|
MID CENTURY CARDS
|
195O CHOCOLATES AMATLLER JUEGOS OLIMPICOS, ALBUM 1, #17 PARTIDO DE BALONCESTO (SPAIN)
|
|
Amatller chocolates was a known card maker but I there is not much information on the set or album this card came from. There is a mention on the back of
redeeming missing cards from your collection. Measurements: 2.875" x 1.675" 
|
195O LAVAZAA AVVENEMENTI SPORTIVI #2 HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS (ITALY)
|
|
There were only 6 cards in the 1950 Lavazaa Avvenementi Sportivi set, one of which featured the Harlem Globetrotters. The player depicted is unknown and
is missing the "H" from Harlem on his jersey. Measurements: 2.75" x 4.25" 
|
1950 EDITORIAL MOVAL COLECCION RECREO LOS DEPORTES #17 BALONCESTO (SPAIN)
|
|
The Coleccion Recreo set consisted mostly of Futbol cards but a few were dedicated to other sports. This is the only example of a basketball from that set that I have seen. Measurements: 1.675" x 2.125"
|
1951 LES BELLES IMAGES DE VÉRONIQUE ET JEAN-PAUL, TOUS LES SPORTS, LE BASKET-BALL - UN PANIER, CHOCOLATERIE DE L'UNION (FRANCE)
|
|
Les Belles Images was a French set and album by Chocolaterie L'Union that consisted of 192 cards that were broken into section by topic. There were 2 sections dedicated to sports that had a total of 36 combined. This is the only basketball card in the set.
The cards were meant to be adhered to an album, so finding them without glue or residue can be difficult. Measurements: 2.625" x 2" 
|
1951 CHOCOLAT LOMBART PLAISIRS DES SPORTS SERIE E #5 BASKETBALL (FRANCE)
|
|
Plaisirs Des Sports was a French set and album by Chocolat Lombart that included 155 cards of various sports broken into series (A thru M). There are at least 2 basketball cards in the set. The cards were meant to be adhered to an album,
so finding them without glue or residue can be difficult. Measurements: 2" x 2.75" 
|
1951 WHEATIES CHAMPIONS HAND-CUT GEORGE MIKAN "MR. BASKETBALL" (U.S.A.)
|
|
In 1951, Wheaties produced Series 85 D-D small boxes of Whole Wheat Flakes that featured a Multi-Sport Champions image of 6 different athletes. George Mikan was the one (and only) featured basketball player. These miniature boxes are ideally best collected in whole and flattened out, but the example here is one that was
hand-cut from the panel into the shape of a card. Measurements: 2.5" x 3.25" 
|
1951 ALBOSPORT EDITRICE DIDASCO CARDS (ITALY)
|
|
|
There was a massive 675 cards in the Didasco set and they featured a variety of popular sports at the time. There were 15 total basketball cards, the majority of which showing Italian matches vs. other world teams. There are 3 cards that feature the Harlem Globetrotters. Two of them are of the team and one is a solo card for one-armed Globetrotter, Boyd Buie,
which I believe is the only card ever featuring him as a player. Measurements: 1.25" x 1.5" |
|
1951-52 DENIA DEPORTIVOS T-1 VICTOR MARIO INSTRUYE (PUERTO RICO)
|
|
The Denia Deportivos set consisted of 384 cards featuring various sports and was produced by Denia S.A. Compania Anonima, a powdered milk company. These cards and there corresponding album are incredibly rare and hard to find in good condition.
There were 34 basketball cards in the set, released in two lettered series, K (18 cards) & T (16 cards). Measurements: 1.625" x 2.5" 
|
1952 CHOCOLAT L'AIGLON #48 HARLEM GLOBE-TROTTERS (BELGIUM)
|
|
|
|
|
There are 3 basketball cards in the 50 card Chocolat L'Aiglon set, the remaining all featuring other sports.
These were produced with an accompanying album, so many examples have residue on the back. Measurements: 5.25" x 3.375" |
|
1952 OLYMPIA-SAMMELBILDER XV. HELSINKI SUMMER GAMES #89 CHILE VS. BRAZIL (HAND CUT) (GERMANY)
|
|
The cards from this set were printed on paper and hand cut into individual cards. It is unknown how many cards are in the set but this is the only one featuring basketball that I've seen. There were a variety of 6 advertisers listed as publishers on the back of these cards, so examples will vary.
Measurements: 2.375" x 3.625" 
|
1952 MOTTE CORDONNIER - LES SPORTS PAR LES IMAGES (FRANCE)
|
|
|
|
|
The Les Sports Par Les Images set consisted of 271 cards featuring a variety of different sports. There were 22 total
basketball cards included. The back of the cards were sponsored, so the advertisements on these vary. Measurements: 2.75" x 2" |
|
1952 QUIZ CALENDARIO #144 PALLACANESTRO (ITALY)
|
|
Little is known about the Quiz Calendario set and how many cards were included in it, although I have seen examples with numbers as high as the mid 300's. The set consisted of a variety of sports, athletes and famous actors of the era. This is the only known copy of a basketball (pallacanestro) card, so I'm not sure if there are any more in the set.
