I may become a sneakerhead after all; I’d love to get a pair of these Jerry West All-Pro Basketball Shoes for my collection!
These sold for $367 back in November 1999 with the following auction lot description:
Perhaps the greatest shooting guard in NBA history, “Mr. Clutch,” averaged 27 points per game for an amazing 14 seasons. This 14-time All-Star was a real fan favorite and a natural for endorsements. One of these endorsements was All Pro “Jerry West 44” basketball shoes. The distant ancestor of the Air Jordan, these circa 1960s rubber-soled sneakers are offered in their original Near Mint condition box. The lid features a classic image of West, and the box bottom includes 10 “Exclusive Tips” from the Laker guard. The sneakers themselves are unused, Navy blue “boys boat” style shoes, pristine and protected in their original tissue paper wrapping. A refreshing, unusual item that is perfect for display.
I can’t find another for sale online, but then, I have no idea how to search for shoes…happy collecting!
Today, here’s a short basketball-dedicated list of 6 original pictures that Topps, Kahn’s Wieners, Fleer, and Bowman used to create some awesome cards.
1968 Topps Test #5 John Havlicek
In February 2020, Heritage Auctions sold this unique 8×10’’ photograph of John Havlicek, which Topps used for their scarce 1968 Topps Test Issue, for just $312.
John Havlicek Photo – Front
John Havlicek Photo – Reverse
1968 Topps Test #5 John Havlicek
1960 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry West
I don’t know if this photograph is a Type 1 example, but it is autographed and authenticated by JSA. In early 2023, the photo was listed for sale on eBay for $8,750.
Jerry West Photo – Front
Jerry West Photo – Reverse
1960 Kanh’s Wieners Jerry West
1961 Fleer #19 Tommy Heinsohn
The following 8×10’’ Type 1 image of Tommy Heinsohn was listed for sale on eBay for $1,800 in January 2023 but is now listed for $749.99. Heinsohn was an all-time great and was elected to the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.
Tommy Heinsohn Photo – Front
Tommy Heinsohn Photo – Reverse
1961 Fleer #19 Tommy Heinsohn
1961 Fleer #22 K.C. Jones
Robert Edward Auctions sold this Type 1 image of Boston Celtics Hall of Fame great K.C. Jones for $1100 in their 2020 fall auction.
K.C. Jones Photo – Front
K.C. Jones Photo – Reverse
K.C. Jones Photo – LOA
1961 Fleer #22 K.C. Jones
1976 Topps #60 Pete Maravich
Lelands’ 2022 Summer Classic Auction had three great Type 1 basketball photos used for the 1976 Topps basketball set, but the Maravich stood out. It sold for $1375.
Pete Maravich Photo – Front
Pete Maravich Photo – Reverse
Pete Maravich Photo – LOA
1976 Topps #60 Pete Maravich
1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan
This Mikan Type 1 image was signed and sold for $30k at Robert Edwards Auction’s 2018 Spring Auction.
George Mikan Photo – Front
George Mikan Photo – Reverse
George Mikan Photo – LOA
1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan
I hope you enjoyed seeing these amazing original photographs. Please reach out if you have any other type photographs used to create basketball cards, particularly any from the ’80s Fleer basketball sets.
Flipping through old auction catalogs is a dangerous game—so much rare memorabilia, and my wish list just keeps growing! Here’s a cool one from Mastro in 2007: a 1960s Jerry West die-cut advertising sign.
Here’s how they described it:
Presented is a “Wilson 50 Years” store advertising sign displaying the image of hoops legend Jerry West. To commemorate their fiftieth year as one of the top sports retailers in the industry-and to help commence another fifty-Wilson released this splendid marketing device. The 21-1/2″-tall item displays the impeccably crisp image of the basketball Hall of Famer in his 1960s Los Angeles Lakers garb. The All-Star guard is captured holding a basketball with the manufacturer’s label conveniently exhibited. A caption along the bottom reads, “a progressive past…a golden future.” The relic demonstrates superb preservation, exhibiting unobtrusive furrows confined mostly to West’s neck. The advertisement’s colors are every bit as vibrant as the day it was released. Matted and framed to total dimensions of 20-5/8″ x 29-5/8″
Unfortunately, I haven’t come across another example; let me know if you have a lead on one online or have more details about it and happy collecting!
The 1991 Upper Deck Jerry West Heroes autograph card is a hobby classic. West signed and numbered 2,500 of card #9, but unopened cases surfaced late in the release cycle with shocking clusters of autos—one in Texas had 23!
Sold by 4SharpCorners on eBay for $308 in October 2024
I discovered the tale of these loaded Upper Deck high series boxes from the September 1992 issue of Sports Collectors Digest’s Sports Card Price Guide Monthly, which had a few paragraphs of basketball commentary. The story begins with the last sentence of the first image below and continues through the start of the text in the second image.
Here’s the text from the article in case the images are a bit too small for you to read on your device:
Some of the later cases of Upper Deck high series cards contained pleasant surprises. One case that turned up in Texas in May wielded 23 autographed Jerry West cards, including six in one box. Another sent to a drugstore in North Carolina in mid-May included six autographed cards. In each case, the cards were numbered either sequentially or within one or two numbers of each other. It’s believed that when the final cases were prepared, an overrun of autographed West cards was discovered and the cards were simply packed close together.
Happy hunting, and I hope someone picks up one of these hot boxes someday soon! Happy collecting!
Basketball fans know Jerry West as a great player and a highly successful NBA executive. And a lot of collectors treat his 1961 Fleer basketball as his rookie card. However, others feel the 1960 Kahn’s Wiener card, which predated the Fleer release by a year, to be his true rookie card. Whether or not a regional oddball qualifies as a rookie card, the Kahn’s card is pretty incredible. They went on to make three more Jerry West basketball cards as well. Still, they can be tough to classify when in raw form, so I’m going to run down Kahn’s basketball sets, explain the differences between each of the four cards, and discuss a few more details about West’s four Kahn’s Wieners basketball cards.
Kahn’s Wieners released basketball sets between 1957 and 1965. They’re one of the few basketball food issues of the era and are pretty rare, particularly in excellent condition. That’s because Kahn’s was a Cincinnati-based meat processing and distribution company (now owned by Tyson Foods) that packaged the cards with hot dogs.
Given their regionality, Kahn’s sets featured players of the Cincinnati Royals. However, for four years, they also included a card of Jerry West (1960-1963). It’s suspected because he was from the area (West Virginia) or as a brilliant marketing move, as West was a really popular player.
The first Jerry West card that Kahn’s Wieners released was in 1960.
1960 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Front
1960 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Reverse
The front of the card features a black-and-white photo, West’s facsimile autograph, and Kahn’s slogan along the bottom. The rest of the 1960 Kahn’s cards had player vitals, a short biography, and statistics. But the back of West’s 1960 Kahn’s basketball card had vitals and a more extended biography because he hadn’t yet played a season. I like how they projected West being a star for years to come.
The 1960 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry West is a BIG card for major basketball collectors, particularly those who consider it his true rookie card. The PSA 8 pictured above sold for $21,600 in Robert Edward Auctions’ Spring 2017 auction. PSA has graded 33 of these Jerry West cards.
The 1961 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry West card used the same photograph as the 1960 card but has a smaller facsimile autograph in black ink. Also, the backs of 1961 Kahn’s Wieners cards are blank.
1961 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Front
1961 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Reverse
The 1961 Jerry West card is slightly less scarce than the 1960 card; PSA has graded 43 of them. Here are a few historical sales: $540 for a PSA 1 in September 2022, $900 for a PSA 2 in March 2022, $244 for a PSA 2 (MK) in October 2020, $179 for a PSA 6 (MK) in September 2018, and $3861 for a PSA 9 back in 2012.
In 1962, Kahn’s Jerry West card used a new image. The back of West’s card has a short biography but no statistics, like the other Kahn’s cards that year.
1962 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Front
1962 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Reverse
PSA has only graded 34 1962 Kahn’s Jerry West oddball basketball cards, and the last public sale I could find was a PSA 3 at Robert Edwards Auctions for $930 in July 2021.
In 1963, Kahn used the same photo of West as they did in 1962. However, the 1963 Kahn basketball cards have a white border around the front. Also, the facsimile autograph on the front of the card is in white text in 1963, instead of the black used on West’s 1962 card. Be aware that I have seen a mislabeled Kahn’s Jerry West basketball card on the market where PSA got the year wrong.
1963 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Front
1963 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Reverse
PSA has authenticated 29 1963 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry West basketball cards. In September 2022, Memory Lane Inc. sold a PSA 1 for $300, which Goldin had also sold (the exact same card) for $300 in January 2022. A PSA 3 sold for $300 in May 2017, and a PSA 9 sold for over $5k in December 2014.
While these Kahn’s cards don’t get as much respect in the market as Fleer and Topps do, the Jerry West cards are great, and it’s undeniable that Kahn’s had successful regional runs with these sets. So, if you’re looking for a challenge in the hobby, getting your hands on all four of Jerry West’s Kahn’s cards is probably just behind the difficulty of getting a bunch of the in-era George Mikan oddballs.
