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

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Population nine, none superior!

1949 Bowman Satchell Paige Rookie #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 nine hundred total examples, but just nine enjoy this lofty rating, without a single superior representation. The remarkable state of preservation after more than 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. It's the finest available rookie card of the oldest rookie ever, as well as the most celebrated ace of Negro League baseball. Please note that the card will be delivered to the winning bidder in a new holder to replace the ancient model seen in our catalog imagery. We will update the online images once we have it back in hand.

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