1948 Bowman Basketball Cards

The first nationally-distributed basketball card set was Bowman Basketball in 1948. There are 72 cards in the set, 60 of which are portrait shots and the remaining 12 are play cards. Before being sold to Topps in the 1950s, this would be Bowman's lone collection of basketball cards. Professional basketball was still a very new and fledgling league at the time. It would be nearly a decade before another national basketball set was released after this one.

Of the 12 teams included in the set, half would fold shortly after the cards were released (Indianapolis Jets and Providence Steamrollers in 1949, Chicago Stags and St. Louis Bombers in 1950, Washington Capitols in 1952, and Baltimore Bullets in 1954), and 2 would move cities and change names in 1957 (Rochester Royals to the Cincinnati Royals in 1957 and Fort Wayne Pistons to the Detroit Pistons). In fact, the only 4 teams in the set to appear in the 1957 Topps set are the Boston Celtics, Minneapolis Lakers, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia Warriors (the Lakers and Warriors would relocate by 1962). The 1948 Bowman set is also the only set to include players from the Basketball Association of America, which merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to create the NBA.

Below is a numerical checklist, team checklist, images of 1948 Bowman box and wrappers and 1948 Bowman Evaluation Secrets.

#1 Ernie Calverley - Providence Steamrollers

#2 Ralph Hamilton - Fort Wayne Pistons
#3 Gale Bishop - Philadelphia Warriors
#4 Fred Lewis - Indianapolis Jets

#5 Single cut off post

#6 Bob Feerick - Washington Capitols

#7 John Logan - St. Louis Bombers
#8 Mel Riebe - Boston Celtics
#9 Andy Phillip - Chicago Stags

#10 Bob Davies - Rochester Royals

#11 Single cut with return pass to post

#12 Kenny Sailors - Providence Steamrollers

#13 Paul Armstrong - Fort Wayne Pistons
#14 Howard Dallmar - Philadelphia Warriors

#15 Bruce Hale - Indianapolis Jets

#16 Sid Hertzberg - Washington Capitols
#17 Single cut

#18 Red Rocha - St. Louis Bombers
#19 Eddie Ehlers - Boston Celtics
#20 Gene Vance - Chicago Stags
#21 Fuzzy Levane - Rochester Royals

#22 Earl Shannon - Providence Steamrollers
#23 Double cut off post

#24 Leo Crystal Klier - Fort Wayne Pistons
#25 George Senesky - Philadelphia Warriors
#26 Price Brookfield - Indianapolis Jets
#27 John Norlander - Washington Capitols
#28 Don Putman - St. Louis Bombers
#29 Double post

#30 Jack Garfinkel - Boston Celtics
#31 Chuck Gilmur - Chicago Stags
#32 Red Holzman - Rochester Royals

#33 Jack Smiley - Fort Wayne Pistons
#34 Joe Fulks - Philadelphia Warriors

#35 Screen play

#36 Hal Tidrick - Indianapolis Jets

#37 Don Carlson - Minneapolis Lakers
#38 Buddy Jeannette - Baltimore Bullets

#39 Ray Kuka - New York Knicks
#40 Stan Miasek - Chicago Stags
#41 Double screen

#42 George Nostrand - Providence Steamrollers
#43 Chuck Halbert - Boston Celtics

#44 Arnie Johnson - Rochester Royals
#45 Bob Doll - St. Louis Bombers
#46 Bones McKinney - Washington Capitols

#47 Out of bounds

#48 Ed Sadowski - Philadelphia Warriors
#49 Bob Kinney - Fort Wayne Pistons
#50 Charlie Black - Indianapolis Jets
#51 Jack Dwan - Minneapolis Lakers
#52 Connie Simmons - Baltimore Bullets

#53 Out of bounds

#54 Bud Palmer - New York Knicks

#55 Max Zaslofsky - Chicago Stags

#56 Lee Roy Robbins - Providence Steamrollers
#57 Arthur Spector - Boston Celtics
#58 Arnie Risen - Rochester Royals

#59 Out of bounds

#60 Ariel Maughan - St. Louis Bombers
#61 Dick O'Keefe - Washington Capitols
#62 Herman Schaefer - Minneapolis Lakers
#63 John Mahnken - Baltimore Bullets
#64 Tommy Byrnes - New York Knicks
#65 Held ball

