Skip to content

1954 Baltimore Bullets Gunther Beer Basketball Card Set and Checklist

Return to the Oddball Archive Index

Specs

Year: 1954

Title: Baltimore Bullets Gunther Beer

Size: 2-5/8″ by 3-5/8″

Number in Set: 11

Overview

The 1954 Baltimore Bullets set is one of the toughest basketball sets to find in the hobby; only a few complete sets are known to exist. The 11-card set was sponsored by Gunther Beer as a regional release and are more frequently found autographed than not.

The front of the cards feature a black-and-white posed head-and-shoulders portrait of the player. Along the top of the photo are the words “What’s the good word?” A bottle cap with the words “Gunther Beer” appear on the bottom left, and the player’s name is in all capital letters next to it.

The back of the cards says to “Follow the Bullets with” and a bottle cap with “Gunther Beer” again along the top. Centered below that is the player’s name, vitals, and biography. Along the bottom, within a black stripe, is some information about how fans could listen or watch games.

The cards are unnumbered.

In August 2014, Huggins sold a complete signed set for $1800.

1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Huggins Set – Photo 1
1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Huggins Set – Photo 2
1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Huggins Set – Photo 3

Example

1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Bob Houbregs – Front
1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Bob Houbregs – Reverse

Key Cards

All the cards are tough finds, but the card that tends to be cataloged as the most expensive is of the coach, Clair Bee.

1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Clair Bee – Front
1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Clair Bee – Reverse

Checklist

Leo Barnhorst

Clair Bee

Bill Bolger

Ray Felix

Jim Fritsche

Rollen Hans

Paul (Bear) Hoffman

Bob Houbregs

Ed Miller

Al Roges

Harold Uplinger