1950 Bread for Health Basketball Card Set and Checklist

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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!

1950 Bread For Health Complete Set – Image 1
1950 Bread For Health Complete Set – Image 2
1950 Bread For Health Complete Set – Image 3
1950 Bread For Health Complete Set – Image 4

In 2014 Huggins and Scott sold a nearly complete set of 31/32 SGC graded labels (missing Schayes) for $30k.

Example

1950 Bread for Health George Mikan – Front
1950 Bread for Health George Mikan – Reverse

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