1960 Topps Football Forum

Hi all,

I noticed that the Baltimore Colts team card for this set is linked to 8 different players, all of whom presumably appear on the front of the card.  Is this really a legitimate use of player linking?  My guess is "No", but where do we actually draw the line?

Baltimore Colts TC

If you have a team card that shows an "action" photo with a small number of players, then those players are (usually) linked.  What is the limit here, though?  Does the player need to be named on the card?

The cards here appear to only link the player if they are named on the front of the card...

Topps 1977 WS Cards

But this card is linked to the players despite the lack of names.

1990-91 Topps Detroit Red Wings TC

Just for consistency, what is the rule of thumb here?

Here's the guideline from FAQ

"Names should only be linked to a card if they are the focal point or subject of the card. Background players or characters should never be linked."

My take on action photos. The identifiable players "in the action" can be linked.  I personally don't like the linking of every player on a team that MIGHT be on the team photo card.  Especially, the older Topps cards.  Topps used the same photo for numerous years.  I've come across a few that had players linked but on close inspection their jersey number wasn't there.

That seems fair.

I really wish there were a way to distinguish between the "primary" cards for a player in a set and the "secondary" cards (TCs, CLs, LLs, etc.) where the player may appear but the card is not really the player's card. For example, when I collected all the HoF cards from the 1990-91 Topps hockey set, I chose not to pursue the listed Red Wings TC even though Yzerman is linked to it (and the card shows up in the HoF list for the set).  That's my personal preference, of course, and I can understand differing opinions.