BASKETBALL CARDS, EPHEMERA & MEMORABILIA
​
1930 - 1939​

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
​Images are all from the Retro Baloncesto collection and are ascending by year. The rarity scale (for cards) is based on graded POP reports, online exemplars, past listings, available sales history and is subject to change. ​

1930

circa 1930 COSMOS, EL HOMBRE, Y EL MUNDO EN QUE VIVE, NO. 127 BASKET-BALL (URUGUAY)

The Cosmos El Hombre Y El Mundo En Que Vive (Man and the world in which he lives) was released by the candy and sweets company, Jacobo Sisler, around 1930 in Uruguay. The cards were given away as inserts in various chocolatines and carmelos packages and were meant to be glued into the accompanying Cosmos album. There were 278 cards in the set, including over a dozen sports cards, with No. 127 being the only basketball card. The album included text for the basketball card that mentioned the invention ​of the game by Mr. Naismith and a description of the game. ​Measurements: 1.25" x 2.75"

1930-31 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH OF THE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TEAM (EARLY INTEGRATION) DATE & NAMES ON REVERSE

circa 1930s 'PLAY TODAY AT THE YMCA' INK BLOTTER

1931

1931-32 LA VACHE QUI RIT, 2nd SERIE, B222 - FOYER ALSACIEN DE MULLHOUSE CHAMPION DE FRANCE DE BASKET-BALL (FRANCE)

This card was manufactured by Fromageries Bel in France and released by La Vache Qui Rit (The Laughing Cow) cheese company. I have seen examples with and without the red lettering stamp on the reverse. There were 2 series released of these cards, 12 cards per subset, 10 subsets, for a total of 240 cards. This is the only Basketball card in the entire set, part of the Les Grandes Equipes Sportives subset.  Measurements: 2.25" x 3"

1931 SERVUS RUBBER COMPANY - THE FIVE BASKETBALL POSITIONS & HOW TO PLAY THEM BY FOUR FAMOUS COACHES

This small pamphlet included descriptions and how to play the following positions, written by the following coaches: Right Forward & Center by Forrest "Phog" Allen, Right Guard by Ralph Jones, Left Forward by Dr. W.E. Meanwell, & Left Guard by A.C. "Dutch" Lonborg. It also included an advertisement for the "Phog" Allen & "Meanwell" Basket Ball shoes. Measures 3.625" 6.25"

1930-31 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH OF THE KEIFER HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TEAM (EARLY INTEGRATION) DATE & NAMES ON REVERSE

1932

1932 ROWNTREE'S TREASURE TROVE, SERIES 8, NO. 5, NET-BALL (U.K.)

Rowntree & Co. LTD was a candy company based in York, England that created some very notable candy in the 1930s, including Kit Kat and Smarties. They were eventually bought out by Nestle. These cards were released in 1932 inside every penny bar of Rowntree's chocolate and were meant to be glued into the accompanying Treasure Trove Picture Book. There were 10 series released, with 12 cards per series, for a total of 120 cards. Series 8 was the Sports series and contained this one card featuring Net-ball, the other cards featured a variety of different popular sports at the time.  Measurements: 2.25" x 1.0625"

1932 LA GRAND HOTEL (DIGUE, FRANCE) DINNER MENU FEATURING AN IMAGE OF WOMEN PLAYING BASKETBALL

NOVEMBER 10th, 1932 STREET & SMITH'S SPORT STORY MAGAZINE

1932 SANELLA MARGARINE KORBBALL (NETBALL) #54 TYPE 1, 2 & 3 (GERMANY)

The Sanella "Handbuch des Sports" was a multi-sport card set that consisted of 112 cards. The cards were published with 3 different types, the only difference being the layout on the back of the cards. Type 2 is rather common and the most seen variation. Type 1 is more scarce and Type 3 is the rarest version. The rarity scale is adjusted towards the Type 1 & 2 variations.
​Astra margarine also released this card in 3 types (not pictured) in 1932 and is much rarer than the Sanella releases. Measurements: 2.75" x 4"

1932-33 PROMOTIONAL BOOKING FLYER FOR THE ORIGINAL OLSON'S TERRIBLE SWEDES, THE WORLD'S CHAMPION TRAVELING BASKETBALL CLUB

Olson's Terrible Swedes were a famous barnstorming pro team that played the top teams of the era including the New York Celtics and the all black New York Renaissance Rens. Olson later formed the Hall of Fame "All-American Red Heads" female barnstorming team.

