Lot # 25: 1948-1949 Leaf #4 Stan Musial Rookie PSA EX 5

Graded EX 5 by PSA. Mid-grade example of this classic rookie card of St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial. The 1948-1949 Leaf Bubble Gum card of Musial is one of the most popular and striking of all his cards. The cards manufactured by Leaf Gum Co. in 1948 and 1949 are often encountered with many problems (excessive toning, general wear from fragile paper stock, soft corners, centering issues, and print lines), and collectors also must deal with the wildly varying degrees of print quality that characterize the set. It is easy to see why 1948-1949 Leafs are one of the most difficult of all issues to collect in high grade. The offered example has brilliant colors, outstanding registration, and strong corners with light touches of wear (there is a small crease above the bottom-left corner). The reverse is clean and free of staining or excess print. This is a solid mid-grade example of one of the icons of postwar Hall of Fame card collecting.