What appears to be the only surviving partial box of 1948 Bowman baseball packs has been discovered and consigned to Mile High Card Company’s June Auction.
The ’48 Bowman packs are the headliner in a one-owner collection that certainly stands among one of the most significant finds of unopened material ever offered.
Mile High President and CEO Brian Drent told SC Daily the packs are thick in size, thanks to the three large pieces of gum that were included in each one. Interestingly, the ’48 Bowman box is labeled “Play Ball”, the same name of one of the last bubble gum card sets issued prior to World War II.
“When we were contacted about this collection, it occurred to me that I’ve never seen a 1948 Bowman pack,” said Drent, “and after speaking with Steve Hart and several other experts in the hobby, we believe these packs to be the only known examples.” A single 1948 Bowman basketball pack recently sold for over $55,000.
The packs contained five cards plus the three sticks of gum.
The ’48 Bowman set includes rookie cards of Yogi Berra, Stan Musial, Warren Spahn, Ralph Kiner and Phil Rizzuto, among others.
One of the packs wasn’t sealed, which actually helped identify them. Inside were five mint time capsules: a Warren Spahn rookie card, two Phil Rizzuto rookies and two cards of Walker Cooper. All were extremely well-preserved and worthy of grading.
In addition to the 1948 Bowman baseball box, the consignment included a 1961 Fleer Basketball complete unopened box, a, 1961 Topps Football unopened box of nickel packs, a nearly full 1962 Topps Football box (20 of 24 packs) and a 1962 Fleer Football box with 19 of 24 packs.
There are several other full and partial boxes, each authenticated by BBCE with 
grades ranging from NM to MINT including a 1959 Fleer Ted Williams full box, a 1960 Fleer Baseball Greats box (20/24), a 1961 Fleer football box, a 1961 Fleer Baseball Greats partial box (20/24 packs), a 1961 Nu-Card Scoops partial box, a full box of 1961 Topps Baseball Stamp albums and a 1961 Nu-Card Football partial box (17/24). Combined, they could sell for over $1 million.
The auction will begin May 30 and conclude on June 15. For additional information or to consign to an upcoming auction, visit the company’s website or call (303) 840-2784.
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