I ran across these circa 1970 Calvin Murphy and Fran Tarkenton “prototype” cards in Ron Oser Enterprises’ April 2000 auction catalog.
I’m unsure what to make of these items; the lot’s description explained that they appeared to be Topps prototype cards that were never issued.
The basketball card features Calvin Murphy of the San Diego Rockets, who moved to Houston before the 1971/72 season started. The writer said the style and size of the card were similar to those of the 1969/70 and 1970/71 Topps issues.
The football card features Fran Tarkenton as a New York Giants player, where he played from 1967-1971.
Both cards were still adhered to the original artist board and were described as being in perfect condition.
Let me know if you know anything about these items.