1948/49 Leaf Satchel Paige

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Thanks for your posts, Ted. It looks like those guys running Leaf Gum Co. were a bunch of sneaky.....

It's also crazy that all the cards from the second series are short-prints. And to make things even more confusing, there are some cards from this second series, like the Paige, which are even more difficult to find!s pretty cool, right?

1st....LEAF was not the first Gum Co. to skip-number their cards. GOUDEY, in 1933, played the same game by not printing 22 Lo # cards in their set until the last 2 sheets.

2nd....The 2nd Series (49 cards) was issued sometime in the Summer of 1949. This series of cards were not only Short-Printed, but were also regionally "short-distributed".
That is to say these cards were only issued in the Boston area, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois (and perhaps St Louis).

In 1989, Alan Rosen acquired four boxes (24-count) of LEAF unopened waxpacks. This find was an original collection from Michigan. All 576 cards were 2nd Series subjects.
Forty eight of these subjects averaged about 12 cards each, representing a fairly good random distribution. However there were only 3 cards of Satchell Paige in this group
of 576 cards.



TED Z

T206 Reference
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[steve B]

The low numbers are lots of fun, there's at least 3 distinct press runs if not 5-6.
And usually the differences aren't exactly small.

[leaflover]

I am truly a "Leaflover"

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by leaflover

I am truly a "Leaflover"

Hey Mike

I really love to see your 1949 "beauties"....you probably have the best looking set in the hobby.

On display here are 5 members of the Hall of Fame (Cleveland has the most HOFers in this set)

MVP in 1948…..awarded Dec 1948






TED Z

T206 Reference
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[ksfarmboy]

Ted are all of those from your childhood collection?

[tedzan]

Hi Clint

Only Lou Boudreau and Joe Gordon.

I grew up in NJ. Only the 1st series cards were available.

Paige, Feller, and Doby were issued with the 2nd series cards
which were distributed only in the Boston area, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.


TED Z

T206 Reference
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[ksfarmboy]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Hi Clint

Only Lou Boudreau and Joe Gordon.

I grew up in NJ. Only the 1st series cards were available.

Paige, Feller, and Doby were issued with the 2nd series cards
which were distributed only in the Boston area, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.


TED Z

T206 Reference
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When did you realize they had a second series? I bet as a collector finding out it would be a holy sh*t moment.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by tedzan

In 1989, Alan Rosen acquired 4 wax-pack boxes (24-count) each.
The cards in this find were all 2nd Series totaling 576. Forty-eight subjects averaged 12 cards each, representing a pretty good random distribution. However there were only
3 cards of Satchell Paige in this group of 576 cards.

I was talking to a big US card dealer over the phone last night and he thinks that these packs were searched. He doesn't think the Paige card is rarer than any of the other cards in the second SP series. He told me whenever he purchased a collection of 49' Leafs from someone, the Paige card was always in there.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by brian1961

No, Ted, nothing of the sort. Quite the contrary. I interpreted the article as Dick Reuss introduced the Leaf Bob Feller to the hobby, through his discovery of the card in his friend's collection where said friend resided in Michigan.

---Brian Powell

Sorry, Brian.....I think I mis-interpreted what you said in post #18.


TED Z

T206 Reference
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[tedzan]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

I was talking to a big US card dealer over the phone last night and he thinks that these packs were searched. He doesn't think the Paige card is rarer than any of the other cards in the second SP series. He told me whenever he purchased a collection of 49' Leafs from someone, the Paige card was always in there.

I don't know who you were talking with, and where does he get his information from ?

In 1989, when Alan Rosen discovered this 1949 LEAF find, I got a chance to see these cards. And, there were only three Paige cards in this collection of 576 cards.
While the other 48 subjects ranged from 10 - 13 cards each.

Incidentally, I met Alan Rosen in 1981 (we were set-up at adjacent tables at a New Jersey BB card show), and we were close friends all the years since.


TED Z

T206 Reference
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[samosa4u]

I can't post his name on an open forum without his permission. I will say this: for the past thirty years he has been buying up collections across the country (and selling them for big bucks!) So he must know what he's talking about.

Anyhow, price-wise this Paige card is almost on the same level as the 52' Topps Mantle. It's absolutely insane.

It's a good thing that the Jackie Robinson card is in the first series. It's more affordable and more people can enjoy it.

[GeoPoto]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Anyhow, price-wise this Paige card is almost on the same level as the 52' Topps Mantle. It's absolutely insane.

I'll take your word for the comparison to Mantle, but I can attest to the extraordinary scarcity of 49Leaf Paiges and the frantic price action when one surfaces.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

I can't post his name on an open forum without his permission. I will say this: for the past thirty years he has been buying up collections across the country (and selling them for big bucks!) So he must know what he's talking about.

Well what do you know....an anonymous source....this sounds like "fake news" !

So, Mr. Anonymous is a big-time dealer, who says: "whenever he purchased a collection of of 49' Leafs from someone, the Paige card was always in there."
Of course Paige would most likely be in a sizeable collection of 1949 LEAF cards. Besides Babe Ruth, Paige was/is the most popular subject in this set.

So, for starters the real question is.....how many 1949 LEAF collections did this "Mr. Anonymous" purchase ? ?

OK, Alan Rosen displayed these 1949 LEAF cards from his find at the Willow Grove Show in 1989. Many of us old-timers saw them at this show back then.
Rosen had opened the wax-packs from 2 of the 4 (24-count) boxes which yielded 288 cards. There was NOT a single Paige card in that group. He sold the
other two boxes of unopened 1949 LEAF wax-packs to Jim Copeland. Upon opening those 48 waxpacks, Jim found only three Paige cards.

That's how the entire story goes, guys. The Paige card was most likely printed in the same quantities as the other 48 cards on the 49-card sheet; however,
only a few of these Paige cards were inserted into the LEAF wax-packs. For whatever reasons.


Now, here we have a character, who asks you for information. You provide the information. And what in effect is his response....."your full of crap, because
a Mr. Anonymous says otherwise."

Well, I'm NOT going to continue this "horse-crap"any longer.....END OF DISCUSSION ! !
I no longer will respond to any of his requests, questions, or remarks.


T-Rex Ted
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