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Specs
Year: 1959
Title: Kahn’s Wieners
Size: 3 1/4″ x 3 5/16″
Number in Set: 31
Overview
Kahn’s, based in Cincinnati, released their first football card set as a promotion in 1959, after a string of baseball sets that started in 1955 and basketball sets that began in 1957. They included 31 football cards in their 1959 set compared to only 10 for basketball that year.
Because of their regional proximity, the 1959 Kahn’s Wiener football cards only included players from the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The unnumbered cards feature a black-and-white player photograph with a facsimile autograph and Kahn’s slogan (The Wiener The World Awaited) on the front. The backs have basic biographical information and are unnumbered.
Despite the assumption that the cards took a beating in their original packaging, they are frequently found in decent condition these days, though occasionally they are stained. PSA has graded 208 total cards across the set, with the average grade being seven.
Heritage Auctions sold a complete SGC-graded set in April 2011 for $3585; at the time, it was the highest-graded registry set with a GPA of 86.7.
Example
Key Cards
Chuck Noll, a Hall-of-Fame coach, has a pre-rookie card in this set, but the set’s key card definitely belongs to Jim Brown.
Checklist
Dick Alban
Jim Brown
Jack Butler
Lew Carpenter
Preston Carpenter
Vince Costello
Dale Dodrill
Bob Gain
Gary Glick
Lou Groza
Gene Hickerson
William Howton
Art Hunter
Joe Krupa
Bobby Layne
Joe Lewis
Jack McClairen
Mike McCormack
Walt Michaels
Bobby Mitchell
Jim Ninowski
Chuck Noll
Jimmy Orr
Milt Plum
Ray Renfro
Mike Sandusky
Billy Ray Smith
Jim Ray Smith
Ernie Stautner
Tom Tracy
Frank Varrichione