The player featured on the card remains unknown. Measurements: 1.75" x 2.25" 
|
1952 WHEATIES MULTI-SPORT (HAND CUT) BASKETBALL CARDS (U.S.A.)
|
|
The Wheaties card set consisted of 30 athletes from various sports and were hand cut from the blue backs of Wheaties boxes. There were 3 basketball players featured including George Mikan (not pictured) that each had a portrait card and an in-action card for a total of 6 basketball cards in the set.
Measurements: 2" x 2.75" 
|
EARLY 1950s EDITORIAL ROLLAN F.B.I. ALBUM DE CROMOS #41 BASKETBALL (SPAIN)
|
|
This 200 card set was named the Federal Bureau of Investigation Sticker Album. It's cards featured FBI agents out in the field, doing forensic and lab work and even playing sports. This is the only basketball card in the set. These can be hard to find unglued as they typically are found adhered to their accompanying album.
Measurements: 1.75" x 2.5" 
|
1952 KOSMOS-ZIGARETTENBILDER OLYMPISCHE SPIELE HELSINKI #195 (GERMANY)
|
|
The Kosmos tobacco company released this 200 card set featuring athletes and sports from the 1952 Olympic games in Helsinki. There were 2 basketball cards in the set, #4 featuring Clyde Lovellette towering over Mehmod Mamdjou and #195 featuring the Basketball final between Russia & America (also showing Lovellette).
Measurements: 2.875" x 4.25" 
|
1952 OLYMPIA QUARTETT #5D PLAYING CARD, MANNSCHAFTSSPIELE BASKETBALL BY BIELEFELDER SPIELKARTEN G.M.B.H. (GERMANY)
|
|
This card was part of a card playing game that featured summer sports that commemorated the 1936 Olympic Games. There were 48 cards in total.
Measurements: 2.5" x 4" 
|
1952 ANNÉES 50 A TRAVERS LES SPORTS #38, BASKET-BALL: LA BALLE AU PANIER (FRANCE)
|
|
The Travers Les Sports cards were a set of 50 and featured a variety of different sports. They were made to adhere to the Cafe Jihair album,
so finding them without residue may be difficult. Measurements: 3.75" x 2.375" 
|
1952/53 MAPLE LEAF GUM PLAYING CARDS - EMILE KETS & JEF EYGEL (BELGIUM)
|
|
I'm unable to find examples with the exact same back as these playing cards but Emile Kets & Jef Eygel competed in the 1948 and 1952 Olympic games. I assume these playing cards were produced shortly thereafter. Similar Maple Leaf cards featuring athletes from the 1950s can be found but these are the only basketball examples I've seen. Measurements: 2.25" x 3.5"
|
1953 EDITORIAL FHER SPORT MAGICO #63 HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS (SPAIN)
|
|
The Fher Magico Cards were 3-D, meant to give a dimensional effect when looked at with blue and red 3-D glasses. There were 128 cards in the set featuring various sports.
The Harlem Globetrotters card (#63) is the only basketball card. Measurements: 2.5" x 3" 
|
1954 VEB VOLKSKUNSTVERLAG XV. OLYMPISCHE SOMMERSPIELE HELSINKI NO. 72 - SOVIET UNION VS. URUGUAY (EAST GERMANY)
|
|
This is card 72 out of a 100 card set published by Der Volkseigenen Zigarettenindustrie (The nationally owned cigarette industry) featuring various athletes and games from the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. These cards were meant to be adhered to the XV. Olympische Sommerspiele album by Veb Volkskunstverlag. This is the only basketball card that I'm aware of from the set, I'm unsure if there are others.
Measurements: 2.25" x 3.125" 
|
1954 QUAKER SPORTS & ODDITIES BY JIMMY EVANS CARDS (U.S.A.)
|
|
|
|
The Sports Oddities were distributed in boxes of Quaker Cereal and the entire set consisted of 27 cards.
There were a total of 4 basketball cards in the set. These cards took a Ripley's Believe it or Not approach with their odd but true stories on the back of the cards. Measurements: 3.5" x 2.25" |
|
1954 CAJA DE AHORROS DE ASTURIAS, CROMOS CULTURALES, SERIE 5, NO. 15 BALONCESTO - PARTIDO MEJICO-ITALIA, EN LA OLIMPIADA DE BERLIN (SPAIN)
|
|
Caja De Ahorros De Asturias was a Savings Bank in Oviedo, Spain. They gave out these cards to children every time they put a peseta (coin) into their savings account. The cards were meant to be glued into an accompanying album, Album de Cultura y Arte. The set consisted of 15 Series of 20 cards each for a total of 300 cards. The 5th series was sports and included this one basketball card (#15) with a famous image of a match between Mexico & Italy in the 1936 Olympics. The same image was used on many 1936 Olympic German card releases.
