Basketball Cards & Memorabilia

circa 1920 LA SUD AMERICANA BARAJA FANTASIA SPORTS BASKET-BALL PLAYING CARDS (SPAIN)

The Baraja (Deck of Cards) Fantasia game playing cards were released as a variety of sets with different backs. Variations included a full black & white landscape image, an all-blue illustrated image or a full color illustrated image. There were two sets, “Futbol” & “Sports”, that had the full color illustrated backs with a lower section dedicated to advertising. This section was typically advertising Spanish chocolate companies but are also found blank, without any advertiser listed. Both of these sets consisted of 48 cards.

The Fantasia Futbol set featured only foot-ball and the Sports set featured a variety of sports including Foot-ball, Tennis, Rowing, etc and included a total of four Basket-ball cards: 9,10,11 & 12 of Clubs. These cards are very scarce, with only a handful of examples known to exist. The exact date of the cards is unknown but the consensus is around 1920.

Measurements: 2.5” x 3.5”

1919-22 SPALDING'S ATHLETIC LIBRARY - OFFICIAL BASKET BALL GUIDES

1921-22 THE "WONDER FIVE" BASKETBALL TEAM TRADE CARD ADVERTISING MARION, INDIANA (U.S.A.)

SCIENTIFIC BASKETBALL BY NAT HOLMAN, FIRST EDITION 1922 (SOFTBACK)

Released initially in soft cover only, Nat Holman's 1922 book, Scientific Basketball, is an important historical work that captures the formation and systems of the game in it's early years. The first edition is hard to come by but the book is still being republished today for it's insight and significance.

BASKET BALL FOR MEN, BOOK BY WALTER E. MEANWELL

circa 1923 BASCHETT-BALL #1 UNA FASE EMOZIONANTE CARD (AN EXCITING PHASE), UNKNOWN PUBLISHER (ITALY)

1923-24 DEPORTES COLECCION DE 100 CROMOS #99 BASKET-BALL (DIMAS ALONSO CHOCOLATES) (SPAIN)

I have yet to find any comparables for this card. It is the first time I have seen the word "Baschett-Ball". I was only able to find one example of this term used for the game, it was in the June 1923 issue of L'Araldo Abruzzese, referring to a match between the national boarding school and Stamura Ancona. I'm guessing this card is of that era as the term Palla Al Cesto was commonly used in most mid 1920s examples.

Measurements: 2" x 1.375"

This is the only basketball card in the Deportes Coleccion De 100 set. There were different manufacturers making these cards & a variety of businesses advertised on the back, in this case Dimas Alonso, a chocolate and sugar company. This is the highest graded example of this card.

Measurements: 2.375" x 3.375"

1923 WINCHESTER OFFICIAL BASKETBALL SCORE BOOK NO. 3944

This rare score book includes "Five Goal Scoring Basketball Plays" with images, 20 score cards for games (all unused) and advertisements for Winchester basketball equipment. Measurements: 5.75" x 9"

1924 WILLARD CHOCOLATE V122 SPORTS CHAMPIONS #42 EDMONTON GRADS (CANADA)

The sports champions V122 cards were released with Willard Chocolate Bars and the set consisted of 56 cards of various sports, including 1 basketball card. The card featured the "Edmonton Grads", a famous Canadian women's basketball team that dominated the sport in the 1920s & 1930s. Measurements: 1.375" x 3.375"

About the Edmonton Grads: The Edmonton Grads were a Canadian women's basketball team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada active from 1912 – 1940. The team continues to hold the North American record for the women's sports team with the best winning percentage. In the 522 games the Grads competed in between 1915 and 1940, they won 502 of them, giving them a winning percentage over 96%

The Grads won the first women's world title in basketball in 1924 and continued winning titles in North America in Europe throughout the 1920s & 1930s. They retained their amateur status to make sure they would be eligible for the Olympics if basketball was made an official Olympic sport. They never got to play in official games but won all 24 matches they played in the during Olympic exhibition games between 1924 and 1936. Women's basketball wasn't included in the Olympics until 1976.

