MID CENTURY CARDS
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1946 & 1947 KELLOGG'S ALL-WHEAT SPORTS TIPS CARDS FC9-2 & FC9-3 (CANADA)
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 (seen here) with the image and text that included the name of the album. Measurements: 1.25" x 1.875"
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1948 TOPPS MAGIC PHOTOS (U.S.A.)
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. Measurements: 0.875" x 1.5" |
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" |
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 GALLINA BLANCA SERIE 126 #1 BALONCESTO (SPAIN)
195O CHOCOLATES AMATLLER JUEGOS OLIMPICOS, ALBUM 1, #17 PARTIDO DE BALONCESTO (SPAIN)
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 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 MOTTE CORDONNIER - LES SPORTS PAR LES IMAGES (FRANCE)
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" |
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 ANNÉES 50 A TRAVERS LES SPORTS #38, BASKET-BALL: LA BALLE AU PANIER (FRANCE)
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"
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1953 EDITORIAL FHER SPORT MAGICO #63 HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS (SPAIN)
1954 QUAKER SPORTS & ODDITIES BY JIMMY DAVIS CARDS (U.S.A.)
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 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)
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" |
1958 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 are typically depicted as released in 1958, although later dates of 1960-61 have been used by collectors and grading companies.
Measurements: 2.5" x 3.5" |
1959 CASA CRACK FULBITO DE HISTORIA Y DEPORTES (ARGENTINA)
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.)
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" |
1960 LIAM DEVLIN & SONS LTD, RIGHT OR WRONG #45 BASKET BALL (IRELAND)
Liam Devlin and Sons was an Irish candy company that primarily made candy cigarettes. The Right or Wrong card set consisted of 48 cards, all featuring various sports. The front of the cards would show a player(s) doing a particular sporting move or play and the back of the card would briefly explain if what they were shown doing was the right or wrong way. Measurements: 2.25" x 3.125"
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1960 MIO SPORT LOCATELLI #11 PALLACANESTRO (ITALY)
MIO was an Italian cheese company that occasionally released cards. The date of 1960 was determined by finding listings for the empty boxes that included these cards, with the same font and design, with 1960 being listed as the year in all descriptions. The back of the card mentions the invention of the game in America and briefly discusses the rules.
Measurements: 1.75" x 1.5" |
1961 WHEATIES GREAT MOMENTS IN CANADIAN SPORT #9 EDMONTON GRADS (CANADA)
1962 CHOCO BN CARD, TAKE PART IN THE COMPETITION #3 LONDON 1948 (FRANCE)
These cards were published Le Journal de Spirou, and removed from the comic section Histoires de l'oncle Paul between March and September of 1962.
This is image #3 of a series of 12 hand cut cards, it is unknown if there are any other basketball cards in the series. Measurements: 2" x 5" (card only) |
1962 EDITORIAL ROMA BARCELONA EL MUNDO EN QUE VIVIMOS, DEPORTES Y COMPETICIONES #17 BALONCESTO (SPAIN)
El Mundo en que Vivimos was a collection of 8 albums of cards that all featured different themes. Sports was featured in the 8th album, Deportes y Competiciones, which included this one basketball card. Each album included 24 cards and were meant to be hand cut from folded covers of the album and then to be glued inside the album to their corresponding spot . The basketball card was #17 in the Deportes subset and #185 in the entire Vivimos set of 192 cards.
Measurements: 2" x 2.75" |
1962 DICKSON ORDE & CO LTD., SPORTS OF THE COUNTRIES #12 BRAZIL (U.K.)
1963 KTAV PUBLISHING JEWISH SPORTS CHAMPIONS HAND CUT CARDS (U.S.A.)
1963 GAD FUN CARDS #76 NEW YORK GERMANS (U.S.A.)
The 1963 Gad Fun Cards were issued by a sports illustrator named Gad from Minneapolis, Minnesota. A sports cartoon was on the front of the card accompanied by a sports fact or statistic. The back of the card contained another unrelated cartoon with a joke or riddle. There were 84 cards in the set, with just one (#76) featuring basketball.
Measurements: 2.5" x 3.5" |
1960s VARI-VUE LENTICULAR FLICKER CARD A S-18 (U.S.A.)
1964 RUIZ ROMERO OLIMPIADA DE TOKIO #161 BALONCESTO (SPAIN)
There were 298 cards in this set that all featured Olympic games and sports from the 1964 games. This is the only card that features basketball to the best of my knowledge. These were typically glued to an accompanying album,
so they are difficult to find in nice condition. Measurements: 1.875" x 3" |
1964 NESTLE LOS JUEGOS OLIMPICOS TOKIO 1964 #306 BALONCESTO (SPAIN)
1964 BRUGUERA ENCICLOPEDIA DESPORTIVA COLECCION DE 250 CROMOS (SPAIN)
1964 LAMBERTS OF NORWICH SPORTS & GAMES #22 NETBALL (U.K.)
1965 JENKKI GUM HELLAS OLYMPOS #144 TEAM U.S.A. 1964 OLYMPICS CARD (SWEDEN)
1966 KONGA DEPORTE Y PREMIOS (SPAIN)
Konga was a Spanish soda company and they produced this 264 card set featuring various popular sports that was distributed with their products. The majority of the cards featured soccer but there were 11 basketball cards as well. These typically have residue on the back as they were often glued to the accompanying album.