Measurements: 1.50" x 2.125" 
|
mid 1950s HUMOR SPORT FERRERO BASKETBALL CARD (ITALY)
|
|
This set consists of 15 cards and features various sports like soccer, football, hockey and this single basketball card. The Italians commonly used balls like this during the era that somewhat resemble a volley ball. I've seen the cards listed anywhere between
1953 and 1958, so I'll just consider them a mid 50s release. Measurements: 1.75" x 1.375" 
|
1955 BISCOTTES A. LESPEAU SPORTS D'EQUIPE (FRANCE)
|
|
|
|
|
The Sports D'Equipe set had 140 cards of various sports. There are around 40 basketball cards
but the exact numberis unknown as I have yet to find a complete checklist. Measurements: 3" x 2.25" |
|
1955 NABISCO SPORTS CARDS (CANADA)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There were a total of 70 cards in the 1955 Nabisco Sports Cards set. They featured a variety of sports including basketball.
These cards were hand cut and are difficult to find in high grade condition. Measurements: 2.875" x 1.875" |
|
1955 BLUE BAND 40 SPORTEN EN SPELEN IN WOORD EN BEELD #20 BASKETBALLWEDSTRIJD, NEDERLANDS-LUXEMBURG (NETHERLANDS)
|
|
Blue Band was a Dutch Margarine company that released this set of 150 sports cards. This was the only basketball card in the set and features a match between the Nederlands and Luxemburg teams. The cards were meant to be glued into an accompanying album, so examples may include residue if they were ever pasted to one.
Measurements: 2.375" x 3.5" 
|
1955 EDITORIAL BRUGUERA CAMPOENES (SPAIN)
|
|
There was almost 200 cards released in Bruguera magazine that were in this set. They included a variety of sports, including basketball, the total number of basketball cards
is unknown. These were meant to be adhered to an album, so they are hard to find with clean backs. Measurements" 1.125" x 1.675" 
|
1950s SOLO MATCH WORKS #24 BASKETBALL CARD LABEL (CZECHOSLOVAKIA)
|
|
These matchbox labels are actually a miniature card set made up of 24 cards depicting different sports. The last card in the set (#24) is the only Basketball card. The images from this set are commonly found in reproduction prints and apparel.
Measurements: 1.25" x 1.75" 
|
1956 TOPPS HOCUS FOCUS SPORTS THRILLS #107 BASKETBALL (U.S.A.)
|
|
The Hocus Focus 126 multi-sport set was very similar to the 1948 Topps Magic photos, in that the cards needed to be wet and exposed to sunlight in order for the image to be revealed. The Hocus Focus cards are much rarer than the Magic photos and are typically found underexposed and in rough condition.
Number 107 is the only basketball card in the multi-sport set. Measurements: 1" x 1.625" 
|
1956 ADVENTURE GUM PRODUCTS, INC #8 (U.S.A.)
|
|
The Adventure card set depict a variety of sports and there is only one basketball card in the set. The reverse gives a quick description of the game.
Measurements: 2.5" x 3.5" 
|
1956 CASA CRACK FIGURITAS SPORT DISCS (ARGENTINA)
|
|
These disc cards were made to be adhered to the Album Gigante De Figuritas Sports.
The set was 367 cards, 27 of which were basketball. These are very difficult to find in great condition. Measurements: 1.5" diameter 
|
1956 OLYMPIAD MELBOURNE COLE SWAP BASKETBALL CARD (AUSTRAILIA)
|
|
These Australian cards featured illustrations of Olympic sports. The number of cards
in the set is unknown. There are two basketball swap cards, the much rarer depicting women playing the game. Measurements: 2.25" x 3.5" 
|
1956-57 CAFÉ CHARLIE C, SÉRIE 2 (CHAMPIONS SPORT), NO. 3 - ROBERT MONCLAR (FRANCE)
|
|
Cafe Charlie was a coffee and wine company that produced these cards to be adhered to an accompanying album. There were 12 series in the set, containing 8 or 16 cards per series, the total amount of cards in the set is unknown. The 2nd series, Champions Sport, had 8 cards with 1 featuring the basketball player Robert Monclar. Robert Monclar was a famous French basketball player, competing in the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympic games. He was inducted into the French Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.
