1948 Leaf #70 Honus Wagner PSA NM-MT 8

1948 Leaf #70 Honus Wagner PSA 8 - The Flying Dutchman, One from the Top

Long before the hobby became obsessed with Honus Wagner’s legendary T206, the 1948 Leaf #70 Honus Wagner gave a new generation of collectors another striking way to encounter one of baseball’s foundational superstars. Leaf’s landmark 1948 release helped usher baseball cards into the postwar era with its unmistakable use of bold color, simple backgrounds, and vivid player portraits. Wagner had been retired for more than three decades when the set appeared, turning his card into a tribute to baseball history rather than a snapshot of a current star.

This extraordinary example has been graded PSA NM-MT 8, with only one example graded higher. That distinction transforms an already important Hall of Fame issue into a genuinely elite condition rarity. For a card issued nearly 80 years ago featuring one of the most consequential names in the sport’s history, sitting just one grading level beneath the finest known example gives this Wagner tremendous stature among advanced vintage collections.

Wagner’s legend was firmly established long before baseball cards became a major American pastime. The “Flying Dutchman” won eight National League batting titles, collected 3,420 hits, batted .328 for his career, and combined tremendous hitting ability with speed and exceptional defensive play at shortstop. He was part of the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame class of 1936, receiving votes alongside Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson.