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Stan Musial, Harmon Killebrew cards finally get their due
Seventy-five years ago, Bowman issued its 1948 black-and-white baseball set. Among the stars: Stan “The Man” Musial.
Despite having lost one season (1945) to military service, the 27-year-old was already an established star. In five full seasons, he owned two Major League batting titles (.357 in 1943 and .365 in 1946) and was only five hits away from 1,000. His career average at that point: a lofty .342.
Yet Musial was just getting started. When his rookie card was making the rounds in spring 1948, Musical delivered a season for the ages. He notched 230 hits that year, and he did it with authority: 46 doubles, 18 triples and 39 homers. He also scored 135 times and drove in 131 runs, both league-leading totals.
Kids who pulled a 1948 Musial out of Bowman’s penny or nickel packs held a hitting hero in their hands. It was his rookie card, too — a beauty featuring Musial in a soft-focus black-and-white shot. (Leaf also issued a 1948 Musial card — a colorized photo of the Cardinals star.)
A 1948 Bowman Musial graded 8 can go well past $10,000. We saw just such an example recently on eBay when a PSA 8 with perfect centering drew 65 bids and soared to $16,059.
A lesser-grade 1948 Bowman Musial (PSA 7) sold in December 2022 for $4,605 on 33 bids. Going in the other direction, it’s rare to see Musial’s Bowman rook in 9 grade. When it does turn up, it can spike to $50,000 or more.
Here’s a host of other Musial hits on eBay in recent weeks:
• A 1948 Leaf Musial PSA 5 sold for $3,795 on 46 bids. A PSA 4 example brought $2,247 on 55 bids.
• A 1949 Bowman white-back Musial (PSA 7.5) went for $1,950 on 34 bids.
• A 1953 Bowman Color Musial graded SGC 7 fetched $1,750 on a single bid. Perhaps the best-looking of all Musical cards, this one features the smiling slugger in a dugout candid, with his Cardinals hat slightly askew and a row of bats racked behind him.
KILLER!
Those of us who have been around the hobby and/or sports journalism for a long time likely ran into Harmon Killebrew at one point or another and can vouch for this: “The Killer” ranks as one of baseball’s all-time nicest guys. He was a quality person who displayed class and character on and off the field.
Killebrew also ranks as one of baseball’s all-time sluggers. In 22 seasons, he pounded 573 homers. When he retired in 1975, there were only four players with more homers. Today, even after the “steroid era,” he still ranks 12th.
In the hobby, Killebrew is one of those players who somehow is both revered and undervalued. As such, the value of his rookie card — a 1955 Topps — in 9 condition is “only” around $35,000.
That figure is dwarfed by two other rookies in the same set. Sandy Koufax’s 1955 Topps rookie, also a 9, has exceeded $375,000 in past auctions. And Roberto Clemente’s 1955 rook in 9 condition can flirt with $1 million.
We’re reminded of Killebrew because of a recent eBay highlight: the sale for $13,200 of one of his later issues, a 1963 Topps card graded PSA 9.
When that card landed on the market 50 springs ago, Killebrew was coming off a 48-homer, 126-RBI season in 1962, leading the AL in both categories. He responded in ’63 with 45 more homers, again leading the league.
The five-figure price for Killebrew’s 1963 card illustrates again what collectors will pay for 50-year-old cards graded at Mint 9. Consider that a PSA 8 example of Killebrew’s 1963 card sold at auction in January for the collector-friendly price of $535. Another PSA 8 example of a 1963 Killebrew went for $450 in a Buy-It-Now deal.
FOUR-IN-ONE YANKEE GRAIL
Here’s the type of rarity that drives Yankee fans wild: a single card with authenticated autographs from four pinstriped legends. The luminaries on the card: Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter.
The card in question is a 2005 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection signature. The Jeter and Mattingly sigs are inked right on the card in blue. The Mantle and DiMaggio autographs are cut signatures (Mantle’s from a document, DiMaggio’s from a check).
Considering the signatures on this “quad” card, you can make the case that it was a bargain at $14,101 on 47 bids. There aren’t many single items with autographs from those four Yankees.
