Return to the Oddball Archive Index
1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Specs
Year: 1960
Title: Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams
Size: 2-1/2″ x 3-1/2″
Number in Set: 39
1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Overview
Bell Brand Chips followed up their 1959 Rams set with another in 1960. The cards were also inserted into specially marked bags of Bell’s snacks (potato and corn chips) within a cello pack.
The 1960 39-card set (catalog designation F387-2) used the same basic design on the front and back of the cards as the 1959 set, with a few minor variations. Most significantly, the 1959 set has yellow borders, the “Buy L.A. Rams MDSE. Division Official Merchandise” header on the right side of the back is a little different, and the 1960 backs used blue, rather than black, ink. Also, the first 18 cards, except #2, used the same photos from the 1959 set.
I found this photo of Bell Brand Chips advertising that a Ram’s football picture was inside. However, I’m unsure if it’s a 1959 or 1960 package or if they were the same for both years.
While PSA has graded 10 1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams cello packs, I haven’t found a photo of a graded one. However, I did find this raw pack featuring card #12, Bill Jobko. The 1960 #12 Jobko card front matches the 1959 Bill Jobko short print (as the other cards numbered 1-18 in the 1960 set do); the back has a different bio.
1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Distribution
Beckett has shared that the first 18 cards were available throughout the season, while cards 19-39 were only available later in the 1960 season. PSA’s Population Report for the set seems to confirm this dual-series limited type of release. Though, it’s also possible that each “series” was released in a different product, and one outsold the other (potato vs. corn chips). Either way, PSA has graded significantly more cards numbered 1-18 than 19-39, with two minor exceptions. The first is card #2, Gene Selawski, which is a sort of short print, and #30, Charley Bradshaw, who has more graded cards than any other player in the second series, so it’s possible he replaced Selawski and was included in both series.
PSA has graded fewer 1960 Bell Brand Rams cards than 1959s, with just 452 in the Pop Report for these yellow-bordered classics. However, there are only eight with qualifiers this time, so it appears the manufacturer corrected their cutting errors from 1959. The most common grade is a PSA 7 with 88 cards, followed by PSA 8 with 81, then 76 PSA 6s, and 66 PSA 7s.
1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Gene Selawski Short Print
It’s believed Gene Selawski’s card #2 was pulled from the set’s distribution early in the season because he was traded away from the team in late August 1960. I think the exact transaction occurred on August 31, 1960, when the Browns traded their 1961 third-round pick to the Rams for Selawski. So Selawski played the 1960 season with the Cleveland Browns. However, the card was still believed to have been available directly from the company. For some reason, unlike cards 41 and 43 in the 1959 set, some publications include Selawski’s short print as part of a complete 1960 set. PSA has graded four 1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Gene Selawski cards, and SGC has graded one.
1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Significant Sales
Robert Edwards auctions sold a 1960 Bell Brand Rams complete set of 39 cards, including the rare Selawski short printing, in their Fall 2022 auction for $4800. They described the set as commonly having grease stains and creases because of how they were packaged and that the Selawski card is one of the toughest modern football cards. Here are a pair of photos they included online:
To show the impact the inclusion of Selawski has on the set’s sale price, in the fall of 2018, REA sold a near-complete set of 38 cards (no Selawski) for “just” $960.
Here are a few examples of individual card sales from the set:
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #1 Joe Marconi PSA 5: $39.60 in December 2021
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #5 Tom Wilson PSA 8: $171.50 in January 2019
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #8 Alex Lansford PSA 5: $30 in December 2021
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #9 Jack Pardee PSA 6: $130 in January 2019
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #10 Ollie Matson PSA 6: $34 in September 2019
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #16 Les Richter PSA 5: $43 in August 2021
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #21 Will Sherman PSA 5: $38 in January 2019
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #23 Bob Long PSA 8: $156 in June 2019
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #30 Charlie Bradshaw PSA 7: $110 in January 2019
- 1960 Bell Brand Rams #39 Bob Waterfield PSA 5: $158 in January 2019
1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Example
1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Key Cards
By the 2006 Standard Catalog of Football Cards book value, the set’s key cards belong to Gene Selawski’s short print and the head coach, Bob Waterfield.
1960 Bell Brand Los Angeles Rams Checklist
1 Joe Marconi
2 Gene Selawski
3 Frank Ryan
4 Ed Meador
5 Tom Wilson
6 Gene Brito
7 Jon Arnett
8 Buck Lansford
9 Jack Pardee
10 Ollie Matson
11 John Lovetere
12 Bill Jobko
13 Jim Phillips
14 Lamar Lundy
15 Del Shofner
16 Les Richter
17 Bill Wade
18 Lou Michaels
19 Dick Bass
20 Charlie Britt
21 Will Sherman
22 George Strugar
23 Bob Long
24 Danny Villanueva
25 Jim Boeke
26 Clendon Thomas
27 Art Hunter
28 Carl Karilivacz
29 John Baker
30 Charley Bradshaw
31 John Guzik
32 Buddy Humphrey
33 Carroll Dale
34 Don Ellersick
35 Roy Hord
36 Charlie Janerette
37 John Kenerson
38 Jerry Stalcup
39 Bob Waterfield