BASKETBALL CARDS, EPHEMERA & MEMORABILIA
​
1935 - 1949​

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. ​

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 upcoming 1936 Berlin Olympics.  This is the only basketball card in the set.  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

JAMES NAISMITH SIGNED ENVELOPE POSTMARKED JULY 19th, 1936

An envelope addressed and signed by James Naismith, the inventor of basketball (authenticated by PSA/DNA). Some significant notes about this piece:
1.) His signature is featured twice by the way in which he referred to his wife (Mrs. James Naismith)*
2.) His wife (at the time) was Maude Evelyn Sherman, who is seen here featured in a famous photograph about to shoot a basketball into a peach basket being held by Naismith. The other photograph, dated February 11th, 1936, shows the couple discussing the early years of basketball and their proposed trip to the Olympic Games in Berlin. His wife tragically died in March of 1937. Naismith got married again in June of 1939 but died just 5 months later of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 78. He was buried with his first wife, Maude, in Lawrence, Kansas.
3.) The envelope is postmarked from Glasgow, Scotland. Examples of Scottish letters from the 1930s confirm the same postmark. Although born in Canada, James Naismith had strong Scottish roots, with both his father and mother being born in Glasgow. Dr. Ross Walker, a researcher from the University of Scotland, has studied Naismith's history and found that Naismith considered himself Scottish, and as a child he lived in a Canadian Scottish community and spoke with a Scottish accent well into his adulthood. According to his research, Naismith was introduced to a game called duck-on-the-rock by his Scottish family, a game his father learned on the streets of Glasgow, and Naismith later said he used that game as the basis for the sport we all know as basketball. Perhaps he was visiting extended family members in Glasgow when he mailed this very letter.
​4.) Naismith was in Europe at this time because he was traveling to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. The games were to begin just 10 days after this letter was postmarked. This would be the first Olympics to feature basketball as an event. I can only imagine the pride and joy he must have felt to witness the game he invented 45 years earlier being recognized and played on the world's most prestigious athletic stage. He personally awarded the medals, with the gold going to America, on August 14th, 1936 after defeating Canada in the final.
5.) From all accounts I can find, Maude traveled with Naismith and attended the Olympic games with him. It leaves the question as to what correspondence or message was sent, as it seems it was addressed to her although she would of most likely been with him at this time. Perhaps it was a surprise letter? or a photograph or keepsake that she requested be sent back home.
​*There is also a possibility that this letter was written to his daughter in law, the wife of his youngest son, James Sherman Naismith. I include this as a possibility as his son had married in August of 1933.  Note: The envelope is addressed to 4015 Windsor Ave in Dallas, Texas, which I cannot confirm was Maude's primary residence of the time or that of his son. The back of the envelope has a return address of 1708 Mississippi St in Lawrence, KS, which is that of a residence a few blocks away from the University of Kansas, where Naismith was employed. I assume this was his residence while he was working at KU.
Measurements of envelope: 5.25” x 4.25”

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"

1936 YRAMOS DRESDEN SOMMER-OLYMPIADE SERIE E #64 PHILLIPINES VS MEXICO (GERMANY)

Yramos cigarettes was another issuer of 1936 Olympics cards and released two different series (E&F) dedicated to the summer Olympic games. This card (#64 in Series E) is the only card featuring basketball in either series and features a game between the Philippines and Mexico. This rare card uses the same image that is used on the even rarer 1936 Muratti cigarettes card.​Measurements: 3.5" x 4.75"

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 them before, it is considered to be the rarest of the 1936 German Olympics sports card releases. I've included an image of the only other card examples I could find from the set.  These cards were 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.

1937

JANUARY 27th, 1937 MADISON SQUARE GARDEN INTERCOLLEGIATE BASKETBALL SOUVENIR PROGRAM WITH NAISMITH & THE FIRST TEAM PHOTO COVER

Madison Square Garden Intercollegiate Basketball Souvenir Program, January 27th, 1937, cover photo of the very first Basketball Team with James Naismith from 1892.
The program features 2 games on that day, Springfield vs. St. Francis and Long Island U. vs. Tennessee with photos of the teams, players and statistics from other schools from previous games of the season. The original Basketball rules from January 15th, 1892 written by James Naismith is included on the last page.

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 #4 (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 (Baloncesto #4). These are typically found adhered to the album, so finding one with a good back is difficult. 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.

1930s/1940s FRENCH PENCIL BOX/CASE BY DÉPOSÉ

1930s/1940s GULF REFINING COMPANY SUPREME MOTOR OIL INK BLOTTER

1940

1940s WALT DISNEY COMICS R161 PANCHITO PLAYS BASKET BALL (U.S.A.)

