Sweetness begins here. The 1976 Topps #148 is Walter Payton's rookie card, issued before the records, before the championship, before the nickname meant everything it would come to mean — a young Bears running back at the start of one of the most admired careers in the sport.
What it launched is the whole point. Payton would go on to retire as the most prolific rusher in NFL history and, more than that, as one of the game's most beloved figures. This single card sits at the head of all of it: the first appearance of a back who would redefine completeness at the position and set a standard for character the league named an award after.
The rookie of the most complete back the game has produced — and one of its most beloved men.
As a mid-1970s Topps issue, it is a real test of condition. The era's centering wanders and the corners chip — the everyday handling of the 1970s was not kind to cardboard. A clean, well-centered #148 is a quiet trophy of any vintage football collection.
The numbers and the championship came later. This is the beginning — the rookie of a man remembered as warmly for who he was as for everything he did.