1932 CHOCOLATINES AGUILA SERIE XXI #7 BASKETBALL (URUGUAY)

Chocolate Aguila produced stickers and albums on all sorts of subjects in 1932. One set of stickers was Campones of Deportes and it included one basketball card (pictured here). The majority of the set consisted of the more popular football at the time. These cards were meant to be adhered to a accompanying album, so they are hard to find without adhesive/residue on the back.  Measurements: 1.325" x 1.875"

1932 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH OF THE UCLA BRUINS BASKETBALL TEAM POSING ON A NEW AUTOMOBILE "BIRTH OF A BASKETBALL DYNASTY"

1933

1933 JACQUES CHOCOLAT LES SPORTS ILLUSTRES SERIE S TYPE 1 (BELGIUM)

1933 JACQUES CHOCOLAT LES SPORTS ILLUSTRES SERIE S TYPE 2 (BELGIUM)

The Jacques Les Sports Illustres was a large set of 240 cards featuring a variety of sports each broken into their own series. There were 24 basketball cards, which were the "S" series. There were 2 types, Type 1 with the word "Basket-Ball" inside of the borders, and a Type 2 that included similar illustrations for all 24 cards with the text within the border, using a different font and reverse layout. In total, there are 48 basketball cards between both Types in the series. These cards were meant to be adhered to a accompanying album, so they are hard to find without adhesive/residue on the back. Measurements: 1.375" x 2.5"

1933 C.A. BRIGGS CHOCOLATE #8 BASKET BALL (U.S.A.)

The C.A. Briggs card pictured here is the favorite and likely most rare of the collection. I know of only one other copy.  There were 31 sports cards in this set and this is the sole basketball card. The cards were released in Massachusetts and could be collected and redeemed for prizes. Measurements: 2.25" 2.75"

1933 GOUDEY SPORT KINGS GUM BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)

The Sport Kings Gum card set featured a variety of sports and consisted of 48 cards, 4 of which were basketball: #3 Nat Holman, #5 Ed Wachter, #32 Joe Lapchick (misspelled Lopchick on the card) & #33 Eddie Burke. These were the first U.S. cards to feature professional American athletes. The cards aren't too difficult to find but can command high prices,
​especially in higher grades.  ​Measurements: 2.375" x 2.875"

1933-34 & 1937-38 BASKETBALL HINTS GUIDES, HOW TO PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYS BY HOOD RUBBER CO & B.F. GOODRICH

1934

1934 SNAP QUIZ CARD GAME TELLING TOMMY WHO INVENTED BASKETBALL?/ JAMES NAISMITH CARDS (U.S.A.)

These cards were part of a set of Question & Answer quiz cards produced by Snap in 1934. The set consisted of 54 cards, 2 of which were basketball related,
with the 2nd card being Naismith's "rookie card".  Measurements: 2.25" x 3.5"

1934 CHOCOLAT DE L’UNION SPORTS SÉRIE X, NO. 3 BASKETT-BALL (FRANCE)

Chocolat De L'Union was a French chocolate company that produced cards that were released with it's products from the turn of the century until the 1950s. This particular set was released in 1934 and came in a series of subjects of 10 cards each. The exact number of series is unknown but I have seen Series 12, so there are at least that many. This card was in their illustrated sports series 10 and is the only basketball card example I've seen in any of their sets. The card originally came with a redemption tab at the perforated bottom and the reverse mentions you could send in these tags for gifts. ​The redemption tab is missing from this card.  ​Measurements: 2" x 2.625"

