Satchel Paige Baseball Cards: Values and Collector’s Guide
Satchel Paige baseball cards help tell one of the most unusual and charismatic stories in the hobby.
But, since there are so few of them, they only help capture a fraction of that story.
Known as the greatest pitcher of the Negro Leagues era, Paige’s charisma made for stories as legendary as Babe Ruth’s called shot.
Like those of him making his teammates sit down in the grass behind him as he struck out the opposing side.
Or taunting the legendary Josh Gibson by intentionally walking the bases loaded just so he could strike him out.
He had pitched for two decades in the Negro Leagues before making his MLB debut in 1948 at age 42.
And he later made cameos through 1965, throwing three scoreless innings for the Kansas City Athletics at age 59.
For these reasons, there are unfortunately not that many Paige cards to collect.
few Satchel Paige cards would be printed before he would retire.
Those that do exist remain highly coveted by many vintage baseball card collectors.
And in this guide, we take a look at Paige’s most iconic cards.
Let’s jump right in!
Player Bio
Position
Pitcher
Teams
Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, Kansas City Athletics
Career
1948–1965 (sporadic)
Career Highlights
•Negro Leagues legend (1926–1947)
•Oldest MLB rookie at age 42 (1948)
•1948 World Series champion (Cleveland Indians)
•2× AL All-Star (1952, 1953)
•Oldest player in MLB history at 59
•1971 Hall of Fame inductee
•Considered one of the greatest pitchers ever
Card Universe
Most Valuable Card
1948 Leaf #8 Satchel Paige Rookie Card
$40,000 in PSA 3
Most Graded
1948 Leaf #8 Satchel Paige Rookie Card
197 graded by PSA
Most Affordable
1947-66 Exhibits Satchel Paige 1948 Indians Team
$400 in PSA 4
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Ross Uitts – Owner
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1947-66 Exhibits Satchel Paige
PSA 7 Value $900Total PSA PopulationPSA 7 PopulationPSA 7 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)
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1947-66 Exhibits 1948 Indians Team
PSA 4 Value $400Total PSA PopulationPSA 4 PopulationPSA 4 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Paige’s other card in the Exhibits set, the 1948 Cleveland Indians team card, offers a nice group shot of the World Series winners that year.
Paige can be seen just right of center in the middle row.
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1948 Leaf #8 Satchel Paige Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 3 Value $40,000Total PSA Population 201PSA 3 Population 23PSA 3 Grade Rate 11.4% (Set Avg: 3.8%)PSA Population Distribution
21102324241827512345678910The Cleveland Indians were in a pennant race in 1948 so owner Bill Veeck signed Paige to a $40,000 contract to help.
Paige started 7 games in 1948 finishing with a 6-1 record while turning in a 2.48 ERA.
That same year, he also became the first African American to pitch in the World Series, pitching two-thirds of an inning in Game Five.
The Indians ended up winning the series in six games.
The 1948 Leaf #8 is one of two Satchel Paige rookie cards in the hobby, featuring a head shot of Paige smiling with his eyes closed atop a bright yellow background.
You’ll also notice that Leaf chose to use Paige’s actual first name, Leroy.
Being a single print, this Paige rookie card is rare enough already but can be incredibly difficult to find in higher grades due to poor print quality and focus.
It’s arguably the toughest post-War card to collect.
There are currently only five copies on PSA’s population report that grade NM-MT 8 with none grading higher.
The scarcity and importance of the card easily make it one of the most coveted and most valuable baseball cards of all time.
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1948 Cleveland Indians Team Issue Satchel Paige
PSA 1 Value $1,000Total PSA PopulationPSA 1 PopulationPSA 1 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)
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1948-51 Cleveland Indians Postcard Satchel Paige
PSA 4 Value $900Total PSA PopulationPSA 4 PopulationPSA 4 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)
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1949 Bowman #224 Satchel Paige Rookie Card
Rookie CardPSA 3 Value $5,000Total PSA PopulationPSA 3 PopulationPSA 3 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)Paige did not see as much success in 1949 as he had in 1948, finishing the season with a 4–7 record and a 3.04 ERA.
The Indians released him after the season when Veeck had to sell the team to pay for his divorce.
So Paige went back to barnstorming for a while.
Nevertheless, the 1949 Bowman #224 is considered the other Paige rookie card in the hobby and features a head shot of the superstar atop a light green background.
But this time he’s got his eyes open.
And if you look at the bottom of the card, you’ll also see that Bowman used Paige’s nickname but spelled it with two “L’s”.
Far less scarce than their 1948 Leaf #8 counterparts, this Paige rookie can be had far less expensively.
While there are only 8 copies of the 1948 Leaf rookie grading at PSA NM-MT 8 there are 65 copies of the 1949 Bowman rookies that have graded PSA NM-MT 8.
And as many as 9 copies have graded at PSA MINT 9 condition.
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1949 Big League Novelty Company Satchel Paige
PSA 2 Value $600Total PSA PopulationPSA 2 PopulationPSA 2 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%) -
1949 Cleveland Indians Picture Pack-Action Satchel Paige
PSA 4 Value $900Total PSA PopulationPSA 4 PopulationPSA 4 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)
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1953 Topps #220 Satchel Paige
PSA 5 Value $2,000Total PSA PopulationPSA 5 PopulationPSA 5 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 8.2%)Bill Veeck returned to baseball when he bought an 80% ownership interest in the St. Louis Browns.
He quickly signed Paige, who would pitch for the team from 1951 to 1953, earning two All-Star game appearances along the way.
Unfortunately, he would only appear on one more card during that span.
Satchel Paige’s 1953 Topps baseball card is arguably his most visually appealing as it displays a beautiful illustration of the legendary pitcher in the famous design of that set.
Easily noticed, though, is the misspelling of his name again as Topps, too, spelled it with two “L’s”.
A favorite among collectors, it would also be the last mainstream baseball card to feature Satchel Paige.
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1962 Pittsburgh Exhibits Satchel Paige 2 of Hearts
PSA 4 Value $1,700Total PSA PopulationPSA 4 PopulationPSA 4 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%) -
1967 Venezuela Topps #177 Satchel Paige
PSA 4 Value $5,000Total PSA PopulationPSA 4 PopulationPSA 4 Grade Rate 0.0% (Set Avg: 0.0%)
Ross’s Take
Amazingly, 1953 was not Paige’s last stint in Major League Baseball.