Measurements: 1.5" x 2.375" |
1966 EDICIONES INFANTILES CRACK CAMPEONATO MUNDIAL LONDRES 66 (URUGUAY)
The Londres 66 set consisted of around 400 cards that featured various sports including basketball.
The exact number of basketball cards is unknown but I've compiled 10 examples thus far. These were typically glued to their accompanying album, so they are difficult to find in nice condition. Measurements: 1.125" x 1.75" |
1967 NESTLE EL DEPORTE VISTO POR SUS ASES BALONCESTO
The El Deporte Visto Por Sus Ases featured 12 different sports, all of which had their own small album to accompany them.
Baloncesto was album #3 and there were 24 basketball cards in total (all shown here). These can be more difficult to find without residue, loose from an album. Measurements: 2.25" x 1.5" |
1966-67 BAGGIOLI PALLACANESTRO FIGURINA CARDS (ITALY)
There is not much information online about this set but they initially came in sheets and were meant to be hand-cut into cards.
The football cards came in team specific sheets, I assume the basketball cards were similar but the exact number of basketball cards is unknown. Measurements: 1.75" x 2.375" |
1967-68 PANINI CAMPIONI DELLO SPORT PALLACANESTRO COMPLETE SUBSET (ITALY)
The 1967 Panini Campioni Dello Sport Cards were a 534 card set featuring a variety of different sports.
There were 51 total basketball cards in the set (all seen here). These cards can be more common to find, although they often come with residue on the back as they were meant to be glued into an album. Measurements: 1.625" x 2.625" |
1968 CHOCOLATES SULTANA HISTORIA DE LOS JUEGOS OLIMPICOS COLECCION DE 72 FOTOCROMOS (SPAIN)
1968 EDICIONES CRACK DIDACTICA Y DEPORTIVA FUTBOL CRACKITO (URUGUAY)
The Futbol Crackito collection consisted primarily of soccer cards but also included cards of notable historic figures, illustrated cards, and a few other sports. The album was large, with hundreds of cards, that had a diverse array of different designs and shapes.
The number of basketball cards is unknown. There is an example of 2 joined cards that together create an image of the USA Olympic Basketball team. Measurements: 1.5" x 1.875" |
1968 CONTAMOS CONTIGO PROMOCION DEPORTIVA (SPAIN)
1968 VICTORIA PARADE DES VEDETTES ALBUM 2 (BELGIUM)
There were a total of 13 Basketball cards in this Album #2 set of 208 total cards. Album #1 was released 3 years earlier,
in 1965 and also featured 13 Basketball players. These were meant to be adhered to an accompanying album, so finding them without residue is more difficult. Measurements: 1.675" x 2.5" |
1968 FHER/DETERGENTE WILCO LAVANDO, YO DESCANSANDO (SPAIN)
These Fher issued cards were released in Wilco Laundry Detergent boxes. There were 4 subsets of 40 cards each, for a total of 160 cards. The sets came in 4 colors with the color green representing the sports series. The 40 card green set featured a variety
of sports including 3 basketball cards (all seen here). Measurements: 1.5" x 2.5" |
1968 JUEGOS OLIMPICOS DIFUSORA DE CULTURA (SPAIN)
This was a multi-sport set that consisted of 240 total cards. The exact number of basketball cards is unknown but does
include cards of the Harlem Globetrotters and the USA Olympic basketball team. These were often glued to their album, so they are difficult to find without residue. Measurements: 2.75" x 4" |
1969-70 PANINI CAMPIONI DELLO SPORT PALLACANESTRO COMPLETE SUBSET (ITALY)
The 1969 Panini Campioni Dello Sport Cards were a 436 card set featuring a variety of different sports. There were 40 total basketball cards in the set (all seen here). These cards can be more common to find, although they often come with
residue on the back as they were meant to be glued into an album. Measurements: 1.125" x 1.625" |
1969-70 PANINI CAMPIONI DELLO SPORT VIGNETTA AUTOADESIVA (ITALY)
The Campioni Dello Sport set of 1969-70 also had subsets of Vignetta Autoadesiva (self-adhesive stickers), that included team sports, metallic coat of arms, and illustrations of individual athletes of various sports (seen here).
There were 2 basketball player stickers included in the illustrated athlete stickers. Measurements: 1.125" x 2.625" |