In terms of recognition and fame, the early days of pro basketball were a fraught time to be a “merely great” player. Center stage belonged to the big men of the days: Russell, Chamberlain and, later, Kareem immediately come to mind. Of course, before any of those guys ever took the floor, there was Mikan. Unlike any player in history, Mikan was the league. He was arguably … [Read more...] about Overlooked and Underrated Rookie Cards of NBA Greats – Part 1, the Early Days
1957-58 Topps basketball
Key Basketball Rookie Cards Among Top Lots in MHCC Auction
Their first major auction of 2020 is in the books and the next catalog auction is still two months away, but that doesn’t mean quiet time at Mile High Card Company. Their Extra Innings auction gets underway Monday with over 300 lots on the block. Among the headliners is a 1948 Bowman George Mikan rookie card (PSA 6.5), a 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie (PSA 9) … [Read more...] about Key Basketball Rookie Cards Among Top Lots in MHCC Auction
Baseball Card Coverage from 60 Years Ago Reveals Interesting Info on Market
By popular demand, here are a few more nuggets we dug up over the weekend from coverage of the hobby decades ago. In 1959, Topps wax putting 250 million baseball cards and 70 million football on the market, mostly through penny and nickel wax packs. Cello packs were decent sellers, which proved to company officials that in many cases, it wasn't the gum that was the … [Read more...] about Baseball Card Coverage from 60 Years Ago Reveals Interesting Info on Market
Meet the First No. 1 NBA Draft Pick to Appear on a Basketball Card
Pro basketball wasn’t exactly a powerful draw for college players in the late 1940s. The first number one pick of the BAA (later the NBA) in 1947 was Clifton McNeely out of Texas Wesleyan, who was honored but clearly not enamored. He became a high school coach instead. The top pick in 1948 was Andy Tonkovich of Marshall who was taken by the Providence Steamrollers, played … [Read more...] about Meet the First No. 1 NBA Draft Pick to Appear on a Basketball Card
5 Value Plays in the 1957-58 Topps Basketball Set
It’s easy to rattle off reasons why the 1957-58 Topps basketball set is expensive: Limited distribution thanks to modest national interest in the NBA, Bill Russell’s rookie, notoriously off-center cards…the list goes on. Heck, one out of every four cards in the set pictures a Hall of Famer. That alone lets you know you're in for a battle. Chasing a complete … [Read more...] about 5 Value Plays in the 1957-58 Topps Basketball Set
Flashback: Topps Had Lots of Unsold 1957-58 Basketball
Finding old news coverage devoted to baseball cards is always fun--especially when the articles reveal a little more about where the baseball card market may have stood at a certain period of time. According to an article that made its way to various newspapers in the spring of 1961, Topps estimated that 250 million cards were produced that season. The company often shared … [Read more...] about Flashback: Topps Had Lots of Unsold 1957-58 Basketball