1934 CIOCCOLATO ZAINI GUF MILANO (PALLA CANESTRO) (ITALY)

Zaini was an Italian chocolate company that produced a few sets of multi-sports cards in the 1920s/1930s. The only basketball card known in this releases is this card featuring GUF (Gruppos Universitario Fascista) Milano Team in the 1934 set. There is a rarer variation of this set that has black borders although I've never seen one of this particular card. 
​Measurements: 1.1875" x 1.875"

1934 PRESS PHOTO OF BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMER EDWARD MOOSE KRAUSE OF NOTRE DAME

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Edward “Moose” Krause was a basketball giant, and the subject of considerable attention by opponents. Krause’s size enabled him to dominate the post, and triggered the establishment of the 3-second rule in 1932-33. He was tough as nails and solid as a rock, combining great size and speed to become an excellent passer and a force at center. Playing under Hall of Fame coach George Keogan at Notre Dame, Krause led the Fighting Irish into national prominence in the 1930s. Krause enjoyed a 54-12 three-year record, and was the Fighting Irish's most prolific scorer, averaging 8.8 points per game for his career, in the early days of dirt floors. His three-year total of 547 points came at a time when the game was slow and deliberate and its rhythm was interrupted by the center jump after each basket. After graduating college, Krause took up coaching, and eventually became the basketball coach, and later director of athletics, at Notre Dame.

1934 PHILIPPINES POSTAGE STAMP, THE FIRST STAMP TO EVER FEATURE BASKETBALL

Released on April 14th, 1934, the world's first basketball stamp commemorated the X Far Eastern Championship Games, a precursor to the Asian Games.

1935

1935 "BASKETBALL" BOOKLET BY KELLOGG SPORTS LIBRARY

1930s PALLACANESTRO ILLUSTRATED CARD, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)

1930s Pallacanestro card, exact date and publisher remains unknown but it looks very similar to the illustrated cards that Marca Stella was publishing at the time. 
​Measurements: 1.25" x 1.875"

1930s CHOCOLAT AMATLLER LOS DEPORTES #24 BASKET (SPAIN)

The Los Deportes set by Chocolat Amattler consisted of 40 cards with humorous illustrations featuring various sports. There is 1 basketball card (pictured here). The exact date of when this set was produced/released is unknown.  Measurements: 2.375" x 3.375"

1930s PALLACANESTRO #18 ILLUSTRATED CARD, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)

1930s Pallacanestro card, exact date and publisher remains unknown but it looks very similar to the illustrated cards that Marca Stella was publishing at the time. 
Measurements: 1.25" x 1.750"

1930s "THIS IS AMERICA" BASKETBALL CINDERELLA POSTER STAMP

The "This is America" series featured 99 poster stamps that celebrated American history and heritage, showcasing illustrations of historical figures, institutions, holidays, landmarks and sports. There was 1 stamp in the set that featured basketball. The stamps were printed in blue on a white background, with a variation printed in purple on a blue background.

1935 MURATTI CIGARETTES BRENNPUKTE DES DEUTSCHEN SPORTS BAND II #196 BASKETBALL (GERMANY)

This set was released by Muratti cigarettes of Berlin and features sports and athletes of the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. There were over 700 cards in 3 subsets and there were 2 basketball cards in the set. This is the more common of the two and and shows the ​Wünsdorf team vs the Berlin team while training for the Olympics. This was the first basketball card ever produced in Germany.  Measurements: 2.5" x 3.5"

1935 PETER KÖLLN DEUTSCHE KÄMPFER FÜR OLYMPIA, SERIE 4, BILDER 60, KORBBALLSPIEL (GERMANY)

The Peter Kolln company is a German oatmeal company that has been in business since 1820. In 1935, they released this set that consisted of 60 cards that all featured athletes and games of the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  This is the only basketball card in the set. The Peter Kolln cards are on the rarer side of the 1936 German Olympic cards.
Measurements: 2" x 3.125"

