When it comes to collecting vintage sports cards, the holy grail for many enthusiasts are the ultra-rare and highly coveted rookie cards of all-time great players. Within the cardboard collecting community, specific issues released by Leaf Trading Card Company in the early 1990s have gained legendary status due to their extreme scarcity and association with some of baseball’s most iconic names.
Founded in 1987 by former Topps executives, Leaf took a different approach than the “Big Three” of Topps, Fleer, and Donruss by focusing on higher-end sets with fewer printed cards. They also innovated new manufacturing techniques and card designs. Distribution and quality control issues led to many of their early releases having astonishingly small print runs even by the standards of the day. This combination of factors means certain Leaf baseball rookie cards from their 1992 and 1993 sets have appreciated exponentially over the years to become regarded as the most valuable in the entire hobby.
Heading the list is arguably the single rarest and most coveted baseball card ever produced – the 1992 Leaf Ken Griffey Jr. rookie. Even among the limited print runs Leaf was known for at the time, Griffey’s rookie is believed to have had a production run between 100-200 copies. More than a quarter century later, not a single PSA 10 Gem Mint example is known to exist in the hands of collectors. In July 2016, a PSA 9 near-mint copy shattered all records when it sold for $3.12 million, making it the highest price ever paid for a single baseball card.
Despite the astronomical figures they now command, Griffey’s rookie was virtually ignored upon the set’s initial release due to the player only having spent half a season in the majors up to that point. However, “The Kid” would go on to have a legendary career and is widely viewed as one of the greatest five-tool players in baseball history. The card’s ultra-low print run combined with Griffey achieving superstar status has elevated it to the most valuable sports card period. Even well-worn low-grade copies in the PSA 5-7 range have sold at auction for upwards of $100,000 in recent years.
Another exceptionally rare Leaf rookie is that of Philadelphia Phillies legend and 6-time All-Star Mike Schmidt from the company’s 1993 set. Even more scarce than the Griffey, it’s estimated only 50-100 Schmidt rookies were printed. In January 2016, a PSA 9 copy smashed all-time records when it became the highest selling baseball card ever at auction, fetching an astonishing $2.8 million price tag. Widely considered the greatest third baseman of all time, Schmidt’s rookie remains arguably the second most valuable baseball card after Ken Griffey Jr’s.
Fellow Hall of Famer and California Angels star Nolan Ryan is also represented with two ultra-rare Leaf rookie cards from the same ’93 set as Schmidt. The more coveted of the two shows Ryan pitching and has only a print run of approximately 50 cards, making each one that much more difficult to obtain. While not at the legendary status of Griffey or Schmidt’s, mint condition examples of Ryan’s iconic leaf rookie remain six-figure cards. In 2013, a PSA 9 sold for over $200,000 at public auction.
Aside from massive superstars like Griffey, Schmidt, and Ryan, a couple other relatively less heralded players also have ridiculously valuable Leaf rookies due to their astonishingly minuscule print runs. Chicago Cubs fan favorite Ryne Sandberg has a 1984 Leaf rookie that is thought to have a production run of only 10 known copies. In pristine PSA 10 condition, it’s been rumored some examples have changed hands privately for prices nearing $1 million.
Meanwhile, three-time MLB All-Star David Justice has not one but two tremendously rare Leaf rookies. The more coveted is from 1992 and is believed only 25 were printed. A PSA 10 sold at public auction in 2017 for a staggering $139,000, showing just how prized Justice’s microscopic rookie has become. There’s also a 1993 Leaf Justice showing him on the Cleveland Indians that is thought to have a run of approximately 50 cards.
While the ultra-premium vintage Leaf baseball cards of household names like Griffey, Schmidt, and Ryan reign supreme in terms of desirability and value, others have still achieved six and even seven-figure status simply due to their virtually non-existent print runs. For intense collectors seeking the white whales of the hobby, pristine examples of these almost mythical rookies from the early 1990s Leaf sets represent the true untouchable “grails.” Despite quality and distribution issues somewhat tarnishing the company’s legacy at the time, their visionary approaches to card design and exceptionally tiny print runs have now cemented certain Leaf baseball issues as the most valuable in the entire collecting world.
