1968-69 Topps Test Basketball marked a return to the hardwood for the card maker, albeit in a very limited way. For starters, the set is extremely small. So was its distribution — so small, in fact, that it is believed to never have been sold publicly and those cards that have made it onto the secondary did so on the production side.
So while it may have never been intended for release, some are out there now and they are unicorns among vintage basketball cards.
1968-69 Topps Test Basketball
Just 22 cards make up the 1968-69 Topps Test Basketball checklist. That’s smaller than a lot of modern insert sets but it makes sense if Topps were looking into getting back into hoops after more than a decade away. Their first — and only to that point — set of basketball cards was released in 1957-58.
What it lacks in size, 1968-69 makes up for in star power. More than half of the players are Hall of Famers including Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor. There’s also the first card of Bill Havlicek, whose name is misspelled “Havilcek.” However, because this wasn’t a widely released set, it’s generally not considered to be his rookie card. That came the following year with the landmark 1969-70 Topps Basketball set.
The 1968-69 design is a simple one with all photos being done in black and white. Some show in-game action while other photos come from publicity shoots. Backs are even more basic, acting as pieces for a Wilt Chamberlain puzzle.
1968-69 Topps Basketball cards are extremely scarce. Exact numbers aren’t known but only a small number of individual cards have been graded by PSA. The combination of star power and rarity give all cards in the set strong values.
In Lelands’ 2023 Fall Classic Basketball Auction, the Type I photo used for Bill Russell’s card sold for $7,878.
1968-69 Topps Test Basketball Checklist
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Base Set Checklist
22 cards.
1 Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia 76ers
2 Hal Greer, Philadelphia 76ers
3 Chet Walker, Philadelphia 76ers
4 Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
5 John Havlicek, Boston Celtics (Error: spelled “Havilcek”)
6 Cazzie Russell, New York Knicks
7 Willis Reed, New York Knicks
8 Bill Bradley, New York Knicks
9 Odie Smith, Cincinnati Royals
10 Dave Bing, Detroit Pistons
11 Dave DeBusschere, Detroit Pistons
12 Earl Monroe, Baltimore Bullets
13 Nate Thurmond, San Francisco Warriors
14 Jim King, San Francisco Warriors
15 Lenny Wilkens, St. Louis Hawks
16 Bill Bridges, St. Louis Hawks
17 Zelmo Beaty, St. Louis Hawks
18 Elgin Baylor, Los Angeles Lakers
19 Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers
20 Jerry Sloan, Chicago Bulls
21 Jerry Lucas, Cincinnati Royals
22 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
