1948-1949 Leaf #8 Satchel Paige Rookie Short Print SGC VG 3

Sold For:

$44,400

Year:

1948

Auction:

2022 Fall

Lot #:

858

Category:

Postwar Baseball - 1950s Cards

Graded VG 3 by SGC. Offered is an outstanding mid-grade example of 1948-1949 Leaf #8 Satchel Paige. This is one of card collecting's iconic classics. Paige’s Leaf rookie card is one of the rarest and most significant of all postwar baseball cards. Chicago's Leaf Gum Company produced the first multicolor baseball cards of the post-World War II era in 1948-1949. Forty-nine cards in the set are considered "standard," and the additional "short print" series of forty-nine cards in the set are so rare that "Rare Leafs" has long been a formal card-collecting hobby term. Leafs are without question one of the toughest postwar sets to complete because of all the rare cards. Paige is not only the key to this rare series, he is also the key to the 1948-1949 Leaf set. The Leaf card is also Paige’s most valuable. The offered card has bright colors, exceptional registration (which can be a problem with Leafs), honest corner wear, and excellent centering. Boldly printed reverse. Light creasing around the top left corner factors into the assigned grade. This card presents a rare opportunity to acquire an extremely attractive example of one of the classic postwar baseball cards. Reserve $10,000.