1968 Topps Test Team Photos
1968 Topps "Test" Team Photo cards were inserts in packs of 1968 Topps Team Patches. Topps apparently test marketed the patches (hence the word "test" in the name) but did not sell them widely, so both the cards and patches are scarce.
There are 25 cards in the team photo set, one for each of the 26 NFL and AFL teams except Cincinnati. 1968 was the year that the Bengals joined the AFL, and Topps apparently didn't yet have photo of the team. I have not studied the cards carefully, but I believe that the other teams' photos are all from 1967.
The team photo cards are the same size as the "tall boy" 1965 Topps football cards. This is a bit odd, since the patches--the main product in the packs--are the same size as regular cards. The backs of the cards list all of the team personnel on the front--a nice feature. Unfortunately, most of the cards I have seen have had a wax stain running vertically across the middle of the back. There is a picture of one of the card backs in my blog article about the set.
| Image | Set | # | Card Title/Players | Pro Team | Position | College | Honors | Notes | Grades available at Nearmint Sports Cards |
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 1 | Green Bay Packers | Green Bay Packers | This card pictures the 1967 Packers. It is unusual in that it includes the trainers and equipment managers, but not the coaches. The Packers finished the regular season with a 9-4-1 record in 1967, and they went on to beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II. The 1968 Packers went 6-7-1. | ||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 2 | New Orleans Saints | New Orleans Saints | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 3 | New York Jets | New York Jets | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 4 | Miami Dolphins | Miami Dolphins | This card pictures the 1967 Dolphins. Sadly, it might be the worst team photo ever. The coaches in front dominate the photo, and all you can see of the players in back is their heads. Only about half of the players' numbers are visible. | ||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 6 | Detroit Lions | Detroit Lions | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 7 | Los Angeles Rams | Los Angeles Rams | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Atlanta Falcons | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 9 | New York Giants | New York Giants | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 10 | Denver Broncos | Denver Broncos | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 11 | Dallas Cowboys | Dallas Cowboys | This card pictures the 1967 Cowboys team. Strangely, the background is blanked out on the image, and the players appear to be floating in space. You can see the original image here. The 1967 Cowboys finished 9-5 and lost to the Green Bay Packers in the "Ice Bowl." The 1968 Cowboys went 12-2 and lost to the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round of the playoffs. | ||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 12 | Buffalo Bills | Buffalo Bills | The Bills finished 1-12-1 in 1968, worst in the NFL and AFL. They chose O.J. Simpson with the first overall draft pick in 1969. | ||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 13 | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Browns | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 14 | San Francisco 49ers | San Francisco 49ers | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 15 | Baltimore Colts | Baltimore Colts | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 16 | San Diego Chargers | San Diego Chargers | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 17 | Oakland Raiders | Oakland Raiders | The Raiders arranged themselves in numerical order for this photo, with one exception: number 00, Jim Otto, the Hall of Fame center, is in the center of the front row. | ||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 18 | Houston Oilers | Houston Oilers | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 19 | Minnesota Vikings | Minnesota Vikings | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 20 | Washington Redskins | Washington Redskins | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 22 | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 23 | Boston Patriots | Boston Patriots | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 24 | Chicago Bears | Chicago Bears | |||||
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1968 Topps Test Team Photos | 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | Philadelphia Eagles |