As the most successful women's basketball team of the early 20th century, the Edmonton Grads made news headlines across North America and as far away as Hong Kong and the Philippines. Their success had a strong impact on public attitudes towards female athletes, making it more socially acceptable for women to play sports. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, considered the Edmonton Grads to be "the finest basketball team that ever stepped out on a floor".

circa 1922-26 PALLA AL CESTO (BALL TO THE BASKET) CARDS UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)

Basketball was introduced to Italy in 1915 by Guido Graziani who had graduated in the U.S. where he had learned the game at the YMCA. It was initially named "Palla Al Cesto" (Ball to the Basket) before being changed to "Pallacanestro" (Basketball) in the late 1920s. Squadra (Squad) ASSI, featured on card #34, was one of the founding members/teams of The Italian Basketball Federation which formed in 1921. Between 1921-1927, ASSI dominated the sport, only losing the title in 1923. There is a picture of the ASSI team from the La Tribuna Illustrata Magazine in December of 1927 where they are pictured wearing darker uniforms with an "A" on their chest.​ The photos on these cards are prior to lettered uniforms. With this information I'm guessing that this card set was produced sometime between 1922 and 1926, ​the publisher remains unknown.

Measurements: 2" x 1.25"

circa 1922-26 PALLA AL CESTO (BALL TO THE BASKET) CARDS, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)

These cards are very similar to the Palla Al Cesto cards shown above but vary slightly. They are slightly smaller in size and have rounded corners. The rounded corners are uniform and seem intentional, especially when viewed from the reverse and compared with the squared off, cornered examples already discussed. The publisher is also unknown but I assume it's the same as the previous cards, as the font lettering and style match. The year is presumed to be early to mid 1920s when comparing these photos ​to Italian basketball photos of that period.

​Measurements: 1.125" x 1.9375"

JANUARY 1924 WINCHESTER HERALD SALES ASSOCIATES MAGAZINE, VOL. IV, NO. 12 (BASKETBALL COVER)

Winchester items are rare and the few known basketball advertising pieces are very sought after and valuable. I was very happy to find this Winchester Herald magazine that features a beautifully illustrated basketball cover. Winchester produced and sold basketballs and equipment from 1923 until about 1927. The Herald was a catalog that was sent to Winchester sales associates and club members with articles about new products, sales announcements and dealer updates. This is the only copy of this magazine I have ever seen. It is also accompanied by the original envelope that it was sent in. ​ ​Measurements: 9.125" x 12.25"

1924 TOP NOTCH GRIP SURE BOOKLET "TEN TRICKS IN BASKETBALL" BY "MONTY", 2nd PRINTING BY THE BEACON FALLS RUBBER SHOE CO.

This rare tiny little booklet measures only 2.875" x 4.375". It was part of Library of Sports series that you would request by mail with a form cutout from an advertisement in Boys Life magazine that you see here. All 4 books came together in a Library of Sports casebook. Published by the Beacon Rubber Shoe Company, 2nd printing, September 1924.

1925 DOMINION CHOCOLATE V31 MULTI-SPORT BASKETBALL CARDS (CANADA)

The 1925 Dominion Chocolates set consisted of 180 Sports cards and were issued in two separate series. In total there are 7 Basketball cards in the set. There were coupons on the bottom of each card that were redeemable for prizes, so examples are sometimes missing these. I'm not sure if any of the basketball cards are rarer than others.

Measurements: 1.125" x 2.875"

1925 CONVERSE RUBBER SHOE CO RECEIPT FOR A PAIR OF MEN'S ALL STAR BASKETBALL SHOES

1925 was a significant year for Converse as that year the All Star became their best selling shoe and a heel cushion was added as an option plus a new last gave the shoe a narrower shank for arch support. Converse introduced a patented ‘Peg Top’ design, a refinement to the collar of the shoe so it could be tied tightly ‘without danger of cutting or chafing across the achilles tendon’. Converse always touted their innovations as ‘new features – not experiments – tested by a full season’s play’. By the mid-1920s, the All Star was firmly established as the standard in basketball footwear as the newly formed American Basketball League was established – the first attempt to create a major professional basketball league in the country.

