1948 Bowman Basketball Set

1948 Bowman Basketball Summary + Design

The 1948 Bowman Basketball set is a landmark set in the history of basketball cards.  It marked the first set devoted entirely to professional basketball players.  And remarkably, it would mark the first and only Basketball card issue for Bowman.  

Cards in the 72 card set, feature a combination of 60 professional basketball players from the BAA and the NBL, along with 12 basketball play cards.  See below for one example. 

The design of the 1948 Bowman Basketball cards features a monochromatic image of the player, on top of a bright red or blue background.  Many of the player images are accented by blue or red bold coloring around their jersey.  See one example below:

Note that the design for the 1948 Basketball set is identical to their baseball issue from 1949.  See how the 1949 Jackie Robinson card has the same monochromatic image and blue and red color accents. 

The set is notorious for printing variations, notably there were many cards produced that did not get the typical blue or red accents.  The theory is that Bowman may have run out of red and or blue ink.  Here is a comparison of the same card - John Palmer with a normal print run and one with the blue and red ink missing:

It should also be noted that card numbers 37-72 (often referred to as the 'High Numbers')  were supposedly in circulation for a shorter period of time and are scarcer than the rest of the set.  It should also be noted that Mikan's card (#69) is considered to have been a part of the lower print run and are tougher to find.  

Here's a picture of a 1948 Bowman basketball pack, of which there are only several still known to exist:

Arnie Risen #58 (RC, HOF)

Risen was a 10-year standout with the Rochester Royals and Boston Celtics, playing from 1948-58. He won NBA titles with the Royals in 1950-51 and the Celtics in 1956-57. 

Jim Pollard #66 (RC, HOF)

Jim Pollard has often been referred to as pro basketball's first power forward. "He stood 6-5, a human pogo stick gifted with a 42-inch vertical leap. It's been said he could swipe quarters off the top of the backboard and slam-dunk from the free-throw line".  (source)

Carl Braun #72 (RC, HOF)

"Braun led the Knicks in scoring seven straight seasons, earning five All-Star nods along the way. The native New Yorker joined the Boston Celtics in 1961 to help Auerbach and the Green win the franchise’s fifth championship in six years" (source)

"Buddy" Jeanette #38 (RC, HOF)

"From 1938 to 1948, Buddy Jeannette was professional basketball's top backcourt player. One of basketball's early pioneers, his dexterous passing, clutch shooting, hard-nosed defense, and all-around playmaking earned him four Most Valuable Player awards." (source)

"Red" Holzman #32 (RC, HOF)

"A street-wise basketball gym rat, Red Holzman was the coaching genius behind the magic the New York Knicks brought to the NBA during the 1970s.  Holzman was named one of the Top Ten Coaches in NBA History in 1996." (source)

Andy Phillip #9 (RC, HOF)

"Captain and floor general of the "Whiz Kids" of Illinois during their glory years, Andy Phillip was considered one of the early game's best playmakers. A fierce competitor, Phillip played his best in the big games."  (source)