1935-1939 MENKO BASKETBALL CARD (JAPAN)

I cannot find any information regarding this unique Menko card. The back of the players uniform on front translates to "basket" and the back of the card translates to the design copyright. The other examples I've seen of this card display different numbers on the back, so I assume a particular number was not assigned to each card. Other cards released in this set all highlight Olympic sports, so I would assume this was issued around the 1936 Olympic games or shortly thereafter.  ​Measurements: 1.5" x 2.5"

1930's JAPANESE MENKO CARD - NIPPON NATIONAL TEAM, MANUFACTURER UNKNOWN (JAPAN)

This is the only example of this Menko card I have ever seen. Nippon (listed on jersey's) is the Japan National Basketball team. Japan has participated in Olympic basketball events 7 times and the FIBA World cup 6 times since 1936. Measurements: Approx. 2" in diameter.

circa 1930s TRADE CARD FOR ADVERTISING OR AUTOGRAPHS (UNKNOWN MAKER)

Blank back, measures 2.5" x 4"

1935 LOS ANGELES RAILWAY PASS ADVERTISING BASKETBALL AT THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM

1936 CHICAGO RAPID TRANSIT COMPANY SUBWAY PASS ADVERTISING BASKETBALL ON THE L LINE

1935 BAS-KET BOARD GAME BY CADACO LTD. (1ST PRODUCTION YEAR)

1936

1936 BIHAR FOR DUBEK CIGARETTES LTD. MISHMAR VE'SPORT, SPORTS GAMES, BASKETBALL CARDS (ISRAEL/PALESTINE) 

The Mishmar Ve’Sport (Defense, Watch & Sport) album was a combination of Eretz Israel Defense & Sports cards highlighting the physical strength and independence of the Jewish people. Dubek Ltd. was founded in 1935 and is the only Israeli cigarette company that manufactures, imports and distributes tobacco products throughout Israel and Palestine. The entire region at the time was known as Palestine under British mandate, as the independent state of Israel wasn’t created until 1948. The set consisted of 216 cards, half of which featuring the military, the other half featuring various sports. There was a total of 3 basketball cards in the set, 181 – Hapoel Tel-Aviv girl’s basket ball team, Paelstine champions, 182 – Hapoel Tel Aviv vs. Mikve Israel
​& 183 – Maccabi Tel-Aviv’s best basket ball team.  Measurements: 2” x 2.875”

1936 KAISER'S COFFEE KAMPFREGELN FUR DIE OLYMPISCHEN SPIELE (RULES OF COMBAT FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES) #33 BASKETBALL (GERMANY)

Beginning in November of 1935, 2 of these collective cards were issued weekly featuring descriptions and rules for different Olympic sports and events leading up until the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin. The complete set consisted of 50 cards.  ​Measurements: 4.125" x 5.75"

TAGES-PROGRAMM, XI. OLYMPILCHE SPIELE BERLIN, AUGUST 14TH, 1936

This daily program from the 1936 Olympic Games features the 1st final Olympic Basketball tournament between the U.S.A. and Canada on August 14th of 1936. Below is a well written description of that day and event from a recent Goldin auction for this same program. The weather had held out perfectly for most of the Berlin Olympics, but Aug. 14th opened with a driving rain. That afternoon, the United States was scheduled to play Canada for the very first Gold Medal in basketball. The game's inventor, Canadian James Naismith, was even on hand to award the medals, but as the morning progressed, the rain continued, turning the outdoor clay court into a mud pit. That the Canadian team even made it to Germany that summer was a minor miracle - the depths of the depression had left Canada's winning team, the Windsor Alumni, without the funds to travel to Europe. The Alumni came up with the bright idea to change their name to the "Windsor Ford V-8's" and secured the financial backing from Henry Ford that allowed them to travel to Berlin. Led by the team's young captain, Jimmy Stewart, the Canadians defeated Brazil, Latvia, Switzerland, and Uruguay on their way to the finals. From the stands, Stewart's wife Mary cheered on Team Canada as they edged past Poland in the semi-final round. Now, as the rain poured from the skies over Berlin, the United States team was the only thing standing in the way of the first Gold Medal for Basketball.