1925 BLISS COLLEGE BASKET BALL TEAM TRADE CARD ADVERTISING BLISS COLLEGE ENROLLMENT IN COLUMBUS, OHIO

1920s PHOTO POSTCARD OF MEN PLAYING BASKETBALL ON THE DECK OF A MILITARY BATTLESHIP

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS "THE JAYHAWKER" YEARBOOK DEDICATED TO BASKETBALL INVENTOR JAMES NAISMITH

1925 University of Kansas "The Jayhawker" Yearbook. According to the U of K website, this is the only yearbook that is personally dedicated to James Naismith, the inventor of Basketball. Includes a couple of pictures of Naismith and a photo of the 1925 Basketball Team, which includes Hall of Famers Forrest "Phog" Allen (coach), and John Bunn (contributor).

1926 PICCARDO y CIA LDA CIGARRILLOS PLUS ULTRA BASKETBALL CARDS (ARGENTINA)

Piccardo & Cia Lda was a tobacco company in Argentina that distributed these cards in their "Plus Ultra" cigarette packs. The set was built up of series that featured athletes and celebrities. The total amount of cards in each series and set is unknown but an estimate of the series size is based off a presumed 285 cards in the series C set. The only basketball I've seen examples of (including mine) are from series E. These are very rare, so there is no complete checklist to confirm exactly how many cards there are, it is assumed that all of the series amount to a combined set of over 2,000 cards. Measurements: 1.3125" x 2.6875"

1926-27 J.S. ONAGOITY y CIA LOS CIGARRILLOS DOLAR SERIE 2a, No 433, BASKET-BALL, TEAM COMBINADO DE PROVINCIA (ARGENTINA)

J.S. Onagoity was a tobacco company in Argentina that distributed these cards in their "Dolar" cigarette packs. The cards featured athletes from a large variety of sports. They were released in 5 series beginning in 1925. The basketball card here was released in series 2a, which was released in 1926-27. The exact number of basketball cards is unknown as there is no complete checklist for this series or set. Measurements: 1.3125" x 2.5"

1926 ORIGINAL PRESS PHOTO OF MARGARET MACBURNEY OF THE EDMONTON GRADS BASKETBALL TEAM (CANADA)

1926-29 BASKET-BALL LICENSES FOR PLAYERS OF THE FRENCH ATHLETICS FEDERATION (FRANCE)

The story on reverse mentions the Grads playing a series of games with the Newmann Stearn Girls of Cleveland, Ohio. These games seemed to of taken place in May of 1927 according to the Edmonton Journal dated May 17th 1927. The photo is dated April 13th, 1926. This would make this a very early photograph of MacBurney as a Grad. According to her biography her first chance to play with the Grads came as a spare on an April 1926 road trip. Later that fall, she was given a permanent spot on the team. Margaret MacBurney served as the captain during the team’s longest winning streak of 182 games. She was a gifted player. In 1931 she made 61 free-throw baskets in a row during a game.

These early French examples of athletic licenses were required in most European countries in order to participate in club or league play. Players with these licenses would need to follow all athletic and basketball code established by the federation.

1927-28 CIOCCOLATO SALVI PALLA AL CESTO CARDS (ITALY)

The Cioccolato Chocolate Company was located in Milan and was in business for the majority of the 20th century. They released a few sports sets in the 1920s/1930s, the majority of which consisted of soccer (futbol) cards. These are the only Salvi cards featuring basketball that I've seen. It's unknown if there were any others in the set. Palla Al Cesto translates to Ball to the Basket and was regularly used until about 1930, when Pallacanestro (basketball) became universally used. ​Measurements: 1.375" x 2.125"

1927

TYPE 1 PHOTOGRAPH OF JAMES NAISMITH HOLDING A PEACH BASKET AND HIS WIFE MAUDE POSING WITH A BASKETBALL

This original snapshot of James Naismith and his wife (Maude) was first made publicly available at the Naismith family's estate auction held by Heritage auctions on December 8th & 15th, 2006. The auction consisted of Dr. Naismith's personal items and set a record for the highest total ever realized for a single non-baseball sporting figure at the time. The image in this photograph was one of several taken that day on the grounds of the University of Kansas. The same image first appeared in print on December 9th, 1928 in the New York Times newspaper and has since been used and seen in hundreds of articles regarding Naismith. I am very pleased that I had the opportunity to add this spectacular photograph to the collection.

