaned into the personality and excitement of the AFL. At the time, the upstart league was known for its high-scoring offenses, flashy uniforms, and willingness to challenge the NFL’s conservative style. The energy translated well into trading cards.

Topps’ AFL sets featured bright colors, innovative layouts, and a willingness to experiment with card formats. The most famous example is the 1965 Topps set, which included oversized cards known as “Tall Boys," and contained one of the most important football cards ever produced: the rookie card of quarterback Joe Namath.

Namath’s rookie card has since become one of the most iconic cards in the hobby, with high-grade examples selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At the time, however, collectors simply knew they were opening packs featuring players from the league that many considered the underdog.

Two Leagues, Two Card Worlds

The dual-league card system produced some unusual quirks for collectors.

A child collecting cards in 1965 might have shoe box filled with NFL legends like Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, and Bart Starr from Philadelphia sets, as well as AFL stars like Namath, Lance Alworth, or Len Dawson from Topps.

To newer, modern collectors accustomed to a single licensed manufacturer, the arrangement seems strange. But in the mid-1960s it reflected the reality of professional football itself.

The two leagues were competing for players, television deals, and fan attention. Even the trading card aisle at the corner store mirrored the rivalry.

Innovation and Competition

Despite the odd licensing arrangement, the mid-1960s were a creative period for football cards. Competition between companies—and between leagues—encouraged innovation.

The early 1960s saw the introduction of card inserts, including team pennant stickers, "Football Bucks" and other novelty items designed to entice collectors. These extras added an element of surprise to packs and helped keep kids buying cards throughout the season.

Topps also experimented with photography and design, producing cards that emphasized the excitement and personality of AFL players. Philadelphia, meanwhile, focused on documenting the established NFL stars who dominated headlines during the era. Together, the two companies produced a cardboard record of professional football’s most competitive decade.

The Merger Changes Everything

By the mid-1960s, the rivalry between the NFL and AFL had become increasingly intense—and expensive. Both leagues competed aggressively for players, often offering massive signing bonuses to college prospects. The escalating financial battle eventually pushed the leagues toward a historic agreement.

In 1966, the NFL and AFL announced a merger that would take effect before the 1970 season. The agreement would reshape professional football—and it also changed the trading card business.

With the two leagues merging, the need for separate card manufacturers disappeared. By 1968, Topps regained the rights to produce football cards featuring players from both leagues, ending Philadelphia Gum’s short run in the hobby. Topps’ 1968 football set would become the first to include players from the combined AFL-NFL structure, effectively closing the chapter on the split era.

The Hobby Looks Back

Today, collectors view the 1964–1967 period as one of the most distinctive eras in football card history.

Philadelphia’s NFL cards capture legendary players during the final years before the merger reshaped the sport. Meanwhile, Topps’ AFL cards document the rise of a league that would soon challenge—and ultimately reshape—the NFL itself.

For collectors building vintage sets, the split adds an extra layer of complexity. Completing a “full” picture of football from those years requires both companies’ products. That challenge is part of the appeal for many gridiron collectors.

A Unique Moment in Cardboard History

The 1960s remain one of the most fascinating decades in sports card history—not only because of the legendary players involved, but because of the unusual circumstances behind the cards themselves. For four years, football cards were divided just like the sport they represented. One card manufacturer chronicled the established NFL. Another captured the rebellious AFL.

Together, their products documented the moment when professional football was evolving from a regional pastime into America’s dominant sport.

And for collectors opening wax packs in corner stores across the country, the rivalry between leagues—and card companies—made the hobby twice as exciting.