Kahn's Wieners
Basketball Cards
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.
Kahn's Wieners was a meat processing and distribution company established in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company started as a simple retail meat market in 1883 and soon rose to one of the largest independent meat processing companies around. By the 1950s, Kahn's packaged hot dogs became a family favorite in kitchens and baseball stadiums across the country. Starting in 1955, Kahn's started inserting baseball cards (1 per package) into their packages of hot dogs as a marketing ploy. Basketball cards started two years later, in 1957, and continued until 1965. Their cards were distinguished by their striking black-and-white photography and action shots, with facsimile autographs of the players and Kahn's classic slogan, "The Wiener The World Awaited". The backs would include player bios, stories, tips or be simply blank, depending on the year of issue. The last two years of basketball releases (1964 & 1965) saw Kahn's changing the cards to color fronts without the facsimile auto or Khan's name and slogan.
Each year was focused on the regional team and players of the Cincinnati Royals, with the exception of Jerry West (from 1960-1963). West played with the Los Angeles Lakers, but is thought to have been added because he grew up in the region and was a big star in the league. Many legend Hall of Fame players of the Cincinnati Royals have their first or very early cards as Kahn's releases, including Jack Twyman, Maurice Stokes, Wayne Embry, Clyde Lovellette, Jerry Lucas and Oscar Robertson. This page is dedicated to my niche collection of Kahn's basketball cards and to my goal of completing every set from 1957 until 1965. Kahn's also released football cards and continued to release baseball cards until 1969.
The sets were seasonal, so the 1957 set is sometimes referred to as 1957-58, the 1965 set as 1965-66, etc. The years on my collection have been simplified for clarity. PSA labels using whole years, while SGC labels with seasonal years.
1957 was the first year that Kahn’s Weiners released basketball cards. There was 11 cards in this inaugural set, all of which were players on the Cincinnati Royals. There were 4 hall of famers featured: Clyde Lovellette, Maurice Stokes, Jack Twyman and Bob Wanzer. The cards featured black-and-white photos with facsimile autographs on the front. The backs featured “How to” basketball tips. These cards are difficult to find in good condition as they were released in hot dog packages and often have liquid residue. Measurements (approx.): 3.25” x 4”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1957
The 1958 Kahn’s Weiner set was the second basketball set that they released in their packages of hot dogs. There were only 9 cards in this set compared to the 11 in the previous year. Jack Twyman was the key card in the set this year. The cards still featured a black-and-white photograph and facsimile autograph of the players. The back of the cards contained a thought from the player on their “greatest thrill in basketball”. Since these cards were released in hot dog packaging, they are difficult to find in nice condition. Measurements (approx.): 3.25” x 4”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1958
The 1959 Kahn’s Weiner set was the 3rd year of their basketball cards and was back to 11 cards like the initial 1957 release. The Phil Jordan is a 1959 release, but it has not been officially recognized by PSA due to insufficient check listing and information, so the set is sometimes listed as only 10 cards. All the players were again Cincinnati Royals, including two hall of fame players, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman. Like the previous years, the cards featured black-and-white photographs with facsimile signatures on the front. The back of the cards featured a tip from the player. Measurements (approx.): 3.25” x 4”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1959
The 1960 Kahn's Wieners basketball set had a dozen cards. Eleven of these featured the usual Cincinnati Royals players, including stars from previous years, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman. True standouts in this year's set include the first card of Hall of Fame legend (and Cincinnati Royals) Oscar Robertson and the single non-Royals card and first card of Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame legend Jerry West. Many believe West was included in the set (and in the following years) because he grew up in the region and was a big star. Like the previous years, the cards featured black-and-white photographs with facsimile signatures on the front. The back of the cards included player statistics (except West) and biographies of the players.
Measurements (approx.): 3.25” x 4”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1960
The 1961 Kahn’s Weiner set was larger at 13 cards. This was the first year that they included the Cincinnati Royals coach, Charley Wolf, which is a difficult card to find. This is likely because collectors probably focused on the player cards, rather than the coach. Jerry West was included again, using the same photograph as the previous year. There was also the second year Oscar Robertson and other hall of famers Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman. Like the previous years, the cards featured black-and-white photographs, facsimile signatures and the Kahn's slogan on the front. The back of the cards were completely blank, the only blank-back release year of Kahn's basketball. Measurements (approx.): 3.25” x 4”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1961
1962 put the Kahn’s Weiner basketball set back to 11 cards in total. Many new photographs of the usual players were used and this was the first year that Kahn's featured horizontal shots of players in action from above. Jerry West was again the only non-Cincinnati Royal featured and his 3rd card had a unique photo and caption for a "stuff-shot" (dunk). Again, other notable players included Oscar Robertson, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman. The coach, Charley Wolf, also had his 2nd card that year. Like the previous years, the cards featured black-and-white photographs, facsimile signatures and the Kahn's slogan on the front. The back of the cards had player profiles and short bios (except for West). Measurements (approx.): 3.25” x 4”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1962
The 1963 Kahn's Wieners basketball cards are easy to distinguish as they are the only year Kahn's had a complete white border on the front. This years release was back up to 13 cards, with all being Cincinnati Royals except the last card they issued for Los Angeles Laker Jerry West, which was the same image as his "Stuff Shot" (dunk) card the year prior. The first ever card of Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas is included this year, along with the usual HOF'ers Oscar Robertson, Wayne Embry and Jack Twyman. TruLike the previous years, the cards featured black-and-white photographs with facsimile signatures on the front, although this year included the white border. The back of the cards included player statistics (except West) and biographies of the players. The cards were an eighth of an inch taller than in previous years. Measurements (approx.): 3.25” x 4.125”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1963
The 1964 Kahn's Wieners basketball set was their largest, with a total of 14 cards. Jerry West was no longer featured, so all the cards were Cincinnati Royals players. The cards were a departure from previous years as the fronts were full color photographs without any facsimile signature or text included. This year also featured 2 cards each for both Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas. The card backs came in two variations. Type I (cards 1-3) have light maroon-colored printing on the reverse, while Type II (cards 4-12) have black printing. The backs had player profiles, short bios, some statistics and included the Kahn's name and slogan. The 1964 cards were slightly smaller than in previous years. Measurements (approx.): 3” x 3.625”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1964
The 1965 Kahn's Wieners cards was their last basketball release and had only 4 cards. All 4 players were Hall of Famers - Jack Twyman, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas and Wayne Embry. The cards were similar to the 1964 release with full color fronts without text. The backs were also similar but done in a red text. Measurements (approx.): 3” x 3.625”
KAHN'S WIENERS BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
1965
