Return to the Oddball Archive Index
Specs
Year: 1950
Title: Bread for Health
Size: 2-3/4″ by 2-3/4″
Number in Set: 32
Overview
The 1950-51 Bread for Health basketball set is one of the rarest basketball sets ever issued. The National Baking Company issued the 32 cards/labels, one each, on the end of a bread loaf to seal the package. Fisher’s Bread and NBC Bread are two of the bakeries known to have had these cards, which means the cards were regionally distributed in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. So they are both rare and condition sensitive from being packaged with food.
Each label has a colorful picture of the player, a bright background, a B.E.B copyright label, and a short player biography. The cards are unnumbered and blank-backed.
The following four images are from a complete set that Robert Edwards Auctions sold back in 2010 for just over $15k. Imagine what a set would sell for now!
In 2014 Huggins and Scott sold a nearly complete set of 31/32 SGC graded labels (missing Schayes) for $30k.
Example
Key Cards
PSA has only graded 121 items from this issue. The key label in the set is George Mikan, which features the same image as his 1948 Bowman rookie card.
Checklist
Paul Armstrong
Ralph Beard
Vince Boryla
Walter Budko
Al Cervi
Bob Davies
Dwight Eddleman
Arnold Ferrin
Joe Fulks
Harry Gallatin
Chuck Gilmur
Alex Groza
Bruce Hale
Paul Hoffman
Buddy Jeannette
Bob Kinney
Tony Lavelli
Ron Livingstone
Horace McKinney
Stan Miasek
George Mikan
Andy Phillip
Arnie Risen
Fred Schaus
Dolph Schayes
Fred Scolari
George Senesky
Paul Seymour
Cornelius Simmons
Gene Vance
Brady Walker
Max Zaslofsky