Featured here is an incredibly rare find: a 1972 Topps Football Series 1 unopened cello box containing 24 packs, authenticated, sealed and labeled by Baseball Card Exchange (BBCE). The demand for unopened material from the early 1970's has increased dramatically as the hobby has matured, and this cello box is significantly scarcer than its wax box counterpart from '72 Topps Football. In fact, we could not find one public sale in our research. On the other hand, nearly a dozen wax boxes have sold in 2026, averaging $10,000 a pop.

The cellophane-wrapped box features the classic Topps "For the Fun of It" artwork of a blue-clad ball carrier set against a bright yellow background, with the original 25-cent price boldly displayed. The box shows surface scuffing throughout and quite a bit of wear on the edges and corners, all visible beneath the BBCE shrink wrap. The underside carries the BBCE authentication label confirming the contents as a 1972 Topps Football Unopened Series 1 Cello Box, along with BBCE sticker number x2154.

The 1972 Topps Football set is a landmark issue of the decade, remembered for its classic design and its notoriously scarce high-number series. Headlined by Roger Staubach's rookie (#200), the 351-card set is uniquely famous for being the only vintage football issue divided into three separate series, with the short-printed third series (#264–351) commanding a substantial premium today.

Series 1 packs offer collectors the chance to pull key rookies Archie Manning (#55), Jim Plunkett (#65), Ted Hendricks (#93) and L.C. Greenwood (#101) in their earliest, most pristine state. BBCE verification provides peace of mind that the box has retained its opened innocence, as originally distributed.