An Introduction to Pre-War & What Is The First Basketball Card?

Collecting vintage sports cards is typically fueled by feelings of nostalgia. These affections are not necessarily associated with just the memories of our own formative years, however, as many collectors are focused on cards released a generation or two before their own. I personally find myself intrigued by the initial history of sports cards, from their inception as simply marketing tools to their evolution in becoming cherished collectibles. This era is commonly referred to as pre-war, often defined as those cards created before 1939 (the beginning of World War II).

​A lot of attention has been drawn to the baseball cards of this period and the current market pricing and their desirability reflects that. For the collectors that pursue pre-war baseball, there is well established information, comparables and niche communities available online. It was my interest in these cards that eventually led my curiosity towards early examples of cards from other sports, principally the only major sport strictly rooted in the United States - Basketball.

At this point, I had a collection of vintage basketball cards that primarily consisted of the 1969 Topps set and the subsequent 1970s cards, with a few earlier 1957 Topps and even a couple 1948 Bowman. I had never even pondered earlier releases until the moment I found myself admiring some basketball cards from the 1933 Goudey Sport Kings set. This led to the question (and ensuing Google search) that changed the trajectory of my collection -“What was the first basketball card?”

​The answer to this question isn’t agreed upon 100 percent (including me), but the general consensus is that the first basketball card is the 1909 Murad T51 cigarette card featuring Williams College. The Murad set was produced by S. Anargyros Tobacco Company and released in their packs of Murad Turkish Cigarettes between 1909-1912. The T51 cards had an illustrated chromolithograph image that showed various athletes and sports with their accompanying colleges and universities. Released in a series of 6, at different times, the Murad set totaled 225 cards in all, with 4 cards (and their variations) that featured basketball.

​The first basketball card released in the set was Williams college, which came in 3 variations. Two variants were from the 1st edition, which is determined by the term “College Series 1 to 25” in the lower left corner of the card without any text to its right indicating a 2nd Edition. Of these two variants, there is one that has the number 14 listed in the lower right. This is the scarcer of the two 1st editions and the rarest of the Murad T51 basketball cards. The subsequent 2nd edition Williams College, as well as the Murad basketball cards from Northwestern University (2 editions), Luther College and Xavier College are all part of the same set but the honor of the 1st basketball card goes to the Williams 1st edition, as it was the first to be released. Two larger T6 versions of the Williams card were also produced, although released after the smaller T51.

​Now we'll focus on the other two contenders for the “first” basketball card. The first is the 1899 J.L. Prescott Enameline paper doll featuring a boy in Wesleyan University attire holding a basketball. Enameline was a stove polish brand that released these paper dolls that featured children playing a variety of sports in the late 1890’s. The best estimate of release date is 1899. The Wesleyan doll has been determined to be a basketball given the fact that a football is already included with the Yale doll in the series and the Wesleyan ball is not a rugby ball. The real debate is whether or not the Enameline doll can be considered a card at all.

The second contender is also debatable as to whether or not it is an actual card (but not with me). The 1903 Joseph Tetlow College Series is a trade card depicting Princeton University women playing basketball and was released and distributed with Tetlow Facial Powder. The card is presumed to be Princeton as the other cards in the series all depicted only Ivy League schools and the "P" and colors were what Princeton used at the time. The controversy with this being the actual “first” card is that Princeton did not yet have a women's basketball team at the time, so this image isn’t of an actual team. The trade card is also oversized, which some may argue disqualifies it. Purists note that the Murad’s size, and most notably that they feature an actual team, make it the true first basketball card. I actually tend to consider this Tetlow card the first actual basketball card, although I’m most likely in the minority on this opinion.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 1894 Z9 McLaughlin's Coffee Doll, but have removed it from contention as it's still debatable as to whether this is a basketball at all. The McLaughlin family did release a guide in 2012 recording the series and dates of their dolls and trade cards and refers to this 5th series release as a basketball (click on the image to enlarge/read). There is no way to confirm if this was an actual known fact or if they were simply trying to take credit for the first known depiction. If it is a basketball, it would also be debated as a card, similar to the Enameline, but a very early basketball collectible nonetheless. 

The American issued "cards" I've mentioned here are the only real contenders for this title, as I've yet to find a foreign card the predates 1920. I personally consider the 1903 Joseph Tetlow Princeton card the first true basketball card, but understand those who argue that it is indeed the 1909 Murad Williams College card. The debate will continue, likely forever. :)