1949 Bowman Satchell Paige #224 PSA Mint 9....

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Population eight, none higher!

1949 Bowman Satchell Paige #224 PSA Mint 9. 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 PSA population contains over seven hundred total examples, but just eight enjoy this lofty rating, without a single superior representation. 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-something-year old rookie for the World Champion 1948 Cleveland Indians.

The text on verso lists Paige's birthdate as September 11, 1908, but quickly acknowledges that the exact age of the Negro League legend remains a point of debate. No such controversy exists when it comes to the significance of the offered rarity, however. Only fellow brave racial pioneer Jackie Robinson outshines Paige in this first post-war baseball issue to feature color imagery, and the former is considerably more common, both in total and at this elite grade.

Poor registration and wax/gum staining are rampant in this issue but absent here, and centering likewise lacks the typical cause for complaint. With high-grade post-war rookies enjoying a sustained bull market, this offering should find strong interest within the investment-minded collecting demographic.