The Unusual History of Basketball's Earliest Trading Cards

As the 2024-2025 NBA season tips off, new basketball products are flooding hobby shops and group breaks, featuring stars like LeBron (and Bronny) James, Stephen Curry, and Victor Wembanyama, alongside exciting rookies like Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher.

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As we collect the modern stars, chrome cards, RPAs and the like, have you ever wondered about the origins of basketball cards? It may be surprising to learn that 20 years passed between the sport's first appearance on a trading card and the inclusion of a recognizable player. And then, it took another 15 years for the first basketball-only set to emerge.

Did you know that it was 20 years after the first appearance of the sport on a trading card that a recognizable player was included? Or that it was another 15 years before the first basketball-only set was made?

In 1891, Dr. James Naismith introduced basketball, hanging peach baskets at Springfield College. The sport quickly gained traction in North American colleges and universities during the early 20th century. Tobacco manufacturers capitalized on this trend by inserting cards into cigarette packages and other products.

One such product, the T51 Murad 'College Sports' series, debuted in 1909. This 225-card set showcased US colleges and universities, with most cards featuring student-athletes participating in various sports. Four schools – Luther, Northwestern, Williams, and Xavier – were depicted playing basketball. The Williams card, part of the first series of 25 cards, is often considered the first basketball card.

While the T51 series is not extremely rare among pre-war tobacco cards, it's still highly sought after. Fewer than 50 copies of the Williams card have been graded by PSA and SGC. In the last five years, the value of vintage and pre-war cards has surged, with a recent Williams SGC 1.5 sale fetching $545.

Watch out for part 2 as we explore the introduction of recognizable players and the first full basketball set, shedding more light on the fascinating history of basketball cards.

Patrick is a lifelong sportscards and collectables fan. He's passionate about the Mets and Eagles (yes, really), pre-war tobacco and caramel cards, and writing. You can follow his often neglected account at @pg.sportscards