A Detroit, Michigan, company with a presence on eBay and at card shows nationwide, Triple SSS Sports Cards offers sought-after, PSA-graded issues from basketball, hockey, baseball, and football. The Triple SSS Sports Cards team has an extensive knowledge of classic football sets of the 20th century.
A Sports Collectors Daily article brought attention to two key cards of Knute Rockne, who coached the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team to sustained success. The legendary coach had relatively few pre-war issues, both because he was not an athlete when sets were produced and because he died relatively young. He was first immortalized in cardboard in 1934, three years after his passing in an airplane crash en route to the film set of The Spirit of Notre Dame.
The 1933-34 Goudey Sport Kings set spanned various sports and famously includes some of the most sought-after Babe Ruth issues. Only two football players, Red Grange and Jim Thorpe, made the set, and Rockne was the only coach featured.
Rockne’s second issue was in the 35-card 1935 National Chicle set, which was the first ever set to focus exclusively on football. The only card in this set not technically considered a rookie, Rockne’s card features the coach in a stoic and contemplative pose, honoring his accomplishments on and off the field.
Prices for the two early Rockne issues are relatively similar, with a PSA 4 VG-EX Goudey selling for more than $2,000 in late 2022 and a National Chicle of the same grade selling for $1,525 on eBay in early 2023.
