Once upon a time, O.J. Simpson football cards were some of the most sought after in the entire hobby.
After all, O.J. was a Heisman Trophy winner … a rushing champion … a Hall of Famer … a movie star, for goodness sakes!
Then, well, the summer of 1994 changed all that forever, and O.J. eventually ended up in prison — though not for the reason a lot of folks thought he should have.
But within the hobby, at least, Simpson has rebounded to some degree, and his cards make some noise on the market again these days.
And, while many of his Topps cards from the 1970s are classics, O.J. also featured prominently in some pretty darn freaky oddball sets.
That’s why we’re here … to run down 15 of the best off-the-wall O.J. Simpson football cards you’re likely to ever see.
1969 Glendale Stamps O.J. Simpson
This was a fairly huge set for the time, numbering 312 stamps in all.
They were issued in sheets by team, either perforated or not.
If you find a single stamp, then, it’s either been pulled apart from its mates — or cut apart.
Either way this is about as oddball of an O.J. rookie card you’re likely to find.
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1970 Kellogg’s O.J. Simpson (#48)
In 1970, kids got either a treat or a major disappointment with their corn flakes.
If you were looking for a toy or iron-on of that silly rooster, you were out of luck.
But if you were looking for nifty 3-D cards of your favorite football (or baseball) players, well, Kellogg’s had you covered!
These cards are reminiscent of the super scarce 1968 Topps 3-D baseball test issue, and the O.J. looks sort of ominous in hindsight.
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1970 Topps Super Glossy O.J. Simpson (#22)
These Super Glossy cards were inserted as premiums in Series 2 packs of the 1970 Topps football product and featured 16 different players.
The cards are colorful with rounded corners and minimal backs, and — true to their title — feature a high-gloss finish.
In addition to Simpson, big names include Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, and Len Dawson.
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1970 Topps Super O.J. Simpson (#24)
Like their baseball counterparts, these cards were big (3 1/8″ x 5 1/4″) and as thick as melted candy corn (it’s nearly October as I write this — live with it!).
A standalone set of 35, this thing was also loaded with Hall of Famers, including Dick Butkus, Bob Griese, Namath, Simpson, and others.
The Simpson card features the same image as on the Super Glossy, against a solid yellow background.
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1971 Bazooka O.J. Simpson (#14)
Bazooka is actually a Topps product, so these cards are, too.
Issued in panels of three cards per 25-cent box of Bazooka, this set was a one-year wonder … but it made the most of its run by including 17 future Hall of Famers among the 36 cards.
A smiling O.J. was among them, and this is a pretty tough card to find, especially in top condition.
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1971 Dell O.J. Simpson
This set of 48 cards was issued as a centerfold in the 1971-72 Dell NFL yearbook.
Over the years — in the early years, mainly — collectors seemed to want to make these into individual pieces, so you will often find them as jagged singles (if you find them at all).
Like the others in this set, Simpson is fairly tough … but not super expensive.
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1971 Mattel Instant Replay Records O.J. Simpson
These “cards” were actually tiny (2 1/2 inches in diameter) records that could be played in a special toy made just for that purpose.
Each record gave kids about 30 seconds of hightlights about the player pictured, who was rendered in a comic drawing.
While far from a typical collectible, there is no denying this is one eye-catching O.J. issue that screams “Seventies!”.
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1971 Topps Game Cards O.J. Simpson (#7)
Topps issued a set of baseball playing cards in 1968 (not to mention two such sets in 1951), so it was high time they did likewise for football by 1971.
Sy Berger and the other big wigs at T.C.G. must have felt the same way, because they gave us this 53-card set — 52 players and one first-down marker.
O.J. goes for a nine-yard run on his card, which seems just about right for a prime-time Juice.