1991 NFL Football Pro Line Portraits Signet Series Box
Release Date:
Not Announced
Configuration:
36 packs per box ,12 cards per pack.
Product Details:
1991 Pro Line Portraits Football has the distinction of being the first set to include certified autograph cards of many great players and coaches. Included on the autograph checklist are not only rookies of that year and stars from that era, but retired greats and Hall of Fame players. Produced right at the height of an era in the hobby where just about everything was overproduced, values remain in check despite the strong autograph checklist.
One of the characteristics that set 1991 Pro Line Portraits Football apart from other products of the era was the photography. Despite being a fully licensed NFL product, the set gave collectors a more candid, if not even glamorous, look at the league's stars.
Not content to simply deliver on-field action shots or posed images, the product takes a much more relaxed approach. Many players are photographed in workout gear or street clothes. It being 1991, many of these fashions are extremely dated today, giving it even more character. The lighting and angle of the photographs vary greatly providing a unique look to the set.
Fronts use full-bleed photos. A small NFL shield and the product name are the only other design elements.
Card backs have the player's name, team and position. Instead of the customary biographical and statistical information, a quote from the player is used instead. This provides for a more personalized card that was designed to compliment the photography.
The 1991 Pro Line Portraits set was released as a single series with 36 packs per box and 12 cards per pack. The product was distributed through multiple retail channels including hobby shops and department stores.
The complete base set consists of 300 total cards, including 24 rookies. The most notable players are Ed McAffrey, coach Bill Belichick, Chris Zorich and Herman Moore.
1991 Pro Line Portraits Football also has a handful of basic inserts and one promo card. The insert cards are the Amhad Rashad Family, golfer Payne Stewart, Emmitt Smith and a mail-away Santa Claus. There's also a seven-card insert set focusing on the wives of popular players. Among them are Jennifer Montana, Janet Elway and Phylicia Rashad.
The inclusion of Stewart in the product was an attempt at cross-over appeal as Stewart had recently won that year's U.S. Open.
Ahmad Rashad, upon retiring from the NFL, entered broadcasting, working for both NBC and ABC. At the time, NBC's The Cosby Show was one of the highest rated sitcoms on TV. In a highly publicized event, Rashad proposed, on live TV, to the show's co-star Phylicia Ayers, who played Clair Huxtable. Again, the idea of creating the Rashad Family card as an insert, helped the product receive some mainstream press coverage.
The promo card of the Kansas City Chiefs' Derrick Thomas was distributed in advance of the product release to dealers and collectors.
1991 Pro Line Portraits Football maintains its relevance today for being the first set to deliver certified autographs of numerous Hall of Fame players. Instead of creating a different card set, the players autographed the back of their base cards.
While this sounds like a recipe for counterfeiting disaster, there is an easy way to spot pack-inserted cards. These cards are embossed on one corner with a seal that can be seen on both the front and back.
The autograph checklist is extensive, with 302 signers. In addition to the football players, the seven wives and Payne Stewart also signed copies of their cards. Santa Claus also "signed" a limited number of his cards as well. These autographed cards were randomly inserted into packs at a rate of between one and three per case.
The more notable players and coaches to have signed for the product include Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Jimmie Johnson, Jim Kelly, Emmitt Smith, O.J. Simpson, Troy Aikman and Dan Marino.
Despite a hefty print run, 1991 Pro Line Portraits Football was ahead of its time in many ways, most notably for the extensive autograph checklist. A fun product to open to this day, boxes can be found for at very reasonable prices. It's not a bad gamble for a shot at some of the autographs whose values still command good money.
Box Breakdown:
Randomly inserted autographed cards.
