• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Vintage Sports Card News / Old Football Card Sets / 1948 Bowman Football a Landmark Issue

1948 Bowman Football a Landmark Issue

November 13, 2016 By Bob D'Angelo

1948 Bowmanis the granddaddy of all football sets. It’s a set that has a stark, black-and-white look that is perfect for the post World War II era. One might say it coincides with the expansion of television sets, only this football set did not require rabbit ears.

1948 Bowman Football Rookies and Hall of Famers

Collectors believe this is the first true football set of the modern era. The 1948 Leacharley_connerly_1948_bowmanf set was more colorful, but Bowman’s offering was loaded with ten future Hall of Famers and several rookies that are absent from the Leaf set. Those rookies include No. 1 in the 108-card set (Joe Tereshinski) and thsammy_baugh_1948_bowmane final card (Buford Ray). In between, other exclusive rookies include Elbert Nickel (No. 60), Mike Holovak (No. 65), Leslie Horvath (No. 71), Marshall Goldberg (No. 81) and Bruce Smith (No.104).

Hall of Famers include Steve Van Buren (No. 7), Sammy Baugh (No. 22), Charley Trippi (No.  17), Bob Waterfield (No. 26), Clyde “Bulldog” Turner (No. 36), Alex Wojciechowicz (No. 61), Pete Pihos (No. 63), Bill Dudley (No. 80), George McAfee (No. 95) and Sid Luckman (No. 107).

Dawn of Post-War Football Cards

The cards themselves measured 2 1/16 inches by 2 ½ inches. The defritz_barzilauskas_1948_bowman_footballsign is reminiscent of Bowman’s 1948 baseball set. The card front features a black-and-white photograph of the player, framed byjohnny_liujack_1948_bowman a white border. Some photos are mug shots, while others are posed action shots. Some players are depicted leather helmets, too. Otherwise, the card front is bare — no team name, logos or player name is included.

The card backs utilize to colors. The card number is listed in red at the top (for example card No. 1 reads “No. 1 in a series of 108—but it’s all in capital letters), and the player’s name is presented in black. His position and the team he plays for also is listed, along with statistics and a brief biography. The card bottom is taken up by a wrapper redemption offer, which is printed in red. The item a collector was saving the wrappers for was presented in black.

Production and Distribution

1948_bowman_football_wrapper

The cards were distributed in penny and five-cent packs. From a production standpoint, the cards were printed on three separate sheets. The first sheet was plentiful, while the second sheet (cards numbered 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, etc.) are harder to find. The cards divisible by three (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc.) are the most difficult to find and are considered short prints.

Grading and Pricing

A total of 11,265 cards from this set have been sent to PSA for grading. Only four have been rating gem mint: Tommy Thompson (No. 16), Paul Governall (No. 28), Salvatore Rosato (No. 31) and Bob Mann (No. 47). However, 219 cards submitted have come back as PSA 9s. Of the 2,069 cards sent in to SGC for grading, there are none graded at 98 and 24 at SGC 96.

The most coveted card in this set is the Baugh card, followed by Ray, Johnny Lujack and Charlie Conerlysid_luckman_1948_bowman (the last three are short prints). As you might expect, Ray’s card, as the final one in the set, would be one of the tougher cards to find in mint condition. There have been 97 turned into PSA, and only six grade as high as PSA 8. The percentage is not much better for SGC; of 19 cards submitted, one grades as high as 96. After that, the next highest grade submitted is a 70.

The biggest condition issue for the set is centering, which seems to be the norm rather than the exception. The white borders are prone to staining from handling, too.

The 1948 Bowman set has a big presence on eBay, with more than 2,000 listings. Collectors can find ungraded cards at bargain prices, and some of the lower graded cards can be had at a reasonable price, too. It’s a sometimes overlooked set, but it has plenty of value and is not difficult to collect.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

1935 National Chicle Bronko NagurskiBronko Nagurski Cards are Popular Pre-War Football Issues 5 Great Football Cards From 1967 Jimi Brown 1959 Topps10 Vintage Football Cards to Keep an Eye On YA Tittle 1950 Bowman rookie card1950 Bowman Football Set Meshed Well With NFL Joe Greene 1971 Topps rookie cardToughest PSA 9 Football Rookie Cards of the 1970s PSA 9 Joe Namath rookie card1965 Topps Joe Namath Rookie Card Sells for $60,000 Topps Football Cello Pack 1958Vintage Pack Rip at the National: 1958 Topps Football 2014 Bowman AJ McCarron auto2014 Bowman Football a Hot Seller?

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Old Football Card Sets, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1948 Bowman Football, Bowman football, johnny lujack, Sammy Baugh, Sid Luckman, vintage football cards

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Consignments Wanted – Meet Huggins & Scott at the Philly Show This Weekend
  • Heritage Auctions Icons Photography Auction Ends October 12, 2023
  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Baseball, Football & Non-Sport Cards Auction Ending Sept. 28, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window