My Pandemic Hobby: Building a Pre-1990 Basketball Card "Type Set"

[BasketBawlers]

In need of a challenging and fun new quarantine hobby, last year I decided to focus on building a unique “type set” binder of vintage trading cards, starting with the very first basketball card ever produced (1910 Murad Cigarettes). Similar to the ‘type set’ binder of US coins that I collected as a child, my intent was to find one representative sample from each different set of basketball cards over the history of their existence. I quickly realized that collecting every type of set which included basketball cards was too broad, so I had to start setting clear parameters for what I wanted to include/exclude from this type set.



What’s excluded from my list;

• Any team-specific sets (there are simply too many to count and they are too regionally-based. The one notable exception I’ve made was for the Harlem Globetrotters.)
• Any sets produced outside of the United States (these get too complicated to track down, but maybe one day I’ll have the patience to find all of these as well!)
• Any insert card sets, because I wanted to focus on base-cards only.
• Any “cards” that are larger than 6” x 8” (at some point it's really just a poster in my opinion)
• Any postcards, stamps, felts, silks, dolls, playing cards, or other collectibles that stray too far from being trading cards (the 1970’s disc sets are included however)
• Any CBA cards from the 1980’s (just wasn’t personally interested in this league)
• Any unlicensed sets (these were especially common in the late 80’s)
• Anything from 1990 and beyond (there were just too many sets made after 1990, plus I wanted to focus on vintage cards)

After applying these rules, I was left with a list of 65 different trading card sets that included basketball cards in existence from 1910-1989. Here’s is the complete list of sets that I have been able to compile, using a breadth of excellent online resources including; Trading Card Database (TCDB.com), VintageBasketball.com, PrewarCards.com, PSA.com, Beckett.com, and the Blowout Cards Forum.

Year + Set / Category

1910 Murad Cigarettes / Tobacco
1923 Winchester / Oddball
1933 Goudey Sports Kings / Tobacco
1933 C.A. Briggs / Food
1942 R161 Walt Disney Comics / Oddball
1948 Exhibit Sports Champions / Oddball
1948 Bowman / Major release
1948 Topps Magic Photos / Oddball
1948 Kellogg's PEP / Oddball
1950 Bread for Health / Food
1951 Berk Ross / Oddball
1952 Royal Desserts / Food
1952 Wheaties / Food
1954 Quaker Sports Oddities / Food
1955 Ashland + Aetna Oil / Oddball
1955 All American Sports Club / Oddball
1956 Adventure Gum /Food
1957 Topps / Major release
1957 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1958 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1959 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1960 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1961 Fleer / Major release
1961 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1962 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1963 Gad Fun / Oddball
1963 KATV Jewish Sports Champions / Oddball
1963 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1964 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1965 Kahn's Wieners / Food
1968 Topps Test / Major release
1969 Hall of Fame Bookmarks / Oddball
1969 Topps / Major release
1969 NBAP / Oddball
1969 Converse Staff / Promo
1970 Topps / Major release
1970 ABA All-Stars Picture Pack/ Oddball
1971 Fleer Harlem Globetrotters / Globetrotters
1971 Topps / Major release
1971 Phoenix Candy Harlem Globetrotters / Globetrotters
1971 Keds KedKards / Promo
1972 Icee Bear / Food
1972 Topps / Major release
1972 Comspec / Oddball
1973 Topps / Major release
1974 Nabisco Sugar Daddies / Food
1974 Wonder Bread Harlem Globetrotters / Food
1974 Topps / Major release
1975 Carvel Discs / Discs
1975 Linnett / Oddball
1975 Topps / Major release
1975 Nabisco Sugar Daddies / Food
1976 Crane Potato Chips Discs / Discs
1976 MSA Discs / Discs
1976 Topps / Major release
1976 Nabisco Sugar Daddies / Food
1977 Sportscaster / Oddball
1977 Topps / Major release
1978 Topps / Major release
1978 RC Cola / Food
1979 Topps / Major release
1979 United Press International Living Sound / Oddball
1980 Topps / Major release
1981 TCMA / Oddball
1981 Topps Thirst Break Wrappers / Food
1981 Smithsonian Inst. Champs of Sports / Oddball
1982 TMCA Superstar / Oddball
1983 Topps M&Ms Olympic Heroes / Olympics
1983 Star / Major release
1984 Star / Major release
1985 Star / Major release
1985 JMS / Oddball
1985 Prism Jewel Stickers / Oddball
1985 Nike Promo / Promo
1985 Harlem Globetrotters Trading Cards / Globetrotters
1986 Fleer / Major release
1986 Basketball Hall of Fame Metallic / Oddball
1986 Star / Major release
1987 Fleer / Major release
1988 Fleer / Major release
1989 Converse / Promo
1989 Kenner Starting Lineup / Oddball
1989 Sports Illustrated for Kids / Oddball
1989 Fleer / Major release
1989 NBA Hoops / Major release
1989 Wasatch Basketball All-Stars / Oddball
1989 Foot Locker Slam Fest / Promo

