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...]
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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...]
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...]
Topps’ 1981-82 Basketball Had A Regional Flavor
Topps put a different spin on its 1981-82 NBA set, which would turn out to be the last basketball product the company issued until the 1992-93 season. The company released a national run of 66 cards, and then curiously added three 44-card regional subsets to complete a 198-card base set. The subsets were labeled East, Midwest and West and were numbered from 67 to 110, with a … [Read more...]
1975 Carvel Disc Set a Blast from NBA’s Past
If you were a basketball card collector over 40 years ago, there wasn’t much to chase after once you bought enough packs to put the annual Topps set together. The 1974-75 Carvel NBA disc set was a little oasis in that winter desert—as long as you could get your hands on them. Carvel Ice Cream was—and still is—a regional product. The company, which had grown from a one man … [Read more...]
Cheap Vintage: 1979-80 Topps Basketball Set
There's little question that even for the most diehard of vintage basketball collectors, the 1979-80 Topps set is a remarkably tough sell. Given the content, that's entirely understandable. The Design Here's the good: The design is passable - and even unique. In almost every Topps basketball set before it, the team names of the players in question were sprawled either … [Read more...]
1978-79 Topps Basketball Set: Home of Unsung Rookie Cards
To most, the 1978-79 Topps basketball set is one that does little but help connect the ABA/NBA merger era to the popular 1980-81 Topps issue, which features the rookie cards of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Hidden, however, in this collection is a quiet group of underappreciated rookie cards featuring many NBA stars and Hall of Famers. While the set doesn't include high-dollar … [Read more...]
Bird-Magic Rookie Card Raises Profile of 1980-81 Set
You could buy almost as many boxes as you desired for a few dollars after it was released but in the 35 years that have passed , 1980-81 Topps Basketball cards have become a hot property. Well, one of them anyway. The set is known for its unique, three-player perforated panel design that put Larry Bird and Magic Johnson on the same card. The Bird-Johnson rookie card … [Read more...]
1977-78 Topps Basketball Set Began 3-Year Lean, Mean Run
The pro game was struggling when the 1977-78 Topps basketball set hit the market. America was smack in the middle of disco fever but there was no dancing in the NBA offices. TV ratings were abysmal, even with the addition of four fresh teams from the ABA. The malaise was reflected on cardboard. 1977-78 Topps Basketball Brought Smaller Cards; Smaller Checklist After … [Read more...]
Hoops Cards on Steroids: 1976-77 Topps Basketball
You’re almost tempted to stick a stamp on the back and mail them from your favorite vacation spot. 1976-77 Topps basketball cards certainly feel like postcards. At 3 1/8” x 5 ¼” these cardboard behemoths represent the largest flagship sports card set ever made. With a deep Hall of Fame roster and just 144 cards to collect, it’s also one of the most collectible of the 1970s … [Read more...]
