Hage's Dairy of Southern California sponsored regional card sets from 1949-51, offered at concession stands for Lane Field Park, home of the PCL San Diego Padres. Most came packaged with popcorn and it's possible others entered the hobby via company or team promotions.

1949 proves the rarest of these Hage's sets and contains 105 players on thin stock with blank backs and one of four color tints, Black & White, Sepia, Blue, or Green. The combined SGC/PSA population reports for its F65-1 catalog number show fewer than 200 total graded examples for all players, making these true diamonds in the rough!

Ralph Buxton spent a decade in the minors between two MLB stints. He was lucky enough to pick up a World Series title with the Yankees during his second go-round, following PCL manager Casey Stengel to New York for 1949.

The SGC EX 5 grade reflects slight corner rounding on an otherwise crease-free, clean card. Ralph's photo shows a fastball pitching release and its blown-out look implies the photographer used a bright flash to catch this split-second moment. It's a near-miracle for the only graded example of Buxton's blank back card to also be in such great shape!