1948 Leaf Satchel Paige #8 Rookie PSA NM 7. ...

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Only five superior!

1948 Leaf Satchel Paige #8 Rookie PSA NM 7. Paige famously mused, "Don't look back--something might be gaining on you," but the new owner of this high-grade trading card will find little competition for supremacy. The remarkable state of preservation after nearly seven decades of existence serves as a rather fitting tribute to the ageless Hall of Fame ace, who was still mowing them down as a forty-two-year old rookie for the World Champion 1948 Cleveland Indians. Bowman failed to honor the Negro Leagues' greatest arm in their 1948 edition, further elevating the importance of this, Paige's sole rookie specimen.

The '48 Leaf Paige is a short-print that is just as famous for its relative rarity as it is for its subject. It's also important to stress the significance of the issue itself in the evolution of the hobby, the first post-war breed to feature color imagery. The bright and bold design brings to mind the powerful aesthetics found in Soviet propaganda posters or Andy Warhol screen-prints.

Graded PSA NM 7. A physical examination, as the elevated grade would suggest, leaves us with little to report beyond a list of superlatives. The corners are sharp and centering is well within the bounds of desirable parameters. Print registration is slightly askew but within the realm of reasonable accuracy. Few rookie cards of Hall of Famers active beyond the Second World War present a greater challenge at this elite grade level.

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