These 1970-71 ABA All-Star 5×7 Picture Pack cards are hard to call “cards.” If you’re tracking down this set, you might end up surprised to learn that they’re simply pieces of 5″ x 7″ paper. The backs are completely blank. Fortunately, authenticity isn’t much of an issue with this set, but if you’re worried, you can compare image quality to a known sample but known samples aren’t easy to find. More likely, you’ll need to check the stock and color of the paper against plain white. There’s a nice simplicity to the “cards” which are simple black-and-white photos with the player and team names underneath. There’s no numbering on the cards, but this Joe Caldwell is #3 if ordering alphabetically by last name. Twelve All-Stars from the ABA make up this set with the Rick Barry card being the highlight (avid basketball fans will recognize other names like John Brisker, but for the average fan, Rick Barry is one of the only recognizable players). But for those willing to explore and spend time with the set, there’s a lot of unique history here.
The third card in the set is Joe Caldwell of the Carolina Cougars. Caldwell was playing in the NBA. He was the number two pick in 1964 for the Detroit Pistons. He had just started with the ABA for 1970-71 when this card set came out. Being in this ABA All-Star set means a bit more for him since this makes him one of the few players to be an All-Star in both the NBA and the ABA! He was known as “Pogo Joe” or “Jumping’ Joe,” due to his vertical leap and he was a gold medalist for the 1964 USA Olympic team. One of his grandchildren, Marvin Bagley III, currently plays in the NBA.
These cards are also a chance to encounter teams that only existed for a short time. This team, the Carolina Cougars, existed from 1969 to 1974 and was marketed as a “regional” team, playing in a variety of locations. Although primarily based in Greensboro, NC, they also played regularly in Charlotte and Raleigh, and even a few games in Winston-Salem. Another interesting piece of trivia is that Caldwell’s Carolina Cougars contract included a $6,600/month pension after age 55. The team owner sued to try to get out of it, but Caldwell won the lawsuit.
Despite the “cards” being paper, as well as being off-the-beaten-path for basketball cards, they can be a unique addition to a collection. You can see them listed in comprehensive price guides like the 2001 Standard Catalog of Basketball Cards where they’re the very first set. This guide lists the price of the set at $60, but frankly, the price is unpredictable because it’s rarely on the market and simply depends on if there’s a buyer searching for it at that moment!
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