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BASKETBALL CARDS, EPHEMERA & MEMORABILIA
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1920
1919-22 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY - OFFICIAL BASKET BALL GUIDES
circa 1920 LA SUD AMERICANA BARAJA FANTASIA SPORTS BASKET-BALL PLAYING CARDS (SPAIN)
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The Baraja (Deck of Cards) Fantasia game playing cards were released as a variety of sets with different backs. Variations included a full black & white landscape image, an all-blue illustrated image or a full color illustrated image. There were two sets, “Futbol” & “Sports”, that had the full color illustrated backs with a lower section dedicated to advertising. This section was typically advertising Spanish chocolate companies but are also found blank, without any advertiser listed. Both of these sets consisted of 48 cards. The Fantasia Futbol set featured only foot-ball and the Sports set featured a variety of sports including Foot-ball, Tennis, Rowing, etc and included a total of four Basket-ball cards: 9,10,11 & 12 of Clubs. These cards are very scarce, with only a handful of examples known to exist.
The exact date of the cards is unknown but the consensus is around 1920.
Measurements: 2.5” x 3.5”
The exact date of the cards is unknown but the consensus is around 1920.
Measurements: 2.5” x 3.5”
CIRCA 1920 PROSPER & MARET IN “POPULAR COLLEGE ATHLETES” TRAVELING SHOW ACT POSTCARD
Prosper & Maret was a traveling show that regularly traveled the United States with vaudeville acts and featured exhibition basketball games. There is little information about them but I found newspaper advertisements from 1918 and 1921, so I'm guessing this postcard advertising their act was produced around 1920.
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EARLY 1920s GERMAN BASKETBALL VALENTINES CARD
It may be debatable as to whether or not the ball pictured on this Valentine's card is actually a basketball (much like the 1894 McGlaughlin doll) but I'm considering it one. I typically do not collect Valentine cards but the uniqueness and age of this one interested me. No markings other than "Made in Germany" so the year produced is unknown. I shared photos and inquired with a Facebook Postcard Group and the general reply was that it probably dated to the 1920s or earlier.
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1921
1921-22 THE "WONDER FIVE" BASKETBALL TEAM TRADE CARD ADVERTISING MARION, INDIANA (U.S.A.)
1922
BASKET BALL FOR MEN, BOOK BY WALTER E. MEANWELL
Walter E. Meanwell was an English college basketball coach in the 1910s-1930s. He wrote this book and the Science of Basketball for Men 2years later and also collaborated on several other books. He was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1959.
1923
circa 1923 BASCHETT-BALL #1 UNA FASE EMOZIONANTE CARD (AN EXCITING PHASE), UNKNOWN PUBLISHER (ITALY)
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I have yet to find any comparables for this card. It is the first time I have seen the word "Baschett-Ball". I was only able to find one example of this term used for the game, it was in the June 1923 issue of L'Araldo Abruzzese, referring to a match between the national boarding school and Stamura Ancona. I'm guessing this card is of that era as the term
Palla Al Cesto was commonly used in most mid 1920s examples.
Measurements: 2" x 1.375"
Palla Al Cesto was commonly used in most mid 1920s examples.
Measurements: 2" x 1.375"
1923-24 DEPORTES COLECCION DE 100 CROMOS #99 BASKET-BALL (DIMAS ALONSO CHOCOLATES) (SPAIN)
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This is the only basketball card in the Deportes Coleccion De 100 set. There were different manufacturers making these cards & a variety of businesses advertised on the back, in this case Dimas Alonso, a chocolate and sugar company. This is the highest graded example of this card. Measurements: 2.375" x 3.375"
1924
1924 WILLARD CHOCOLATE V122 SPORTS CHAMPIONS #42 EDMONTON GRADS (CANADA)
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The sports champions V122 cards were released with Willard Chocolate Bars and the set consisted of 56 cards of various sports, including 1 basketball card. The card featured the "Edmonton Grads", a famous Canadian women's basketball team that dominated the sport in the 1920s & 1930s. Measurements: 1.375" x 3.375"
About the Edmonton Grads: The Edmonton Grads were a Canadian women's basketball team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada active from 1912 – 1940. The team continues to hold the North American record for the women's sports team with the best winning percentage. In the 522 games the Grads competed in between 1915 and 1940, they won 502 of them, giving them a winning percentage over 96%
The Grads won the first women's world title in basketball in 1924 and continued winning titles in North America in Europe throughout the 1920s & 1930s. They retained their amateur status to make sure they would be eligible for the Olympics if basketball was made an official Olympic sport. They never got to play in official games but won all 24 matches they played in the during Olympic exhibition games between 1924 and 1936. Women's basketball wasn't included in the Olympics until 1976.
As the most successful women's basketball team of the early 20th century, the Edmonton Grads made news headlines across North America and as far away as Hong Kong and the Philippines. Their success had a strong impact on public attitudes towards female athletes, making it more socially acceptable for women to play sports. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, considered the Edmonton Grads to be "the finest basketball team that ever stepped out on a floor".
