Five years after its first major baseball card set hit the market, Topps took a brief foray into pro basketball with its 1957-58 NBA set.
City Game
1957 saw two franchise shifts that hinted at a more metropolitan look for the NBA. The Ft. Wayne Pistons moved to Detroit and the Rochester Royals landed in Cincinnati, leaving only one team (Syracuse) based in a city with a population of fewer than one million people.
The league and the sport itself was still looking for any and all outlets to increase visibility and doubleheaders at big city arenas like Madison Square Garden were common.
It was against that backdrop that Topps made a deal with the NBA to produce the league’s first basketball card set since 1948 when Bowman offered a one-and-done issue that included George Mikan’s rookie card.
The 1957-58 Topps Basketball Set
Packs contained six cards and a piece of Topps bubble gum and cost a nickel. With good distribution, a box would yield a complete set. There were just 80 cards in all, but 22 were double prints.
The design was a little like Topps baseball card set from the previous summer except for the brightly colored boxes that contained the player’s name, his position, and team. Topps didn’t skimp on information once you turned the card over. A bio, stats, and a drawing that illustrated the player’s height were included. The card number was placed inside a backboard next to the player’s name.
Bill Russell Rookie Card
Because there hadn’t been a basketball set since the late 1940s, over half of the cards in the 1957-58 Topps set are considered rookie cards.
Among the big names: Bill Russell, whose card is among the most valuable and sought-after of all-time. Like many of the cards in the set, it is often found with less than perfect centering and those that are well-centered sell for huge premiums if they are clean with solid corners and no other issues.
Russell’s teammate, Bob Cousy, is the second most valuable card in the set.
Bob Cousy Rookie Card
Bob Pettit, whose St. Louis Hawks upended Boston in the Finals that year, is a double print but the Hall of Famer is also among the popular cards.
Bob Pettit Rookie Card
In all, one-quarter of the players pictured in the set were eventually elected to the Hall of Fame.
The set also includes Earl Lloyd, who was the first African American player in the NBA.
Earl Lloyd Rookie Card
Condition Sensitive
In addition to the centering issues, the 1957-58 Topps basketball set is also prone to noticeable scuffing because of the dark backgrounds on many of the action shots in the set. It’s why the majority of the cards in the set, even commons, sell for several hundred dollars or more when graded NM/MT 8 or better.
A Standout Set
While there have been hundreds of basketball card sets issued since the 1957-58 set is special for the historic nature of the issue and the players it contains.
If the 1957-58 Topps set had been a much larger offering, the challenge might be too great for most collectors to take on. However, with 80 cards, it’s doable as long as you’re patient. While it takes a nice bankroll to chase high-grade copies, many cards from the set look very presentable in mid-grade holders and can be owned for modest investments. The set is rare enough to likely maintain or, more likely, increase in value as time goes on.
You can check out cards from all eras on eBay here.