I stumbled across this little-noticed Bart Starr advertising piece in a late 90s auction catalog: a 1950s La Crosse sneaker cardboard stand-up display measuring 13 1/2 x 11 inches.
The display featured an action photo of Starr ,“Mr. Quarterback” and included an unused pair of red La Crosse sneakers. Instructions printed on the front showed how a sample shoe was meant to be inserted through a die-cut opening. The piece as unused, mint, and “literally right off the printing press,” with a $200 minimum bid.
Later auction results showed me that this wasn’t a one-off item. I’ve found four Bart Starr La Crosse sneaker cardboard displays. Heritage Auctions has offered examples of these displays multiple times, including a May 2018 lot that contained all four variations and an original deadstock pair of red “[size] 12” Starr-endorsed La Crosse sneakers that sold for $660.
If you’re aware of other, less common variations of these Bart Starr displays beyond the four known examples, please reach out. Pieces like these, along with the Bob Cousy wall mounts and shoe ads previously covered here, show how athlete-endorsed sneaker promotion was taking shape decades before Jordan and Nike.
Happy collecting!
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