The Grads won the first women's world title in basketball in 1924 and continued winning titles in North America in Europe throughout the 1920s & 1930s. They retained their amateur status to make sure they would be eligible for the Olympics if basketball was made an official Olympic sport. They never got to play in official games but won all 24 matches they played in the during Olympic exhibition games between 1924 and 1936. Women's basketball wasn't included in the Olympics until 1976.
As the most successful women's basketball team of the early 20th century, the Edmonton Grads made news headlines across North America and as far away as Hong Kong and the Philippines. Their success had a strong impact on public attitudes towards female athletes, making it more socially acceptable for women to play sports. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, considered the Edmonton Grads to be "the finest basketball team that ever stepped out on a floor".
circa 1922-26 PALLA AL CESTO (BALL TO THE BASKET) CARDS, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)
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Basketball was introduced to Italy in 1915 by Guido Graziani who had graduated in the U.S. where he had learned the game at the YMCA. It was initially named "Palla Al Cesto" (Ball to the Basket) before being changed to "Pallacanestro" (Basketball) in the late 1920s. Squadra (Squad) ASSI, featured on card #34, was one of the founding members/teams of The Italian Basketball Federation which formed in 1921. Between 1921-1927, ASSI dominated the sport, only losing the title in 1923. There is a picture of the ASSI team from the La Tribuna Illustrata Magazine in December of 1927 where they are pictured wearing darker uniforms with an "A" on their chest. The photos on these cards are prior to lettered uniforms.
With this information I'm guessing that this card set was produced sometime between 1922 and 1926, the publisher remains unknown. Measurements: 2" x 1.25"
With this information I'm guessing that this card set was produced sometime between 1922 and 1926, the publisher remains unknown. Measurements: 2" x 1.25"
circa 1922-26 PALLA AL CESTO (BALL TO THE BASKET) CARDS, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)
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These cards are very similar to the Palla Al Cesto cards shown above but vary slightly. They are slightly smaller in size and have rounded corners. The rounded corners are uniform and seem intentional, especially when viewed from the reverse and compared with the squared off, cornered examples already discussed. The publisher is also unknown but I assume it's the same as the previous cards, as the font lettering and style match. The year is presumed to be early to mid 1920s when comparing these photos to Italian basketball photos of that period.
Measurements: 1.125" x 1.9375"
Measurements: 1.125" x 1.9375"
1925
1925 DOMINION CHOCOLATE V31 MULTI-SPORT BASKETBALL CARDS (CANADA)
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The 1925 Dominion Chocolates set consisted of 180 Sports cards and were issued in two separate series. In total there are 7 Basketball cards in the set. There were coupons on the bottom of each card that were redeemable for prizes, so examples are sometimes missing these. I'm not sure if any of the basketball cards are rarer than others. Measurements: 1.125" x 2.875"
1925 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS "THE JAYHAWKER" YEARBOOK DEDICATED TO BASKETBALL INVENTOR JAMES NAISMITH
1925 University of Kansas "The Jayhawker" Yearbook. According to the U of K website, this is the only yearbook that is personally dedicated to James Naismith, the inventor of Basketball.
Includes a couple of pictures of Naismith and a photo of the 1925 Basketball Team, which includes Hall of Famers Forrest "Phog" Allen (coach), and John Bunn (contributor).
1925 CONVERSE RUBBER SHOE CO RECEIPT FOR A PAIR OF MEN'S ALL STAR BASKETBALL SHOES
1925 was a significant year for Converse as that year the All Star became their best selling shoe and a heel cushion was added as an option plus a new last gave the shoe a narrower shank for arch support.
Converse introduced a patented ‘Peg Top’ design, a refinement to the collar of the shoe so it could be tied tightly ‘without danger of cutting or chafing across the achilles tendon’. Converse always touted their innovations as ‘new features – not experiments – tested by a full season’s play’.
By the mid-1920s, the All Star was firmly established as the standard in basketball footwear as the newly formed American Basketball League was established – the first attempt to create a major professional basketball league in the country.
1925 BLISS COLLEGE BASKET BALL TEAM TRADE CARD ADVERTISING BLISS COLLEGE ENROLLMENT IN COLUMBUS, OHIO
1920s PHOTO POSTCARD OF MEN PLAYING BASKETBALL ON THE DECK OF A MILITARY BATTLESHIP
1926
1926 ORIGINAL PRESS PHOTO OF MARGARET MACBURNEY OF THE EDMONTON GRADS BASKETBALL TEAM (CANADA)
The story on reverse mentions the Grads playing a series of games with the Newmann Stearn Girls of Cleveland, Ohio. These games seemed to of taken place in May of 1927 according to the Edmonton Journal dated May 17th 1927.
