Welcome to Cataloged Clutter! No card is too common here! We try to give each and every one a video of its own!
The 1993 Action Packed Hall of Fame set is one we’ve been moving through one card at a time, and, with this #25 Bob Davies, we now have videos delving into the first twenty-five cards. You gotta have Bob Davies in your collection as he is credited as being the first player with a game-usable behind-the-back dribble. But stick with us for this one, you won’t believe some of these stats. They really take you back in time to a different era. You’re going to be amazed how unfamiliar some of the history on the back feels compared to what we’re used to seeing today. Like how someone can earn the MVP averaging 14.4 ppg.
But first, this photo. Amazing selection by Action Packed. The Bob Davies cards that appeared while he was playing were all illustrated or staged. Here’s his 1948 Bowman one for example. Bread for Health, Wheaties, none are action photos. This is actually the first time we get Davies on a card playing. And for modern fans, that crown on his basketball shorts has some serious meaning. The Rochester Royals went by that name in 1945, and that crown gives us continuity over 80 years. Quick review: The Rochester Royals moved from the NBL to the BAA to the NBA. Davies was involved in these transfers as we can see on the back of the card. So three different leagues in one career, chaotic time… Then in 1957, they moved to Cincinnati, becoming the Cincinnati Royals. Then we have a move to Kansas City in 1972 and the renaming to Kings, the Kansas City-Omaha Kings because they were playing in multiple locations. The transfer to Sacramento happened in 1985. So that’s why we see the Kings retiring his number in 1991. But that crown and the idea of royalty with the Royals/Kings is the thread that holds all that history together. Really cool picture!
Back to the ’40s and ’50s and let’s look at some of these stats. By the way, 1945 was so early that there wasn’t a draft yet. The Rochester Royals were grabbing up military men who had been finishing their service in World War II. Davies was in the Navy. So was Red Holzman, and the Royals scooped him up too. Onto these stats, some of these numbers…it was truly a different era! That 14.4 ppg I mentioned earlier was with the NBL, the National Basketball League. But still, becoming the MVP with 14.4 ppg. It really shows the difference in points being scored. A lot of Davies career was without a shot clock and no three-point line… Look at these ’51-52 NBA stats, 5th in the league in points with 16.2 and 4th in the league in assists with 6 per game!
Really cool card! First action photo of Davies on a card. And I know this Action Packed set isn’t really sought after by collectors, but it’s like buying a basketball history book.
Please subscribe and collect with us! We give every individual basketball card its own video, so we get to enjoy and spend time with so many overlooked cards: commons, oddballs, printing variations… It’s something a bit different from the usual big-money investing and box breaks. I hope it allows you to spend time with some of your overlooked cards too.
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