1948 Leaf Graziano card...True Story

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>paulgrubor</b><p>My Graziano Leaf boxing card story...<br /><br />I'm the seller that auctioned off the Rare 1948 Leaf Graziano card via a Sports Collectors Digest auction in the late 1980's. The story behind this rare card is as follows. My wife and I were set up at a Sun Times show in Chicago and we met a Doctor from Streator, Il and we became good friends with this person. He mentioned that Streator was a big Baseball town and that we should come there on a buy trip. We ran ads in the local paper and did buy a 1963 presentation set along with a wonderful collection of old Bobbing heads.<br />A Honus Wagner Ball also was offered but we passed on it because we were mainly sellers of sportscards (darn it). We had a great time and purchased quite a few nice collections.<br /><br />We arrived home and the Doctor called us about three days later and said he was contacted by a local business man that had quite a nice collection of sets from the 50's and 60's. He was unable to make it during our previous visit so we set up a time and date to visit his furniture store located in downtown Streator. Upon arriving we walked in his backroom and lined up on 4 back to back eight foot tables were stacks and stacks of cards with alot of complete sets. Included was a stack of Ringside and Leaf boxing cards that were added to the final purchase price. Upon leaving the store my wife noticed a nice recliner and asked about the price. The owner threw it in and we put it in the trunk and tied it down...True story..It was January and we had a back seat loaded with vintage cards and froze all the way home.<br /><br />I never really had boxing cards so I offered them to a collector in Milwaukee for $500.00 for the group but he passed. I decided to run an SCD auction with the cards and kept getting calls to end the Graziano card early. I told my wife that something is up with this card because I swear I had at least 15 calls to end early. The card ended up at $1100.00 or so and I was shocked. There were 2 bidders on the line and I kept switching back and forth with bids increasing by the second. The card was creased and by todays standards would grade a 2 or 3. Anyway, thats my story on the Graziano card that the original owner stated was purchased in the Chicago area during his childhood.<br /><br />Paul Grubor

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>JimB</b><p>Great story. Thanks for sharing it.<br />JimB

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>peter ullman</b><p>i thought you were gonna say you found the graziano card in the cushion of the la'z'boy!<br /><br />pete ullman

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>dennis</b><p>"i thought you were gonna say you found the graziano card in the cushion of the la'z'boy!"<br />i thought that too!

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Jimmy</b><p>great story for the boxing fan, and this card always gets attention in the hobby<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your story<br /><br />Jimmy<br />

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Dave Hornish</b><p>The Old Judge #33 has a brief article on the Graziano. It basically details the 2 known examples at the time, one of which was noted to have been stolen in the late 1980's.

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Ted Zanidakis</b><p>In the late '90s, the dealer in the next booth to mine at the Ft. Washington show had a Graziano. it was only the 2nd one I had seen.<br /> Leaf card #50 with White cardboard (Graziano was never printed on Gray cardboard, as the other 49 cards in the set are).<br />This was a crisp, sharp card (Nr Mint). He didn't sell it at the show and subsequently consigned it to an auction where it sold for $5000+.<br /><br />TED Z

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Corey R. Shanus</b><p>Any theories why this card is so rare? How many are known to exist?

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Ted Zanidakis</b><p>COREY<br /><br />My understanding is that Graziano didn't like (or want) his picture on a Gum card. He was always "a piece of work" to begin with.<br /> I met him at the 1984 National and he was not a friendly dude.<br /><br />Anyhow, Leaf Gum quickly replaced him on their sheet of of 49 cards (supposedly with Arturo Godoy). At that point the Graziano<br /> card, inadvertently, was to become the most scarcest post-war sportscard in the hobby.<br /><br />It's really a shame that he had the card removed, as it was at a time when Graziano and Tony Zale were at their zenith in the<br /> Chicago fight scene. And, many kids in 1948 were disappointed in not finding a "Rocky" card upon opening up those Leaf packs.<br /><br />The two cards I know of was one Don Flanagan had and another that Pete Waldham (Florida collector) has; besides, the cards<br /> mentioned in this thread. There can't be more than 10 in circulation.<br /><br />TED Z <br />

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Corey R. Shanus</b><p>Thx Ted

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Tom Boblitt</b><p>If that's the case, where did the white stock cardboard come from?

[Archive]

Posted By: <b>Ted Zanidakis</b><p>In 1948 LEAF initially printed their Boxing card set and their Football card set on WHITE cardboard stock.<br /> At the end of that year and into 1949 Leaf switched to GRAY cardboard stock. They had additional press runs<br /> on both of these sets using the GRAY stock. Leaf continued using the GRAY cardboard for their 1949 BB set<br /> that was issued in early Spring of '49. And, the GRAY cardboard was also used for their 1949 Football set,<br /> issued in the Fall of '49..<br /><br />The Rocky Graziano only exists with WHITE cardboard since it was discontinued during the very 1st press run <br />early in 1948. <br /><br />I have two complete sets of the Boxing issue....one with WHITE and one with GRAY cardboard. I wish they would<br />have printed only with the WHITE stock, as the pictures are much clearer than the cards with the GRAY stock.<br /><br />TED Z