Vintage Basketball Thread

[ramram]

March Madness is upon us. Thought it might be time to throw out some vintage basketball. Anything new or interesting out there?

Rob M.

I'll start it out with this one. It's a rppc of one of the greatest teams in early pro basketball. It is the 1907-08 Gloversville (NY) team with HOF'er Ed Wachter (Ed is depicted in the 1933 Sport Kings cards). The team also included his brother Lew. Several of these players later became the nucleus of the great Troy Trojans team. Ed is considered the greatest center to play the early game. This card is partially signed by Ed and was sent to a family member.

Just a side note - The Hall of Fame's Buffalo Germans team, is often (erroneously in my opinion) considered the top team of the early years in large part because of their 111 game win streak. However, the Germans played this Gloversville team in a double-header just before their streak began and were obliterated 52-32 and 56-13 by the Gloversville team. The Germans then refused to play them again during their winning streak.

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[Fwoodford_34]

Great post! Very interesting…. I have seen several other Wachter listed on those teams… a Chuck and Joe. Any idea if they are all related?

Frank

[BobC]

Speaking of interesting vintage basketball stories, here's one about the Waterloo Wonders. An unbelievable depression era story from an extremely small and rural Ohio town. They were doing things no one else was at the time, and were possibly an influence on what the Harlem Globetrotters eventually became. (Except their opponents weren't being paid to lay down like the Globetrotters opponents are.)

Below is a link to a 1995 story about them from the SI vault. There is also an almost hour-long PBS documentary that came out about them just a few years back, titled "The 8th Wonder: The Waterloo Wonders". Unfortunately, you can't find and view it for free on YouTube, or elsewhere online, for now. There is a also a book written by Dick Burdette about their exploits, titled "The Fabulous Waterloo Wonders", if anyone is so interested, but again not free. Anyway, they would take on all comers, including college teams, and handle them all pretty well. The reason I bring them up is because they are the kind of story that very few people really know and remember. Also, when I was very young, one of the Wonders players, Beryl Drummond, lived a couple doors over from me.


https://vault.si.com/vault/1995/02/06/the-wonder-years-from-1933-to-35-a-high-school-team-from-tiny-waterloo-laid-waste-to-ohio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XwZ4b2jUco

[Exhibitman]

Love the 'trotters

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/basketball/websize/Globetrotters%20Haynes.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/basketball/websize/1950%20Globetrotters%20Team%20Issue%20Clifton.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/basketball/websize/1958%20Chamberlain%202%20basketballs.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/basketball/websize/Lemon_%20Meadowlark%20signed.jpghttps://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/basketball/websize/Neal_%20Curly%20signed.jpg

[CarltonHendricks]

Here's a very esoteric but v rare basketball sign I picked up in the parking lot of the Grass Valley Show last November...the archaic illustration style of the face and hair had me...looks like something from the old west...mixed with the basketball and it was a winner....

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1280x1024q90/924/Spb5Zo.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poSpb5Zoj)

[ramram]

Very cool Bob.

Here is another barnstorming team of the 1920's. The Olson Swedes mostly operated in the Midwest.

Rob M

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[whiteymet]

Hi Guys:

NOT my area of expertise. I can pick up these attached cabinet cards but know nothing about this kind of collectibles.

They all seemed to have been owned by Karl F. Eipper an Optometrist from Springfield. His name is noted on the reverse of two of the photos so I guess these are his from his "playing days"

The second photos appears to be from Cain's Studios in Springfield Ohio if I am reading the info on the bottom right corner correctly.

The third shows a woman's team

Anyone familiar with these or similar cabinets?Any info appreciated that will advise if I should acquire them and pass them along to others who would enjoy them and add to their collection.

[Michael B]

The Springfield Ohio Meteors may have been a club team. The 1906 Spalding Basketball guide has them with a record of 9-3. The teams they beat were listed as Cardinals, High School, Wittenberg College (twice), Scouts, Wolverines and Pirates. They also lost to the last 3. In the guide YMCA, high school, academy, university and college teams were listed as such. I noticed in the book that the mighty Gonzaga College, now University played a high school team during the season.

The girl's team is probably Liberty High School. Liberty is northwest of Youngstown.

[mrreality68]

Very cool Bob.

Here is another barnstorming team of the 1920's. The Olson Swedes mostly operated in the Midwest.

Rob M

522978

Wow. Cool photo but the stripes are to much for my eyes