Vintage Vault | The Rarest Baseball Cards of the 1940s – Part 3

Wrapping Up the Decade’s Rarest Cards

Welcome to Part 3 of our series on the rarest cards and sets of the 1940s. This is our last article in the series, which will look at sets produced in both 1948 and ’49. If you missed our two previous articles, you can check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Let’s get into it.

1948 Caramelos El Indio 

While many collectors consider the 1951 Bowman as Monte Irvin’s rookie card, an earlier and lesser-known foreign issue was released three years prior. However, this earlier card contains an error — his last name is misspelled as “Yrving.”

For those unfamiliar with Irvin’s story, he played a pivotal role in baseball history and was a mentor to none other than Willie Mays. Before joining the New York Giants in 1949, Irvin showcased his talent in both the Negro Leagues and the Mexican League.

This card hasn’t sold in over six years, but back in 2018, an Authentic sold for $3,000.

1948-49 Toleteros 

This was the first release in a three-year run of Toleteros cards, created for the Puerto Rican Winter League. Later in this article, we’ll cover the second set. The third can be found in our Rarest Cards of the 1950s – Part 1 article, where we talk about the Josh Gibson rookie card.

In the first release, the big cards to chase are those of Hilton Smith and Williard Brown. We previously covered Willard Brown in an earlier installment of our 1940s series, but we’ve yet to spotlight Smith — a legendary Negro Leagues pitcher renowned for his masterful curveball.

Smith spent the bulk of his career with the Kansas City Monarchs, where he was a teammate of the iconic Satchel Paige. While Paige often drew the spotlight, Smith quietly dominated, compiling an estimated career record of 70–39 and frequently entering games in relief after Paige.

A PSA 5 Hilton Smith was the latest sale of this card, and it sold for $9,000 back in 2021.

1949 Leaf Short Prints

The 1949 Leaf set is famous for its wildly inconsistent card scarcity. While some cards are relatively easy to find at shows, others are nearly impossible to track down.

Among the most valuable and sought-after short prints are those of Satchel Paige, Larry Doby, Hal Newhouser, George Kell, and Bob Feller. The set is also notable for its unusual card numbering and numerous printing variations.

A PSA 8 of the Satchel Paige sold for $432,000 at Heritage Auctions back in 2018.

1949 Leaf Premium 

While the standard 1949 Leaf cards are well known and widely collected, this particular version is significantly rarer. These cards were included as premiums at the bottom of boxes, containing 24 five-cent packs and featuring only retired players. Babe Ruth is prominently featured in three different designs, with the blue background version being the most desirable among collectors.

An interesting note about this set is the inconsistency in how grading companies classify them. The smaller Leaf cards are often labeled as 1948, while the larger premium versions — despite coming from the same boxes — are listed as 1949. In reality, Leaf was a 1949 release, making the 1948 labeling inaccurate.

1949 Acebo

These were miniature cards distributed inside matchboxes in Cuba, making them both fragile and extremely scarce today. The biggest name in the set is Hall of Famer Ray Dandridge, who has been present in many of the sets featured in this series of articles.

1949-50 Toleteros 

This is the second release in the Toleteros series. The key cards to chase in are Hall of Famers Leon Day and Willard Brown, with Brown notably featured in two different poses.

Leon Day was the ultimate utility player, having played eight of the nine positions on the field — catcher being the only exception. Known for his blazing fastball on the mound and remarkable speed on the bases, he was a dynamic force in the Negro Leagues from 1934 to 1950.

A SGC 4 sold back in 2022 for $12,500

1949 Lefty O’Doul Fukuchan Chewing Gum Bromide Card

Lefty O’Doul played a key role in rebuilding post-war relations between the United States and Japan through baseball. While international barnstorming tours had taken place since the 1910s — featuring legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Moe Berg (the catcher-turned-spy) — O’Doul was instrumental in fostering goodwill during the post-WWII era, helping to reestablish baseball as a cultural bridge.

Though not enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, O’Doul is highly regarded by collectors, often valued on par with mid-tier Hall of Famers due to both his playing achievements and global impact on the game.

His 1949 card features the Pacific Coast League seals uniform and has sold for $595 raw at the Prestige Collectibles Auction.

Babe Ruth’s 1948 JCM 48 & 1949 JK 5 Tohoku Karuta Cards

Babe Ruth had many tribute cards created after his passing in 1948. While the most popular is his 1949 Leaf, I wanted to share two Japanese tribute cards. Despite challenging relations between the U.S. and Japan following the war, Ruth remained a beloved figure thanks in large part to his earlier barnstorming tours.

---

More Topps Vintage Vault

---