1936 KOSMOS OLYMPIA #175 BASKETBALL (GERMANY)

The Kosmos Olympia cards are another German card that features Olympic games. The backs of the card give descriptions of the athletes and games and mention a special offer to redeem a larger 6"x9" card. I have yet to see an example of the 6"x9" ​basketball card from this set if it exists.  Measurements: 2.375" x 3.375"

1936 DIE OLYMPISCHEN SPIELE STEREOSCOPIC CARD #54 BASKETBALL  (GERMANY)

The Die Olympischen Spiele cards were stereoscopic cards had images meant to be used with a stereo viewer, which was included in the accompanying album. The cards featured different sports from the 1936 Olympics, one of which was a basketball card, #54, which features a scene from the Poland vs. Mexico game in which they were playing for the bronze medal. The cards came in a numbered set of 100 and the photographs were taken by Heinrich Hoffmann, the official photographer of the Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party. Hoffman was arrested by the United States army in 1945 and was sentenced to prison for war profiteering.  Measurements: 2.25" x 5"

1936 MURATTI CIGARETTES BRENNPUKTE DES DEUTSCHEN SPORTS BAND III #196 PHILIPPINES-MEXICO (GERMANY)

This set was released by Muratti cigarettes of Berlin and features sports and athletes of the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. There were over 700 cards in 3 subsets, with 2 basketball cards, one in Band II (released in 1935) and this far more rare Band III card featuring an image from the Olympic match between the Philippines and Mexico.  Measurements: 2.5" x 3.5"

1936 MUHLEN FRANCK OLYMPIA SERIE 20 #4 USA BASKETBALL (GERMANY)

Mühlen Franck was a coffee company in Berlin that also produced cards for the 1936 Olympics. This card featured the U.S.A. team and was in color, which many other German cards released for the games were not. The U.S.A. defeated Mexico in the final game to become the first team to win a gold medal in basketball. Measurements: 2.75" x 4.125"

1936 THEODOR GRÜNEIS PASSAU XI. OLYMPIADE BERLIN 1936, BILD NO. 17, BASKETBALLTURNIER, PHILLIPINEN VS MEXIKO (GERMANY)

I cannot find any information online for this set. I've inquired with other collector's and some have heard of it but never actually seen it before, so it is a very rare card indeed. I know that the set was released by Theodor Grüneis Tobacco of Passau, Germany in 1936. Like many German Berlin Olympic sets of that year, I assume the set consisted of a variety of athletes and games. This basketball card is number 17 in a series of 60 cards and features the 2nd round match between the Philippines vs Mexico on August 9th, 1936, in which the Philippines won 32-30. 
​Measurements: 1.75" x 2.625"

1936 BRAEMER & GULL OLYMPISCHEN SPIELEN #106 MEXICO VS PHILIPPINES (GERMANY)

Braemer & Gull was a press photo company and their 1936 Olympic set were numbered photo cards with blank backs. There was no accompanying album for the cards and they were released in packs. The set consisted of 204 cards, with this being the only basketball card and it featured the often used iconic image from the Philippines vs Mexico match.
​Measurements: 1.75" x 2.625"

1936 NESTLE SPORTS SERIE 20 #1 BASKETBALL (FRANCE)

This card was the only basketball card in a series of sports cards found in packs of Nestle's chocolates. The cards were made to be glued to an accompanying album,
​so finding one without residue is tough.  Measurements: 1.5" x 2.25"