There were 32 R161 Cards in the Walt Disney Comics set. They featured various Disney characters, with a lot of them playing sports. Panchito Plays Basket Ball
​is the only Basketball themed card in the set.  Measurement: 2.75" x 2.25"

1940s ENG KEE GO TAO CHINESE FIRECRACKER LABELS

Label reads: Eng Kee Go Tao, Basketball Ground, Trademark, Juanasan, Sole Agents, Mee San Hong, Importers, Exporters & Commission Agents, 204 Wing Lok St West, 2nd Floor, Hong Kong

1940 POSTCARD FRENCH GENERAL COMMISION FOR GENERAL EDUCTION & SPORTS RENE PELLOS 

THE ELKS MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 1940

1941

BASKETBALL - ITS ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT BY JAMES NAISMITH, FIRST EDITION 1941

Very rare 1941 First Edition of Dr. James Naismith's only complete book. Copyright by the International Committee of the YMCA and published by The Association Press. Basketball, It's Origins and Development includes stories of Naismith's childhood, what inspired the invention of Basketball, the refinement of the rules and development of equipment, and the growth of the sport throughout the world. This book was published posthumously, as Naismith died in 1939.

1941 CHESTERFIELD CIGARETTES ADVERTISEMENT FEATURING A WOMAN HOLDING A BASKETBALL ON THE GOLDEN JUBILEE

1944

1944 AGUILA COLECCIÓN, CULTURAS Y DEPORTES, SERIE 7, NO. 276 BASKET-BALL (URUGUAY)

Aguila Chocolates released the Culturas Y Deportes (Cultures & Sports) cards in 7 series for a total of 300 cards. This was the only basketball card and it was included in the 7th series of the set. These cards were meant to be glued into the accompanying Aguila Coleccion album and I assume they were distributed in packages of their chocolate. Measurement: 1.25" x 1.75"

1945

1945 ESQUIRE GREAT MOMENTS IN SPORTS ESKY CARD SET #14, CARD #2 HANK LUISETTI (U.S.A.)

The Esky Cards were sets of numbered jumbo postcards released in packs (pictured here) by Esquire Magazine in 1945. This #2 Hank Luisetti card was the only basketball card in their "Great Moments in Sports" set #14, which also notably included a Bobby Jones golf card. The image on the card is from the painting "Luisetti Scores Again" by James Bingham, which features Luisetti playing in a game at Madison Square Garden in 1936. The painting was also featured in Esquire Magazine in 1944.  There are only a couple graded examples of this card. Measurements: 4.5" x 7"

1940s COMIC BOOKS & PULP MAGAZINES FEATURING BASKETBALL

Sports Novels Magazine - Jan/Feb 1940 Basketball Cover

Jean et Paul Comic Book #231 November 16th 1941 Le Basket-Ball (France)

Dime Sports Magazine, February 1942 Basketball Cover

Supersnipe Comics Vol.3 No. 10, March 1947

Complete Sports Vol. 5 No. 3 March 1947

Real Sports Magazine Vol 1 No 8 January 1948 Basketball Cover and stories

True Sport Picture Stories Magazine vol. 4 no. 5 January February 1948 Basketball Plays

1949 Florita Comic Book #252 Baloncesto Ediciones Cliper (Spain)

LATE 1930s/EARLY 1940s POSTCARD FEATURING INTRAMURAL ATHLETISC AT CAMP BRECKINRIDGE IN MORGANFIELD, KENTUCKY

1945-46 POSTCARD FEATURING THE SENIOR BASKETBALL SQUAD AT BOY'S RANCH IN OLD TASCOSA, TEXAS

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1946

1946 & 1947 KELLOGG'S ALL-WHEAT SPORTS TIPS CARDS FC9-2 & FC9-3 (CANADA)

1946 (FROM SET 2)

1946 (FROM SET 2)

The Kellogg's All-Wheat Cards were released in 3 different sets in Canada in 1945-1947. Sports-Tips was one of the subsets and included various sports with images and instructions/tips on playing. There were a total of 7 Basketball cards, 2 in Set 2 & 5 in Set 3. Measurements: 1.75" x 2.5"

1946 SOUVENIR PROGRAM FOR THE JAMES H. NAISMITH BOYS INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT WITH ED ELBEL PORTRAIT OF NAISMITH ON COVER

1948

1948 CHICLES TABAY #A-43 BASKETBALL, ALBUM DEPORTIVO, REPORTAJES FOTOGRAFICAS (SPAIN)

Chicles Tabay was a Spanish Gum company and released this sports cards set from January 1948 through January 1949. They released 18 cards per month, the entire set consists of 234 cards, all depicting various sports. I believe this to be the only basketball card. There were 2 variations of the back, one with just an image of the pack of gum, the other with the image and text that included the name of the album. Measurements: 1.25" x 1.875"

1948 TOPPS MAGIC PHOTOS (U.S.A.)

*Some Magic Photos seem slightly rarer than others. All are rare in high grade condition.

