Basketball card collecting has many iconic rookie cards for collectors to chase. From George Mikan to Bill Russell. Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to, of course, Michael Jordan. But none of them possess the sheer star power totality of the 1980-81 Topps Larry Bird/ Julius Erving/ Magic Johnson card. Both Bird and Magic made their debut in the same year. Pairing … [Read more...] about 1980-81 Topps Basketball: Taming a Perforated Monster
Old Basketball Card Sets
1970-71 Topps Basketball Set Loaded With Stars, Key Rookies
Basketball cards seemed like a tall order for Topps during the 1960s, but the card company came up with back-to-back “tall boy” sets and an intriguing product. The tall boys were similar to the design used for the 1965 Topps football set. The ’65 set revolved around one star — Joe Namath — and the 1970-71 Topps basketball set also was notable for the hottest rookie to … [Read more...] about 1970-71 Topps Basketball Set Loaded With Stars, Key Rookies
Newly Discovered 1960 L.A. Examiner Lakers Set Includes Rookie Cards of West, Baylor
Basketball cards have been red-hot lately, and with the increased interest in mainstream vintage basketball sets, which are few in number from 1949 to 1969, collectors often turn their attention to rare (and frequently obscure) regional and local issues to fill the voids, such as, the 1960’s Kahn’s Weiners set or the 1961 Bell Lakers set. One recently uncovered issue, the … [Read more...] about Newly Discovered 1960 L.A. Examiner Lakers Set Includes Rookie Cards of West, Baylor
Waxing Nostaglic: 1988-89 Fleer Basketball Loaded With Key Rookies, Stars
The “Last Dance,” the 10-part ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ final championship team in 1997-1998, has rekindled interest in basketball during the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the major stars during that year are featured in what’s been one of the more underrated basketball card sets — 1988-1989 Fleer. It’s easy to wax nostalgic over this … [Read more...] about Waxing Nostaglic: 1988-89 Fleer Basketball Loaded With Key Rookies, Stars
The Wayback Collector: 1980-81 Topps Basketball the Way They Were Meant to Be
A seller in a collector group to which I belong made the offer. Up for grabs was about 175 panels from the 1980-81 Topps basketball set along with a dozen 'intact' cards. The asking price was $20 delivered, which seemed low enough as it was. But the last thing I needed was to be sucked into another collecting project. Anyway, I'm mostly a pre-War guy, for … [Read more...] about The Wayback Collector: 1980-81 Topps Basketball the Way They Were Meant to Be
1933 Goudey Sport Kings Set Featured Early Pro Basketball Stars
While the NBA is the top league in the world today, professional basketball actually began before its creation. And while there aren't a ton of pre-war basketball issues floating around out there, the multi-sport 1933 Goudey Sport Kings set featured some of the earliest pros in that sport. Here's a look at the four basketball players in the release. Eddie Burke Eddie Burke … [Read more...] about 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Set Featured Early Pro Basketball Stars
1974-75 Topps Basketball Set Offers Value
The 1974-75 Topps Basketball set marked the last in a three-year run of tidy 264-card sets and welcomed some new stars who’d be active in the game long after their playing careers had ended. The first thing kids noticed in the late fall of 1974 was that the price increase was apparently here to stay. The ten-cent packs of baseball had given way to 15-cent wax when … [Read more...] about 1974-75 Topps Basketball Set Offers Value
Ultra-Rare 1950-51 Scott’s Lakers Complete Set Up for Auction
George Mikan was the NBA’s first big man. Standing 6’ 10” tall, the late Basketball Hall of Famer helped redefine the center position during his glory years playing for the Minneapolis Lakers. Mikan broke the mold, so to speak, and along with his emergence as the NBA’s top draw during the league’s early days, regional distributions of the man’s likeness were being distributed … [Read more...] about Ultra-Rare 1950-51 Scott’s Lakers Complete Set Up for Auction
25 Years Later: 1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball Brought Chase to Hoops
Card collectors of today, with boxes that cost over $1,000 and memorabilia cards that are easy to acquire, might find it hard to believe that when Upper Deck entered the basketball card market in 1991-92 they released what was considered a high-end product. Twenty-five years later, even though prices are low, that first issue is a hobby landmark. Not only was … [Read more...] about 25 Years Later: 1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball Brought Chase to Hoops
The Phone Call That Brought Basketball Cards Back
It was an experiment that would bring basketball cards into the mainstream for collectors. The venerable Sy Berger at Topps may have been the mad professor in this experiment, but the card company's executive needed a willing subject. And Nick Curran, along with NBA commissioner Walter Kennedy, was more than willing to test it out. The result: the iconic 1969-70 Topps “tall … [Read more...] about The Phone Call That Brought Basketball Cards Back