Record $251K Paid for Scarce Negro League Oscar Charleston Graded Baseball Card

Negro League baseball defined one of the most important eras of American baseball history and legends like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Cool Papa Bell provided fans with some of the most exciting and intriguing play that they’ve ever seen. Rare collectibles from the Negro Leagues have reshaped the hobby by spotlighting some of the more undervalued players, driving demand around elements of scarcity and cementing their legacies alongside the more well-known Major League greats like Lou Gerhig, Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth.

When it comes to some of more intriguing collectibles of both the Negro Leagues and baseball history as a whole, one of the rarest cards of Negro League legend Oscar Charleston was sold this past weekend for a record-breaking $251,964 via Love of the Game Auctions. The card, part of the extremely scarce 1923-24 Tomas Gutierrez Cuban Winter League set, was graded an SGC 4 (Very Good) and is just one of only nine known graded specimens.

New Record Set For Negro League Card | Courtesy of the SI Collectibles Team

The 1923-24 Tomas Gutierrez 85-card set is considered among the most coveted Cuban baseball issues ever created and features both Cuban and Negro League stars. The remarkable this is the fact these cards were printed in limited numbers back then and have survived the past century in remarkably small quantities, making any example of Charleston’s card an incredible find for collectors. When it comes to the graded aspect of the card, the SGC 4 is certainly among the better preserved, and that is the exact reason as to why a bidding war for the card ensued.

Oscar Charleston who is often called the “black Babe Ruth” for the power he displayed at the plate and the “black Ty Cobb” for his speed rounding the bases, Charleston was able to uniquely combine the characteristics of hitting, speed, and defense. His career batting average is estimated around .363, and although Negro League statistical record-keeping was incomplete at the time, his dominance at the plate and on the basepath is undisputed.

In his acclaimed book The Baseball 100, sportswriter Joe Posnanski ranked Charleston as the best player in baseball history, ranking him above the likes of Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Ty Cobb.

The Baseball 100 - By: Joe Posnanski | https://shop.baseballhall.org/the-baseball-100/

This record-breaking sale of $251,964 validates three key points from a collectibles perspective. First and foremost, it’s a direct reflection on Charleston’s standing among baseball historians and former players. Secondly, the sale indicates the increasing demand for higher-quality, ultra-scarce Negro League artifacts such as Charleston’s baseball cards. Lastly, and most importantly, it gives Oscar Charleston, the recognition he so desperately deserves.