I hope that this list is helpful to some collectors out there! I would love to hear if there are any gaps or inaccuracies that can be identified in my list.

While setting a very modest personal budget of no more than $50 for any individual card, in total I have been able to collect a sample of about 50 out of the 65 cards from this list so far. I’ve always been much more interested in collecting interesting cards that tell a story than I am in finding perfect gem-mint examples. Collecting doesn’t have to cost a fortune in order to be fun and rewarding! A few of the remaining cards from this list are still within reach of my budget, while several of the other cards are far too rare and expensive for my taste. In these situations, I’ve represented the cards in my type set binder by printing out color reproductions that were available online. It’s also worth noting that in a couple instances I did break my own “parameters” in my type set binder, because some cards were just too cool not to collect.



Building a Type Set Binder

One of the first clear challenges to collecting and presenting such a variety of cards was the mixture of different sizes. There is definitely no binder available that has appropriately-sized slots for cards as small as the 1948 Topps Magic Photos (0.8”x1.4”) and as large as the 1978 Sportscaster set (4.7”x6.3”) so I knew that I would have to make something customized.

The most simple solution would have been to use scrapbook “photo corners” to mount the different sizes of cards to larger sheets, but this would have made it impossible to view the backs of the cards, which often have some of the most interesting details. Therefore I decided to create custom-sized windows for each card by hand-cutting some acid-free cardstock. The windows were each cut slightly smaller than the dimensions of the individual cards, so that there was still a surface to mount them to. I used acid-free photo mounting corners to adhere the cards in place, and then slid the mounted cards into 6”x8” sleeves that fit within a small 3-ring binder.



In addition to displaying the cards, I also wanted to provide a quick informational blurb for each example to provide some context. Doing the online research to track down information about all of the sets was just as challenging as building the binder itself, but I learned a ton about the history of basketball and trading cards in the process. I printed the labels + blurbs on sticky paper and mounted them below each card in the binder.

If you’re interested in building a similar set, here’s my list of materials used;

• 1x Small 3-ring binder
• 3x 6”x8” Sleeves
• 2x Acid-free archival cardstock
• 1x Printable sticker paper
• 1x Acid-free photo mounting corners
• 1x Xacto knife (or similar) with plenty of replacement blades
• 1x Cork-backed metal ruler
• 1x Self-healing cutting mat
• 1x Mechanical drafting pencil

A couple things worth noting first! If you aren’t highly experienced with using an Xacto knife, you might want to consider other options. They may look small and innocent but they are extremely sharp and easy to cut your fingers with, I’ve definitely witnessed some nasty accidents over the years of working as a designer. Secondly, be sure to use archival, acid-free materials, otherwise your cards will get yellowed over time and lose value.









The experience took a fair amount of trial-and-error, but the end result is a very unique collection that is archival, easy to view, educational, and fun to share with others. If you have questions or comments I would love to hear from you below!

[Kelvin13]

looks awesome can tell you spent a lot of time on this

[Kquinn]

Hell yeah! Love this as a fellow coin collector too

[PLB9eight]

Super cool idea. Very well done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Deadshot]

This is incredible! I wish I could buy something like this pre-made, but I suppose a lot of the fun comes from building it. You have me seriously considering making one of my own now.

