Long before Phil Simms and Eli came to town and even before Y.A. Tittle, there was the man simply known as “Charlie.” New York Giants football fans could count on Charlie Conerly at quarterback as he led the offense from 1948 through 1961.
It was just after his NFL debut, in fact, that Leaf produced the first major post-War set of football cards. The Leaf issue is a popular and desirable set that is condition-sensitive in large part because of printing problems that plague many of the cards. Amongst the toughest cards is the 1948 Leaf Charlie Conerly Rookie from the very scarce second series high numbers. We at Just Collect, Inc. are very excited to have one available right now -— the ONLY 1948 Leaf Conerly ever to garner a PSA 8 (NM-MT) grade. There are no PSA 9’s and no PSA 10’s in PSA’s Population.
The PSA 8 Conerly is priced at $35,000, which may sound like a big investment, but when it comes to rare football cards, this one is high on the list. It’s simply impossible to find in high grade. There’s also an outside chance you might wind up buying a NFL Hall of Famer as Conerly had regularly been mentioned as a potential NFL Senior candidate.
Conerly was the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 1948, but it was in the mid-to-late 1950s where he made his mark. He led the Giants to three NFL Championship games in four seasons including a resounding 47-7 win over the Chicago Bears in 1956 and was the hard luck losing QB in the famous 1958 title game against Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts.
Charlie played his entire career with the Giants, earning the NFL’s MVP award in 1959 and was selected to two trips to the Pro Bowl. The late Giants’ owner Wellington Mara called him the best quarterback not in the Hall of Fame. The Senior committee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame considers candidates like Conerly.
Please take a moment to view this incredible 1948 Leaf #53 Charley Conerly Rookie Giants PSA 8 pop 1.
