When collectors look at the history of basketball cards they usually start with a set that’s a bit of a lone wolf. It was a time of change as the BAA and NBL were about to merge to form the NBA. These superstars were the first Celtics, Knicks and Warriors on basketball cards, and there were also cards of players from teams like the Providence Steamrollers and Indianapolis Jets. One of the big reasons that collectors are interested in the 1948 Bowman basketball set is to get George Mikan’s rookie card. It is #69 in the set of 72 cards, and features an action shot of the Minneapolis center who was drawing crowds to arenas that once held hoops in low regard.
A PSA Gem Mint 10 Mikan sold for a record-setting $218,500 in 2009. Mid-grade Mikan rookies usually sell for betwen $1500 and $2500.
Beyond Mikan in the 1948 Bowman Basketball Set
The rest of the Bowman set is filled with stars and pioneers of professional basketball. For example, Jim Pollard was an important player for the Lakers, leading the team in 
assists as a forward.
Andy Phillip was one of the great passers in the early years of the NBA. Late in his career he would win a title with the Celtics.
Always easy to find on alphabetical lists, Max Zaslofsky scored a lot of points for Chicago in the BAA and for one season in the NBA. But the Chicago Stags would go out of business, and Max Zaslofsky’s name was pulled from a hat by the Knicks. He played there for three seasons, wit
h an All-Star appearance in 1952.
Joe Fulks was a star for Philadlephia in the BAA and NBA. He led the BAA in scoring twice, and helped Philadelphia win the BAA championship in 1947. Several Fulks cards sold on eBay recently, with ungraded examples going for $15.50 to $43.00. Red Holzman, who went on to fame as the coach of the New York Knicks during the Reed-Frazier-Monroe era, is here, too.
How the sport of basketball has changed is also shown by the cards. The information on the back of a present-day NBA card wouldn’t have anything similar to that on the 1948 Bowman card of Sidney Hertzberg which said, “He’s tops at holding ball in backcourt when such tactics are necessary”. It was those tactics that resulted in the creation of the 24-second shot clock.
Not all the cards in the 72-card set feature players, there are a number of cards with a diagram on the front and an explanation of a basketball play on the back. These show the Screen Play, Single Cut Using Post As Screen For Short Shot, Single Cut With Return Pass To Post and many more.
Values, Quirks and a Modern Shout Out
A complete Bowman set sold recently on eBay for $2,325. A near-compete set that was missing the George Mikan rookie card and five other cards sold for $1,172.99. The Mikan card has historically been valued at around a third to half the value of the complete set.
While not a planned parallel of some of the cards, there is a variation for collectors to watch for when searching for Bowman cards. Most cards have a background of blue or red behind the player on the front of the card, but a small number are missing that. These cards, which have higher prices, have a gray background behind the player on the front of the card.
For collectors who enjoy the design of the original 1948 Bowman cards there is a modern set to also consider. The 2009-10 Bowman 48 set includes current players like Derrick Rose while also showcasing past stars like Larry Bird, Bill Russell and even a new George Mikan card. The 2009-10 Bowman 48 Mikan, card #90 can be purchased for around a buck. The Blake Griffin rookie card in the set is the most expensive card. There are jersey cards and autographs as well, and parallels to collect that also include Red 1 Of 1 versions as well as Black and Blue parallels.
Click here to see 1948 Bowman basketball cards on eBay.
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