Measurements: 3.5" x 5.75"

MY BASKET-BALL BIBLE BY FORREST C. (PHOG) ALLEN 1927 (4TH EDITION)

JANUARY 1927 & JANUARY 1929 BOYS LIFE MAGAZINE (PUBLISHED BY BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA) FEATURING BASKETBALL COVERS & STORIES

1928 CUBAN CIGARROS AGUILITAS DEPORTIVAS BASKET-BALL #394 TEAM C. FERROVIARIO (CUBA)

This rare card is from the Cuba Deportiva set distributed by Aguilitas cigarettes. There were many basketball cards in the set but the exact number is unknown.

​Measurements: 1.5" x 2.25"

1928 TURMAC OF HOLLAND KORFBALL (NETBALL) SILK (HOLLAND)

This silk was part of the Sport and Nature Series distributed through packs of Turkish Macedonian Tobacco in Holland. Turmac issued silks between 1926-1934 but I've seen this one listed as 1928 a few times, so I've labeled it as such.

Measurements: 2" x 3"

1928

1929-1930 DITTA SEVERINO CEI CARAMELLE ROMA # 78 PALLA AL CESTO, ITALIA-FRANCIA (ITALY)

I obtained this card from someone who recently pulled it directly from the original packaging seen here, so the condition is great given it's age. Many of the other cards in the pack are dated 1929 and the term "Palla Al Cesto" (ball to basket) was largely replaced by "Pallacanestro" (basketball) by 1930, so I've determined this card was likely issued in either 1929 or 1930. I have found other examples of Carmelle Roma cards, but none similar to these, so I assume this set is very rare. The cards were manufactured by the Milanese company Severino Cei and distributed by the candy company Caramell Roma.

Measurements: 2" x 1.25"

1929

LATE 1920s DIBUJOS ORIGINALES DE MASIA, AUN PODEMOS EMPATAR (WE CAN STILL DRAW), #38 BASKET-BALL (SPAIN)

This set of 40 cards feature comedic sports illustrations by the artist Juan Masia Lopez (1899-1971). This is the only basketball card in the set. The set was released in 2 variations, one with the card number inside the border, and a much rarer version with the card number located outside of the border. Like many early Spanish cards, the backs of these cards included various advertisers, typically chocolate, or nothing at all.

Measurements: 2.25" x 3.25"

LATE 1920s PALLA AL CESTO ILLUSTRATED CARD, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)

This card is the same image used in the 1930s "Pallacanestro" version with the differences being the name "Palla Al Cesto" and its slightly larger size. Even though CGC dated this 1930s, ​the "Palla Al Cesto" title would date the card earlier, most likely the late 1920s. The exact date and publisher remains unknown but it looks very similar to the illustrated cards that Marca Stella was publishing at the time.

Measurements: 1.4375" x 2.125"

LATE 1920s PALLA AL CESTO ILLUSTRATED CARD, UNKNOWN PUBLISHER/UNCLASSIFIED (ITALY)

Although CGC labeled this card 1930s, I believe it to be late 20s because the term "Palla Al Cesto" had been replaced by "Pallacanestro" by 1930. It is not definitive, so the date remains unknown. The publisher is also unknown but it looks very similar to the illustrated cards that Marca Stella was publishing at the time.

Measurements: 2.125" x 1.5"

circa 1926-1930 HUECOGRABADO MUMBRÚ TODOS LOS DEPORTES, SERIE 1, NO. 7, BASKET-BALL, COLECCIÓN DE 21 CROMOS (SPAIN)

Although PSA labeled this Huecograbado Mumbrú card as 1925-1930, it has been brought to my attention that this card is likely a 1934-35 release. The evidence lies on the Boxing card from the same series set that features an image of a match between Paolino Uzcudun vs Max Schmeling in the Montjuic Stadium that has been confirmed as taking place in 1934. The advertisement on the back of the card is for the Tabu House Chocolate Factory. Like most Spanish cards at the time, I assume that the advertiser varies, so there could be many different versions of the back of this card. ​Measurements: 4.25" x 2.75"