1954 Baltimore Bullets Gunther Beer Basketball Card Set and Checklist

1954 Baltimore Bullets Gunther Beer Specs

Year: 1954

Title: Baltimore Bullets Gunther Beer

Size: 2-5/8″ by 3-5/8″

Number in Set: 11

1954 Baltimore Bullets Gunther Beer 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” appears 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 information on how fans could listen to or watch games.

The cards are unnumbered.

1954 Baltimore Bullets Gunther Beer Examples and Sales

PSA’s Pop Report has a whopping 9 graded examples (plus 3 more signed, all Hoffmans) while SGC’s has eight. However, it appears like the autographed cards below from the Huggins sale aren’t included in that number since SGC’s lone Houbregs is an SGC 2, and the signed copy below is an SGC 5. Let me know if you have any idea what’s going on in SGC’s Pop Report.

In August 2014, Huggins & Scott sold a complete signed set for $2,133.

1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Huggins Set – Photo 1

1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Huggins Set – Photo 2

1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Huggins Set – Photo 3

And here’s the lone PSA-graded Houbregs example, a PSA 5 that Love of the Game auctions sold for $390 in August 2018.

1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Bob Houbregs – Front

1954 Bullets Gunther Beer Bob Houbregs – Reverse

Here are a few more individual card sales from the set:

1954-55 Bullets Gunther Beer Clair F. Bee PSA 4 (pictured below): $300 in August 2018
1954-55 Bullets Gunther Beer Rollen Hans PSA 4: $263 in May 2014
1954-55 Bullets Gunther Beer Paul Hoffman BVG Auto Authentic: $175 in August 2024
1954-55 Bullets Gunther Beer Ray Felix PSA 2: $100.99 in December 2016