Question re: 1948 Bowman Basketball...

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Posted By: Aaron Michiel

Does anybody have any information on the 1948 Bowman Basketball "grey" background variations? Are these only available cut from full sheets? (i.e., is there anyway to get one that has not been technically trimmed?)

Does anybody have an approximate value on a Mikan with grey background?

Thanks,
Aaron

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Posted By: MW

To date, all examples I have seen exhibit an after-factory cut and do not appear to have been inserted in wax packs. That being said, many (a couple dozen) examples have been graded by PSA and probably a few have been encapsulated by other companies as well. I believe the reason for this is because some gray backs have a much straighter cut than others (i.e., they have qualities that closely approximate "regular" 1948s).

The values for these cards is somewhat arbitrary. Ungraded, you're probably looking at a range of 75% to 125% of what the standard 1948 Bowmans sell for. Graded and with a uniform appearance (straight cut), you might see a slightly larger premium.

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Posted By: Aaron Michiel

I just bought one yesterday that's uniform in size and cut except for the right side which appears to have a slightly smaller border than my other Bowman's from that year.

I concur about the "arbitrary" value. I really had no idea if I was getting a good deal or not--just that I liked the look of the card much more than the standard blue background.

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Posted By: MW

The gray backs have a very unique appearance -- much like the 1948 Bowman baseball issue. Keep in mind, however, that the Mikan variant is only missing the red printing, not the blue background. The chief difficulty with this series is determining the source (gray back or regular) of the play cards which have neither red nor blue printing.

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Posted By: Nickinvegas

I ran into a group of Grey Background Bowmans with the Mikan. On the backs there was an overprint of what appeared to be women that appeared to be 1920's actresses. I am not sure why I assume they are actresses, they just looked like they were.

Has anyone else seen overprints(ghosts) on this issue with the grey background?

Nick

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Posted By: MW

Nick,

The front/back combinations you mention are most likely the result of Bowman's 1948 Movie Stars series combined with one of the three sports series (baseball, football, basketball). Some collectors consider them worthwhile oddities while others see them as printers' scrap.