This 1952 Red Man Willie Mays #15 card just got back from PSA with a rather harsh GD 2 grade. Well-centered with a vivid orange background, angular corners, straight edges and pinpoint resolution, it retains its original perforated tab and appears to show no blemishes whatsoever upon first inspection. The one condition issue that we could find is a small wrinkle crease below his bio, only viewable by angling the card to create a glare. In our opinion, eye appeal is easily mid-grade and comparable to an EX 5 that recently sold for $2,476.

Mays is one of the highlights from the 1952 Red Man Tobacco set along with Ted Williams and Stan Musial. Unlike those two vets, who had played over a decade and appeared on dozens of earlier cards, Mays was only in his second season, making this one of his earliest cardboard releases. In fact, only four other Mays cards were produced before 1953: his 951 Bowman #305 rookie, 1952 Topps #261, 1952 Bowman #218, and 1952 Berk Ross (unnumbered) issues. PSA has graded a grand total of 272 Mays cards from this set.

The large 3½" by 4" cards came sealed in plastic on the outside of tobacco pouches, with a perforated tab at the bottom that collectors could redeem for a baseball cap. Most tabs were torn off carelessly, so cards with the tab intact now command a premium. The 52-card checklist consists of 25 players and one manager from each league. Red Man produced sets from 1952 to 1955, but the 1952 debut issue is the hardest to find. The packaging, tab, larger size and colored borders make these cards especially condition-sensitive.