Non Baseball Memorabilia

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Posted By: Aaron M.

Quality vintage (pre-1970) basketball memorabilia is virtually non-existent. Not that the items are particularly expensive, but there just wasn't really anything produced that was particularly attractive or unique. (I hate bobble-heads. )

Basketball programs and tickets are about the only things commonly available and virtually all of them are hopelessly generic looking (one of the reasons why I paid through the nose to get a pair of 1960's Cincinnati Royals cuff-links).

I honestly feel as though I own just about every piece of desirable NBA-related memorabilia from the late 1940's through 1969 (notwithstanding team issued championship rings and such) and all that amounts to is two all-star game programs, one all-star game ticket, a St. Louis Hawks ash-tray, a set of Syracuse Nationals glasses, an Aurora model kit of Jerry West, and a very small number of pinbacks (maybe 3 or 4 in all).

I have actually had to resort to supplementing my basketball memorabilia display with card-related items (a 1948 Bowman wrapper, a Gail Goodrich Carnation cut-out, a 1948 Bowman George Mikan grey-variation, and I just bought an unopened 1969 Topps wax pack).

About the only real great item out there that is particularly valuable I would love to own would be an unused NBA game ball from that period. I've only seen them publicly offered once (in a Hunt auction about 5 years ago).

In terms of game-worn material, vintage jerseys and shooting shirts and jackets are pretty rare, but on the plus side are usually very attractive and unless they belonged to a super-star, are not particularly expensive at all.

A good reference for all of this would be the current Grey Flannel auction. It is completely basketball related (it's a live auction to occur at the basketball HOF) and you can get a good picture of what the current market looks like.