A useful marketing tool used by Topps from 1952 to 1957, Salesman Samples were mailed and hand distributed to their vast network of jobbers (wholesalers), direct markets - large and small - and consolidators, all of whom would receive these small panels in advance of a new release.  Primarily associated with their Baseball cards, Topps would include some ad copy on the reverse usually paired with a sample back from the issue being repped.  Salesman Samples are prized today for their scarcity, visual appeal and oddball character. 

The last of their Giant Sized sports issues, the 1956 Topps Football set, the company's first to feature the NFL, was a colorful affair.  Each franchise's players were printed in a single row on the press sheet, making each sample a "virtual team issue" by default. Football samples are encountered far less frequently than their Baseball counterparts.  The obverse has some areas of scuffing, mostly on both end cards.  The reverse is typical for these early samples, with a simple text ad extolling the set's virtues. This Browns themed strip is enhanced by the inclusion of Lou Groza, the Hall-of-Fame Tackle and Placekicker and appears to be in roughly Good condition.