League Leaders cards — who's undervalued?

[Brent G.]

A while back, I picked this up from a fellow member for $55. I couldn't believe how cheap it was, especially compared to a '62 Mantle ($800ish) and Maris ($250ish) on their own in the same grade. But then I remembered how no one cared about league leaders when I was a kid in the '80s, despite some great combos.

Are there some other awesome league leaders cards out there that are undervalued? Let's see what you've got!

[hcv123]

This is the best league leader card out there! Available in Venezuelan too!

[raulus]

They definitely all sell at a serious discount, and I guess we can debate whether that means that they’re undervalued. Of course, if you’re convinced that they’re undervalued then you should go nuts to corner the market and drive up the price.

For my money it’s tough to beat 5 HR leaders and 5 HOFers, particularly with my key man in the lead.

[Brent G.]

Those are fantastic! It got me wondering if there’s SOMEONE out there collecting these as their primary focus.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

Those are fantastic! It got me wondering if there’s SOMEONE out there collecting these as their primary focus.

There are certainly weirder things that people collect, so it’s possible someone goes after them as their primary collecting focus.

Personally, they tend to be a bit lacking in pulchritude, so they don’t get me excited. There are also only so many of them, so you’ll run out of stuff to collect pretty quick.

[quitcrab]

Those LL cards are amongst the best from the 60s. It seems like all the others have 2 hall of famer super stars and then some “one hit wonder”!😊

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by raulus

There are certainly weirder things that people collect, so it’s possible someone goes after them as their primary collecting focus.

Personally, they tend to be a bit lacking in pulchritude, so they don’t get me excited. There are also only so many of them, so you’ll run out of stuff to collect pretty quick.

I remember being pretty excited to order a very affordable 1963 AL Batting Leaders from Kit Young when I was 12 or 13.

Oh, and I learned a new word tonight.

[Brent G.]

By the time I was a kid, Topps had decided not to include so many faces and only do one card for both leagues — although I loved the cards these two shared.

Anyone know when around they made that change?

[rats60]

There is a 1964 Topps League Leader card with Koufax, Marichal and Spahn. Hard to beat that for pitchers.

[Rich Klein]

Every few years we get a push, and in my opinion, with some good reasons about why these cards are undervalued.

The funny thing is that in today's ultra-modern card world (and granted the $$ are smaller for base cards) the leader cards of people like Judge and Ohtani are worth about the same as their regular cards. I suspect that just might nudge the older cards up a few levels as well.

Rich

[raulus]

Originally Posted by rats60

There is a 1964 Topps League Leader card with Koufax, Marichal and Spahn. Hard to beat that for pitchers.

Here is my Vennie version of that card. Just 1 lesser name on this one.

[irv]

I collected a few of these (and similar ones) some yrs ago now when the 52 Topps cards I needed were getting tougher to find and these filled my collecting void.
Never paid much for them as most know they were after thoughts to most people with some absolutely detesting just the head shots.

Like some others have mentioned, I thought having a card full of HOFr's, whether their rookie or not, was pretty cool. (I even purchased, mistakenly, the same card twice. )
Couldn't tell you the last time I purchased one (2-3yrs?) but I'd have no qualms purchasing more if I saw one I liked.

[Brent G.]

That '63 card made me look up Bill White -- not a name like the others, but a very nice career.

And this:

"White graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio in 1952, and was both president and salutatorian of his class. Because White was African American, Harding's principal ended the school tradition of the class president dancing with the prom queen (who was white that year)."

Apparently would've been a doctor if the baseball thing didn't work out.

[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

That '63 card made me look up Bill White -- not a name like the others, but a very nice career.

And this:

"White graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio in 1952, and was both president and salutatorian of his class. Because White was African American, Harding's principal ended the school tradition of the class president dancing with the prom queen (who was white that year)."

Apparently would've been a doctor if the baseball thing didn't work out.

And of course a National League President and long-time Yankee broadcaster. Yeah, I'd say that's pretty remarkable.
For those thinking of starting a Bill White player set, keep in mind he's in the 1963 Topps Dice Game, so that should pose a challenge.

[Mike D.]

I'm slowly working on a full run of Topps flagship LL cards from 1962-1984. They're so cool!

Why You Should Love Vintage Topps Baseball “League Leader” Cards