1936 PET CREMER OLYMPIA #76 USA BASKETBALL (GERMANY)

Pet Cremer was a soap detergent company in Germany that also produced cards for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Their set consisted of 144 cards, with 1 being basketball that featured the U.S.A. team.  Measurements: 2.5" x 3.25"

1936 ED. HAAS DIE SIEGER DER OYLMPIADE BERLIN, NR. 72, BASKET-BALL (GERMANY)

Ed. Haas was a baking powder company in Germany that produced these cards for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. This was the only basketball card in the set of 128 cards and features the photo of The Philippines vs Mexico that was also used in other card releases. The Haas cards are one of the more rare German sets from 1936 and are smaller than most others. There is also a black bordered version of this #62, which is very rare.  Measurements: 1.625" x 2.375"

1936 REEMSTMA SAMMELWERK BAND 1&2 NR.13&14 CARDS #143 #156 #157 (GERMANY)

Reemstma released 2 sets (Band 1&2) of cards that were made to adhere to an accompanying album of the 1936 Olympic games. There were a total of 3 basketball cards in the 2 sets, with number #157 (Philippines vs Mexico) being larger than the other 2.  These cards seem to be the most common of the 1936 German Olympic cards.
​Measurements: 3.125" x 4.75" & 4.75" x 6.75"

1936 SIDOL-WERKE SIEGEL & CO, OLYMPIADE 1936, BILD 171, GRUPPE V, BASKETTBALL (GERMANY)

Sidol Werke was a German shoe polish company that released a 1936 Olympics set of 180 cards. This is the only basketball card and features the photo of The Philippines vs Mexico that was used in other releases as well. This set was in color, ​while most German releases were black and white.  Measurements: 2.5" x 3.5"

1936 SWISS SOMBOL ANTIQUE POCKET WATCH, SPECIALLY MADE FOR THE 1936 OLYMPIC GAMES IN BERLIN

The watches were awarded to the athletes who participated in the Olympic Basketball competition. The player this watch was gifted to is unknown. All original parts in working order.

ORIGINAL STEREOSCOPIC GLASS PLATES (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE), PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE 1936 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL TEAMS TRAINING FOR THE GAMES

These images were taken by Olympic Fencing Champion Jacques Coutrot, when he himself was training for the French Olympic Fencing team. Refer to images for the auction descriptions and provenance.

1938

LATE 1930s CHOCOLAT SAINTOIN ORLÉANS, BASKET-BALL NO. 49 (FRANCE)

There is very little information available on this set. I do know that the set included a variety of other sports including baseball, hockey, boxing, tennis, etc. I have not seen a card numbered higher than 50, so perhaps that's the total amount of cards included in the set. SGC did not assign a year to this release. My research found that the photo used for the baseball card was from 1936 and it is highly likely this photograph used on the basketball card was from a match in early 1938. ​My best guess is that this set was released in 1938-39.
Measurements: 2.375" x 3.75"

1938 PRESS PHOTOGRAPH OF THE FRENCH MILITARY PLAYING BASKETBALL ON HORSEBACK

1939

1939 EL GATO NEGRO, CROMOS CULTURAS, ALBUM TERCERO BALONCESTO CARD (SPAIN)

El Gato Negro (and later Bruguera) released the Cromos Cultura album and cards between 1939 and 1942. The albums featured a variety of subjects and sports. The third album (Tercero), had the only basketball card in the entire series. These are typically found adhered to the album, so finding one with a good back is difficult. Note: The border has been cut from my example. Measurements: 2.250" x 1.75"

1939 KEYSTONE VIEW COMPANY STEREOVIEW STEREOSCOPE PHOTO CARD OF A WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM IN ALLSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Keystone View Company was the world's largest stereographic company in the early 20th century. When stereoview production went down with the times, one of their employees, C.L. Cupp, started his own company, Keystone View Company of New England. His company produced Stereographs in the New England area until about 1947. It is rare to find stereoview images featuring basketball.