CSC Collector Guide · Baseball
Satchel Paige
1949 Bowman #224 base
Satchel Paige's 1949 Bowman #224 asks a collector to hold two timelines at once. It belongs to his recognized rookie-card collecting checklist, yet the pitcher pictured had already spent decades making his reputation. The small Bowman is an early mainstream card of a thoroughly seasoned player.3, 5, 4, 6
Quick Facts
- Player
- Satchel Paige
- Sport
- baseball
- Year / season
- 1949
- Manufacturer
- Bowman
- Set / product
- Bowman
- Card Number
- 224
- Variation / parallel
- base
- Autograph
- NON AUTOGRAPH
- Relic
- NO RELIC
- Serial denominator
- Not serial numbered
- Rookie status
- ROOKIE
Original 1949 Bowman #224; later reprints and reissues are excluded.
PSA’s rookie-card registry accepts 1949 Bowman #224 in Paige’s recognized rookie context. This does not establish a first or sole rookie designation, nor a factory-autograph claim.
Sources
Identification
The exact issue is Satchel Paige, 1949 Bowman #224, base. Match that full identity when comparing copies.3, 5
Why This Card Matters
The accepted rookie-card classification follows the PSA registry's treatment of this Bowman. It is not a claim that no earlier Paige card exists, or that 1949 was his first professional season.3, 5
Player Legacy
Satchel Paige built his reputation across Negro Leagues clubs and barnstorming baseball long before joining Cleveland in 1948. His pitching drew crowds and challenged hitters during a career that included many years before his American League debut. Cleveland signed him at 42, and he helped the club win the 1948 World Series. He pitched there again in 1949, the year of this Bowman, then spent 1951 through 1953 with the St. Louis Browns and earned two All-Star selections. In 1965 he returned for a final major-league appearance with Kansas City, throwing three scoreless innings at 59. The Hall of Fame elected him in 1971. Number 224 records one chapter of that long life; it cannot sensibly be read as the beginning of Paige's pitching story.6
Card and Set Context
Bowman's 1949 set uses small cards with color added to photographic images. Paige #224 belongs to that issue, separate from his later 1953 Topps #220 and the Leaf issue also included in Paige collecting.4, 5, 1
Collector Context
A Paige collection can follow the Cleveland years through #224 while preserving the much longer Negro Leagues story around it. The card is a useful chapter marker, not a compressed career biography.2
Grading and Condition
Compare the border, color and corner tips at full image size. Establish the original Bowman identity and readable #224 before using any holder description to compare condition.3, 5
What to Verify
Use #224 and the Bowman product to distinguish this Paige from the later Topps card. The rookie-registry designation can stay in the catalog without claiming this was his first year in professional baseball.3, 5, 1
Current eBay Listings
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Current asking prices are marketplace listings, not verified sales or appraisals.
Marketplace listings retrieved .
Best Matches
1949 Bowman Satchel Paige #224 PSA 8 (OC) NM-MT
Exact identity · Seller-stated grade
Listing price: USD 13995.00
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1949 Bowman #224 Satchel Paige PSA 8 NM-MT
Exact identity · Seller-stated grade
Listing price: USD 39999.99
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1949 BOWMAN #224 SATCHEL PAIGE INDIANS PSA 3 VG 561817 (KYCARDS)
Exact identity · Seller-stated grade
Listing price: USD 7500.00
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1949 Bowman Satchel Paige #224
Exact identity · Seller-stated ungraded
Listing price: USD 4500.00
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1949 Bowman #224 Satchel Paige RC SGC PR 1 Cleveland INDIANS CENTERED VSCARDS
Exact identity · Seller-indicated holder / grade unverified
Listing price: USD 6049.00
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1949 Bowman #224 Leroy "Satchel" Paige
Exact identity · Seller-stated ungraded
Listing price: USD 150.00
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View on eBay →Collector Questions
Does the rookie classification mean this was Paige’s first professional season?
Sources & Research
- 1953 Topps Satchell Paige #220 PSA · retrieved 2026-10-14T15:33:26Z
- Satchel Paige exact card and historical context PSA · retrieved 2026-10-14T19:12:45Z
- 1949 BOWMAN 224 SATCHELL PAIGE PSA · retrieved 2026-10-14T19:12:45Z
- 1949 Bowman format and explicitly listed variation scope PSA · retrieved 2026-10-14T19:12:13Z
- PSA rookie-card registry checklist PSA · retrieved 2026-10-14T19:56:54Z
- Satchel Paige — Hall of Fame biography National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum · retrieved 2026-10-16T00:13:52Z