Would you be interested in a book about basketball cards? If "yes", on what topics?

[KingInTheWest]

Read some good books recently about collecting but they are mostly about baseball (*Mind Condition*, *The Card*, just picked up a copy of *Card Sharks*). Not aware of any books about basketball cards aside from an outdated early 90's book. I would personally love to see a book about basketball, do others agree? If "yes", what topics would you want it to cover?

[sebreg]

Absolutely. Gosh, there could be so many interesting angles. Maybe one chapter that tracks the narrative or story arc of a collector who starts with little and builds up to an epic collection. Could even do a few different chapters of that nature that showcases the different type of collectors and how they go about building their particular collections. Why the collect what they collect...

Could do chapters that focus on a set or particular card and how it ebbs and flows regarding prominence. Maybe also something on a specifically nicely designed set, a look into all the work regarding design, photography, manufacturing, bringing to market, and then the evolution of the secondary market of that particular set.

Would be cool to have historical aspects that look at and tie in both basketball and basketball card history.

Players and cards. Are there any players that are into cards, what are their thoughts on cards. I know a few baseball players collect baseball cards... it might not yet be a big thing with bball players, but maybe at some point.

[r338]

Basketball card history is pretty sparse. 1948 through 1970 can be covered in a single chapter. Aside from a few regional issues and test issues there were only 1948 Bowman, 1957 Topps, 1961 Fleer.

[gowizards0]

2 chapters minimum about the blowout cesspool

[KingInTheWest]

Originally Posted by sebreg

Absolutely. Gosh, there could be so many interesting angles. Maybe one chapter that tracks the narrative or story arc of a collector who starts with little and builds up to an epic collection. Could even do a few different chapters of that nature that showcases the different type of collectors and how they go about building their particular collections. Why the collect what they collect...

Could do chapters that focus on a set or particular card and how it ebbs and flows regarding prominence. Maybe also something on a specifically nicely designed set, a look into all the work regarding design, photography, manufacturing, bringing to market, and then the evolution of the secondary market of that particular set.

Would be cool to have historical aspects that look at and tie in both basketball and basketball card history.

Players and cards. Are there any players that are into cards, what are their thoughts on cards. I know a few baseball players collect baseball cards... it might not yet be a big thing with bball players, but maybe at some point.

These are all really great ideas! It would be amazing to have an insider's look at how card designs are chosen and how some of the great innovations in the hobby came about like chromium cards, refractors. I feel like the way cards are designed is a complete mystery, to me, at least.

I also think it would be great to go into the psychology of collecting and why people collect what they collect. Many outside the hobby have a hard time understanding what/why we do what we do. Card collecting in some ways, is not that different from other kinds of collecting but it is very different in other ways (for example, art collectors don't buy random packs of artwork looking for a hit..)

[BestRCs]

Something like the top 250 sports cards in the hobby would be cool.

Either across all basketball cards and/or like a 90's basketball version of it.

[Giantrobot]

Would LOVE a book that had devoted chapters to each set from 1948-89, including EVERY 83-86 Star Company set.

[Deadshot]

I've thought about piecing something together before. I was actually thinking about it yesterday. Some day...

[sebreg]

Oh and a chapter on inserts and their history would be fun too. I would really love to learn about the designers and design thought that went into some of the most beloved or iconic insert sets.

Maybe a chapter also on other card hobby phenomena, like rookie card premiums (as in, WHY do collectors so often premium rookie cards), what makes a card iconic (and how tastes can shift to and away from such cards), historically oddball cards, holy grail cards (which varies person to person but there are some consistent titans). Also be interesting to see a chapter on hobby manipulation and scamming, which like in art (with forgery, etc) can have a pretty big impact within the hobby, but paradoxically some of the most interesting art stories have to do with forgeries and high-level well-executed scams/robberies.

[the mesiah]

I want to see ThE whole Story more in depth info on the old first basketball cards issued in 1910 by Murad Cigarettes, how the redemption program came about , then the following year tobacco basketball cards , does any one have a full set graded or ungraded etc.. stuff way before the ‘48 Bowman to start off then up beyond past 2020 as far as what’s next for evolution of basketball cards

[KingInTheWest]

Originally Posted by sebreg

Oh and a chapter on inserts and their history would be fun too. I would really love to learn about the designers and design thought that went into some of the most beloved or iconic insert sets.

Maybe a chapter also on other card hobby phenomena, like rookie card premiums (as in, WHY do collectors so often premium rookie cards), what makes a card iconic (and how tastes can shift to and away from such cards), historically oddball cards, holy grail cards (which varies person to person but there are some consistent titans). Also be interesting to see a chapter on hobby manipulation and scamming, which like in art (with forgery, etc) can have a pretty big impact within the hobby, but paradoxically some of the most interesting art stories have to do with forgeries and high-level well-executed scams/robberies.

Pretty sure I read something about when rookie cards started to be viewed by collectors as the player's most valuable card. This started much later than I would have expected. Let me see if I can track down the source.

[myusasets]

Originally Posted by gowizards0

2 chapters minimum about the blowout cesspool

ha ha good one. but who likes sad stories. the tech improvement history of cards and what sets and companies pioneered them would be a hoot. what sport made the innovation and who brought it to basketball. and someday soon maybe a book about who has cheated us for years and finally brought to justice. can't wait.

[Bruin7]

History on Group Breaking (you must include an interview of The Godfather aka Chris Justice)
Chapter on Don West
Evolution of Pack Wrappers (wax, cello, foil, wooden boxes)

I’ll think up some more...Great idea OP