Measurements: 2.3125" x 3.125" 
|
1957 STOŽER SPORT KROZ VEKOVE KOŠARKA (BASKETBALL) CARDS (YUGOSLAVIA)
|
|
|
|
Stožer published this Bosnian language sports album and cards that advertised Zvečevo food products. It was released in Belgrade, in the now dissolved country of Yugoslavia. The set featured various Olympic sports and games and consisted of 250 cards, 3 of which were basketball (all pictured here). These cards were meant to be adhered to the album, so finding them without residue is extremely rare.
Measurements: 2.25" x 1.5" |
|
1957 BISCOTTES GRÉGOIRE SPORT ET DANSE #31 BASKETT-BALL (FRANCE)
|
|
Grégoire was a French biscuits company that produced this sports and dance album. The set consisted of 120 cards and featured one basketball card, #31. You were able to send in duplicate cards (2 for 1) to trade for ones you still needed.
Measurements: 3.175" x 2.375" 
|
1958 FERD. PIATNIK & SOHNE WIEN XIV No. 294 SPORTS QUARTET #5D BALL GAMES, BASKETBALL (AUSTRIA)
|
|
The Piatnik Sport Kwartet set had 9 series of 4 cards, for a total of 36 cards,
just one of which featured basketball (#5D) Measurements: 2.75" x 4.25" 
|
1959 HEINERLE DIE KLEINE REGELECK BASKETBALL HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS CARDS (GERMANY)
|
|
|
|
|
The Heinerle set consisted of sports teams and stars including Pele and Sugar Ray Robinson. The 2 basketball cards featured the Harlem Globetrotters, one with Curly Neal, the other with Meadowlark Lemon. These cards were both likely released in 1959, although both 1958 and 1960-61 have been used by SGC grading.
Measurements: 2.5" x 3.5" |
|
1959 CASA CRACK FULBITO DE HISTORIA Y DEPORTES (ARGENTINA)
|
|
These oval shaped disc cards were part of a larger set depicting all types of sports, primarily soccer. The exact number of basketball cards and the number of cards
in the entire set is unknown as I've yet to find a checklist. Measurements: 1.25" x 1.75" 
|
1959 BLUE CAP CHEESE FLIXIES SPORT SERIES #7 BASKET BALL (U.K.)
|
|
The Blue Cap Cheese Company released these sets in the 1950s and they are similar to slides, most likely made to be projected with light onto a surface to enlarge.
There were 12 subsets released, each with 12 cards. The Sports series included one Basketball card, # 7, seen here. Measurements: 1.375" x 1.5" 
|
1959 COMET SWEETS OLYMPIC ACHIEVEMENTS #12 BASKETBALL (U.K.)
|
|
These cards were released by Comet Sweets Cigarettes before the 1960 Olympic games. There were 50 cards in 2 sets that depicted different Olympic achievements up
until that point. Number 12 is the only basketball card in the set. Measurements: 1.375" x 2.5" 
|
1950s FATHER FLANAGAN'S PLAYING CARD, 6 OF DIAMONDS - BASKETBALL, BOYS TOWN, NEBRASKA (U.S.A.)
|
|
Father Flanagan's boys' home was founded in 1917 to help children in need and provide them programs and services. Boys Town village is located just outside of Omaha, Nebraska. These playing cards feature activities of the children and I believe
this is the only example of basketball in the deck. Measurements: 2.5" x 3.5" 
|
1950s/1960s SCHOOL SPORTS CARDS (FRANCE)
|
|
The French school system gave out cards to students throughout the 1950s and 1960s. They often featured sports (including basketball) and rarely had a makers mark on them, so the manufacturer is nearly impossible to determine most of the time.
I've come to refer to these types of cards as simply "French school cards" and will continue to add examples as I find more. The rarity of these cards varies but I do believe they are rather common. Measurements: varies. 
|
1959 CHOCOLAT AIGUEBELLE LA PROMENADE ENCHANTÉE #115 BASKET-BALL (FRANCE)
|
|
The La Promenade Enchantée set consisted of 144 cards featuring a variety of different sports. This is the only basketball card. These cards were meant to be glued to a corresponding album, so they are more difficult to find without residue on the back. You could send in completed albums for prizes or toys.
Measurements: 2.25" x 3.125" 
|
1959 LA SEINE ET OISE MON DÉPARTEMENT, VIVE LE SPORT NO. 77 BASKET-BALL (FRANCE)
|
|
This set was produces by the Departmental Coordination Committee for the expansion of Seine-et-Oise trade (La Seine et Oise is a region of France). There were 128 cards in the set and this is the only basketball card to my knowledge. The subset is Vive Le Sport and I'm not sure how many sports cards are in the series. These were meant to be adhered to an accompanying album that included a form for exchanging cards and a list of the local businesses in which to obtain them. These are particularly rare, especially without residue on the reverse.
Measurements: 3" x 2.125" 
|