It's not easy to find a super high grade 1948 Leaf Satchel Paige rookie card. Proof of that came with the end result of a recent auction.
Satchel Paige struggled to make a living even at the height of his Negro Leagues fame. His long overdue arrival in the Majors late in his career helped boost his profile, but he wouldn't believe the price level reached by his first rookie card nearly 60 years after he probably first saw one.
A 1948 Leaf Paige graded PSA 8 (NM/MT) sold for $89,087 in Goodwin & Company's catalog auction late last week. The price includes a 17.5% buyer's premium.
Described as "quite possibly the most difficult to obtain, high-grade baseball card in existence", the Paige card is one of few high grade examples known. It was short printed and the 1948 Leaf issue is troublesome because of its poor quality paper stock and primitive inks which often led to defects.
Last spring, a PSA 7 (near mint) Paige sold for over $21,000 in a Mastro auction.
Among the other highlights of the Goodwin Auction:
- 1968 Topps baseball set including 326 PSA 9 graded cards $36,921
- 1969 Topps baseball set including 164 PSA 9 graded cards $33,858
- 1911 D304 Brunners Honus Wagner graded PSA 7 $33,014
- 1956 Topps Ted Williams graded PSA 10 $32,666
- 1952 Bowman Large Jim Lunsford Single Print SGC 92 $30,040
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 1983 DONRUSS HALL OF FAME HEROES 11 SATCHEL PAIGE POP 1 PSA 10 B1289662 $17.99 Time Remaining: 7h 29m Buy It Now for only: $17.99 |
 1960 Satchel Paige Single Signed Baseball PSA DNA Certified 45 VG EX+ $707.75 Time Remaining: 9h 33m Buy It Now for only: $707.75 |
 SATCHEL PAIGE SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED PSA DNA HOF CARD AUTO $499.99 Time Remaining: 1d 6h 12m Buy It Now for only: $499.99 |
 2001 Topps Archives Reserve Satchell Paige PSA 9 $22.00 Time Remaining: 1d 9h 1m Buy It Now for only: $22.00 |
 SATCHEL PAIGE SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED PSA DNA AUTO 83154099 $499.99 Time Remaining: 1d 9h 48m Buy It Now for only: $499.99 |
 Rare Uncommon Cleveland Indians Auto Sign HOF Satchel Paige Postcard PSA DNA $499.99 Time Remaining: 1d 12h 11m |
 1953 TOPPS BASEBALL CARD 220 SATCHELL PAIGE PSA 5 $162.50 (12 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 13h 17m |
 Satchel Paige Signed Cut PSA DNA LOA $335.00 Time Remaining: 2d 2h 41m Buy It Now for only: $335.00 |
 Satchel Paige Autographed Yellow Hall of Fame Plaque PSA DNA LOA $475.00 Time Remaining: 2d 4h 47m Buy It Now for only: $475.00 |