The Topps Magic Photos set contained 252 cards broken into 19 different series, each designated by a different letter, and then numbered within that grouping. The front of these cards "magically" appeared when water was applied to them, and they got into the light, making each cards appearance vary slightly. ​There were a total of 11 basketball cards in the set, #1B - #6B & #1Q - #5Q. The DePaul Card (5Q) features George Mikan, an alternative rookie card to his 1948 Bowman true rookie card. Measurements: 0.875" x 1.5"

1948 BOWMAN BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)

The 1948 Bowman set was a milestone, as it was the first nationally distributed basketball card set. It consisted of 72 cards in two series of 36 cards apiece. 60 of the cards feature players, most notably (and most valuable) being #69, the George Mikan rookie card. The 12 other cards featured illustrations of different basketball plays.  The 2nd series cards (37-72) are a bit tougher to find because of lower circulation. The cards in the set typically had blue or red backgrounds, although there are more scarce gray background variations, due likely from a printing error. Measurements: 2.125" x 2.5"

1948-49 AMBOSIANA VS BOLOGNA HAND CUT CARD, UNKNOWN MAKER/UNCLASSIFIED  (ITALY)

I’ve searched but am unable to find examples of cards from this set, so not sure of the publisher. I’ve dated it to 1948-49 because another card (jockey on horse) from the same set mentions the Grand Steeple Chase in Milan on April 25th, 1948. The art/photo style and font are similar to that of the 1949-50 Nannina Futbol set, ​so perhaps Nannina was the publisher but not definitive. Measurements: 1.5" x 2"

1948-49 EXHIBITS SUPPLY COMPANY SPORTS CHAMPIONS 

Chicago's Exhibit Supply Company cards were meant to be sold in amusement parks and penny arcades. They were sold individually and not packaged with other cards, gum or tobacco, which was rather unusual. Exhibit Supply Co. (ESCO) released over 14,000 different cards between 1921 to the 1970s. This 1948 Sports Champions set consisted of 50 cards, 5 of which were basketball, including a "rookie" George Mikan card.   Measurements: 3.25" x 5.375"

1948-49 EXHIBITS SUPPLY COMPANY SPORTS CHAMPIONS "SLICKS" GLOSSY PAPER DISPLAY VARIATION

"Slicks" are paper versions of the Exhibit Supply cards produced on “slick” glossy paper. They served as exact replicas (same dimensions) of the typically thick postcard-like cards and were designed to be affixed to headers on the front of exhibit vending/arcade machines. ESCO likely produced them because paper is more cost-effective and lighter than cardboard. When manufacturing and mailing tens of thousands of these each year, every penny saved matters. It's unknown if "slick" variations were made of every card but they are far more rare than the standard card stock issue.  Measurements: 3.25" x 5.375"

1949

1949 W.M. LOWNEY CRACKER JACK V410 SPORT YESTERDAY & TODAY (CANADA)

This card set featured sports early on (yesterday) and their modern play (today). The exact date of the set is in dispute but most agree it was released in the mid to late 1940s. The cards were released and distributed by Lowney's in Canada ​under the Cracker Jack candy name. Measurements: 3" x 2.5"

1949-50 ALBUM FIGURITAS BICICLETA, CAMP DE BASQUET-BALL DISC CARDS (ARGENTINA)

I cannot find much information on this Argentinian album or the maker. Although this album primarily featured cyclists, it also included other sports, with a page dedicated to basketball that included 24 disc cards. Measurements: 

1949 EDITION OF THE INDIANA NEWS BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK FEATURING JAMES NAISMITH ON THE COVER

1949 FRENCH PROTEGE CASHIER NOTEBOOK PROTECTOR FEATURING GIRLS BASKET-BALL

1949 GALLINA BLANCA SERIE 126 #1 BALONCESTO (SPAIN)

The Gallina Blanca set was very large with 792 cards, 3 of which were basketball. The cards were meant to be adhered to an accompanying album (2.0 Gallina Blanca), so they are more difficult to find without glue or residue. Measurements: 1.5" x 2.125"

LATE 1940s/EARLY 1950s DUTCH KORFBAL (NETBALL) HOLLANDSCHE KASS CHEESE FOOD LABEL (HOLLAND)

LATE 1940s/EARLY 1950s ST. HONORE SUPER BISCOTTES SALEES (SHORTBREAD) FOOD LABEL (FRANCE)