1959 Kahn’s Wieners Football Card Set and Checklist

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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.

11 Cards from the 1959 Kanh’s Football Set – Heritage Auctions 2011

Example

1959 Kahn’s Football Jim Brown

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