The photo is dated April 13th, 1926. This would make this a very early photograph of MacBurney as a Grad. According to her biography her first chance to play with the Grads came as a spare on an April 1926 road trip. Later that fall, she was given a permanent spot on the team.
Margaret MacBurney served as the captain during the team’s longest winning streak of 182 games. She was a gifted player. In 1931 she made 61 free-throw baskets in a row during a game.
1926-29 BASKET-BALL LICENSES FOR PLAYERS OF THE FRENCH ATHLETICS FEDERATION (FRANCE)
These early French examples of athletic licenses were required in most European countries in order to participate in club or league play. Players with these licenses would need to follow all athletic and basketball code established by the federation.
1926-27 CABINET CARD PHOTOGRAPH FEATURING UNKNOWN NEW HAMPSHIRE TEAM WITH BYB SKULL & BONES UNIFORMS
1927
1927-28 CIOCCOLATO SALVI #65 PALLA AL CESTO (ITALY)
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The Cioccolato Chocolate Company was located in Milan and was in business for the majority of the 20th century. They released a few sports sets in the 1920s/1930s, the majority of which consisted of soccer (futbol) cards. This is the only Salvi card featuring basketball that I've seen. It's unknown if there were any others in the set. Palla Al Cesto translates to Ball to the Basket and was regularly used until about 1930, when Pallacanestro (basketball) became universally used. Measurements: 1.375" x 2.125"
MY BASKET-BALL BIBLE BY FORREST C. (PHOG) ALLEN 1927 (4TH EDITION)
JANUARY 1927 & JANUARY 1929 BOYS LIFE MAGAZINE (PUBLISHED BY BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA) FEATURING BASKETBALL COVERS & STORIES
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1928-1930
1928 CUBAN CIGARROS AGUILITAS DEPORTIVAS BASKET-BALL #394 TEAM C. FERROVIARIO (CUBA)
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This rare card is from the Cuba Deportiva set distributed by Aguilitas cigarettes. There were many basketball cards in the set but the exact number is unknown.
Measurements: 1.5" x 2.25"
Measurements: 1.5" x 2.25"
1928 TURMAC OF HOLLAND KORFBALL (NETBALL) SILK (HOLLAND)
This silk was part of the Sport and Nature Series distributed through packs of Turkish Macedonian Tobacco in Holland. Turmac issued silks between 1926-1934 but I've seen this one listed as 1928 a few times, so I've labeled it as such. Measurements: 2" x 3"
1928 BASKETBALL TECHNIQUE POSTER (FOLD-OUT SUPPLEMENT FROM SPALDING'S OFFICIAL BASKETBALL GUIDE FOR WOMEN
LATE 1920s DIBUJOS ORIGINALES DE MASIA, AUN PODEMOS EMPATAR (WE CAN STILL DRAW), #38 BASKET-BALL (SPAIN)
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This set of 40 cards feature comedic sports illustrations by the artist Juan Masia Lopez (1899-1971). This is the only basketball card in the set. The set was released in 2 variations, one with the card number inside the border, and a much rarer version with the card number located outside of the border. Like many early Spanish cards, the backs of these cards included various advertisers, typically chocolate, or nothing at all. Measurements: 2.25" x 3.25"
LATE 1920s PALLA AL CESTO ILLUSTRATED CARD, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)
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This card is the same image used in the 1930s "Pallacanestro" version with the differences being the name "Palla Al Cesto" and its slightly larger size. Even though CGC dated this 1930s, the "Palla Al Cesto" title would date the card earlier, most likely the late 1920s. The exact date and publisher remains unknown but it looks very similar to the illustrated cards that Marca Stella was publishing at the time. Measurements: 1.4375" x 2.125"
circa 1926-1930 HUECOGRABADO MUMBRÚ TODOS LOS DEPORTES, SERIE 1, NO. 7, BASKET-BALL, COLECCIÓN DE 21 CROMOS (SPAIN)
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The only documented and graded Huecograbado Mumbrú cards are Futbol cards from 1923 & 1925. Comparables online show nuances in photo tinting and text font and the exact date of this set is yet to be confirmed. I have discussed this card with a few pre-war Spanish collectors and the consensus was that this set was produced somewhere between 1926-1930. The advertisement on the back of the card is for the Tabu House Chocolate Factory. Like most Spanish cards at the time, I assume that the advertiser varies, so there could be many different versions of the back of this card. This is the only example of this card I have seen. Measurements: 4.25" x 2.75"
LATE 1920s PALLA AL CESTO ILLUSTRATED CARD, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)
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Although CGC labeled this card 1930s, I believe it to be late 20s because the term "Palla Al Cesto" had been replaced by "Pallacanestro" by 1930. It is not definitive, so the date remains unknown. The publisher is also unknown but it looks very similar to the illustrated cards that Marca Stella was publishing at the time. Measurements: 2.125" x 1.5"