#66 Jim Pollard - Minneapolis Lakers

#67 Lee Mogus - Baltimore Bullets
#68 Lee Knorek - New York Knicks
#69 George Mikan - Minneapolis Lakers

#70 Walter Budko - Baltimore Bullets
#71 Guards play

#72 Carl Braun - New York Knicks

Providence Steamrollers (5 players)

#1 Ernie Calverley
#12 Kenny Sailors
#22 Earl Shannon
#42 George Nostrand
#56 Lee Roy Robbins

Fort Wayne Pistons (5 players)

#2 Ralph Hamilton
#13 Paul Armstrong
#24 Leo Crystal Klier
#33 Jack Smiley
#49 Bob Kinney

Philadelphia Warriors (5 players)

#3 Gale Bishop
#14 Howard Dallmar
#25 George Senesky
#34 Joe Fulks
#48 Ed Sadowski

Indianapolis Jets (5 players)

#4 Fred Lewis
#15 Bruce Hale
#26 Price Brookfield
#36 Hal Tidrick
#50 Charlie Black

Washington Capitols (5 players)

#6 Bob Feerick
#16 Sid Hertzberg
#27 John Norlander
#46 Bones McKinney
#61 Dick O'Keefe

St. Louis Bombers (5 players)

#7 John Logan
#18 Red Rocha
#28 Don Putman
#45 Bob Doll
#60 Ariel Maughan

Boston Celtics (5 players)

#8 Mel Riebe
#19 Eddie Ehlers
#30 Jack Garfinkel
#43 Chuck Halbert
#57 Arthur Spector

Chicago Stags (5 players)

#9 Andy Phillip
#20 Gene Vance
#31 Chuck Gilmur
#40 Stan Miasek
#55 Max Zaslofsky

Rochester Royals (5 players)

#10 Bob Davies
#21 Fuzzy Levane
#32 Red Holzman
#44 Arnie Johnson
#58 Arnie Risen

Minneapolis Lakers (5 players)

#37 Don Carlson
#51 Jack Dwan
#62 Herman Schaefer
#66 Jim Pollard
#69 George Mikan

Baltimore Bullets (5 players)

#38 Buddy Jeannette
#52 Connie Simmons
#63 John Mahnken
#67 Lee Mogus
#70 Walter Budko

New York Knicks (5 players)

#39 Ray Kuka
#54 Bud Palmer
#64 Tommy Byrnes
#68 Lee Knorek
#72 Carl Braun

4. Recency of Grade

PSA's grading standards have tightened up through the years. Therefore, a recent slab with the same grade as an older one often (but not always) is a better condition card. In fact, we've seen recently-graded slabs with lower grades that appear nicer than some older slabs with higher grades. If you really are forward thinking, when AI becomes mainstream in card grading, these lower graded cards could earn a higher grade than their older predecessors. To identify a newer slab, look for the red, white, and blue PSA logo in the middle, bottom portion of the label. Also, usually the higher slab numbers are more recent than lower numbers.

5. POP Realignment

A PSA 8 Bowman basketball card (total of 1,693) is like a PSA 10. This is because, as of 7/1/22, PSA has handed out relatively few PSA 8.5, 9 and 10 grades for this set. Specifically, there is ONLY twelve PSA 10 grade for any 1948 Bowman basketball card (remarkably included within these 12 is a PSA 10 George Mikan). There are only 247 and 68 PSA 9s and PSA 8.5s, respectively, out of the entire 72-card set, and the majority of these are for the first series cards (#1-#36). Eddie Ehlers #19 and John Norlander #27 have the most PSA 9s with 11 and 10, respectively.

1948 Bowman Basketball Cards

Numerical Checklist

Team Checklist

1948 Bowman Basketball Extras

1948 BOWMAN basketball seT - BOX

1948 bowman basketball set - wrappers

1948 Bowman Basketball Card Evaluation Secrets

1948 Bowman Basketball Cards

Numerical Checklist

Team Checklist

1948 Bowman Basketball Extras

1948 BOWMAN basketball seT - BOX

1948 bowman basketball set - wrappers

1948 Bowman Basketball Card Evaluation Secrets

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