[BasketBawlers]

Originally Posted by Deadshot

This is incredible! I wish I could buy something like this pre-made, but I suppose a lot of the fun comes from building it. You have me seriously considering making one of my own now.

Thanks for the kind words! Yea I honestly found the act of building it way more fun and rewarding than I expected. Eventually maybe someone will sell an album like this, but for now hand-made seems to be the way to go. If you decide to go for it, feel free to reach out if you have questions.

[Orndorff24a]

How cool!

[losangelesfan]

This is pretty cool, I wonder what your budget is for obtaining these cards? And how long you think it takes to complete or near completing such a feat?

[ronaldkosh]

This is an awesome project! I loved the idea of type sets as a kid. They're a great way to get your feet wet in US coins

[zworykin]

This turned out really cool, I'm impressed and jealous. If it were mine, I might also print out an abbreviated label to put under each card on the back side, e.g. just "1971 Topps" etc.

[chetb]

This is so cool. Nice job!

[jcardstore]

I PC 72 Comspec!! Amazingly tough set to put together. Which card did you get?

[mindcycle]

This is super cool man, thanks for sharing!

[BasketBawlers]

Originally Posted by losangelesfan

This is pretty cool, I wonder what your budget is for obtaining these cards? And how long you think it takes to complete or near completing such a feat?

Thanks! I spent no more than $50 for any individual card, but most only cost a few bucks. The whole binder + materials only came out to about $40-$50. There are 10 or so cards that I will likely never be able to afford (i.e. the CA Briggs card) but I'm pretty happy with the variety that I was able to acquire, even on such a tight budget.

[BasketBawlers]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

I PC 72 Comspec!! Amazingly tough set to put together. Which card did you get?

Nice! '72 Comspec was actually one of the only sets that I wasn't able to check off the list, but I still have my eyes peeled. One of the challenges to this particular set is that all I can find online are graded versions, but of course slabs don't fit in my binder (plus they tend to be pretty expensive). If you happen to have any low-grade, non-slabbed Comspec cards I would definitely be interested though!

[siebertb]

What 72 Icee bear do you have? Cool stuff

[BasketBawlers]

Originally Posted by siebertb

What 72 Icee bear do you have? Cool stuff

Wes Unseld! It's my favorite image from the set, it almost looks like an album cover,

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by BasketBawlers

Nice! '72 Comspec was actually one of the only sets that I wasn't able to check off the list, but I still have my eyes peeled. One of the challenges to this particular set is that all I can find online are graded versions, but of course slabs don't fit in my binder (plus they tend to be pretty expensive). If you happen to have any low-grade, non-slabbed Comspec cards I would definitely be interested though!

I've got a PSA 1.5 Dick Snyder I'd be happy to send your way if you want to bust it out!

It's not exactly a pretty looking card and I was able to find an upgrade so I don't need this one anymore

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by BasketBawlers

Wes Unseld! It's my favorite image from the set, it almost looks like an album cover,

I also PC the Icee Bear set!

[duron]

just a great idea. good stuff.

[Kobe101]

This is so cool!

If you want to hear/see more about this. Kyle/Deadshot (Wax Museum Podcast) interviewed him on his podcast and created a Youtube video on it.

Awesome stuff!

[montej1695]

Well executed, such a cool story!

[duron]

Originally Posted by Kobe101

This is so cool!

If you want to hear/see more about this. Kyle/Deadshot (Wax Museum Podcast) interviewed him on his podcast and created a Youtube video on it.

Awesome stuff!

Was a great vid. Now it’s time for OP to make a 1990-1999 binder. Or ten.

[Deadshot]

Originally Posted by Kobe101

This is so cool!

If you want to hear/see more about this. Kyle/Deadshot (Wax Museum Podcast) interviewed him on his podcast and created a Youtube video on it.

Awesome stuff!

Here's a link to the video. Thanks to the OP for putting this together for me!

https://youtu.be/Ut6Fm9Puva0