Slugger and future Hall of Famer Willard Brown appears on this Puerto Rican winter league card at the inflection point of a two-decade pro career. Whether he knew it then or not, 1948 marked his final major league games for the Kansas City Monarchs, who won that year's pennant before losing its Negro League title to runner-up Birmingham. Brown would go on to play his remaining decade in Latin American, Independent, and Texas leagues, always hitting well when the situation called for it. His teammates said Willard played up to the crowd who attended, with packed houses getting the best they'd seen. Cooperstown eventually agreed, inducting him in 2006.

SGC graded this scarce issue VG 3 for its foxing and haze on its reverse, perhaps residue left by an album mount. Many collectors of this era pasted or taped their players into a provided album, and the album itself encouraged fans to build out their collection. The population report shows ten total graded examples for Willard Brown and just three higher! Its central image remains strong and clear, regardless of technical grade.

The numbered backs appear to be a flipping game rather than a traditional checklist, with game positions and play results appearing on multiple different player cards. (This particular back appears to give its flipper a single.) "Free distribution" (in Spanish) implies cards were given out, perhaps to fans who attended games. Toleteros made their first winter league set in 1948-49, and each one shows at least a handful of Negro League stars, a cardboard honor more or less unavailable to them before MLB integration, increasing the significance of surviving cards to our hobby today.

Size: medium
Condition: yes