Manufacturer: Leaf (Chicago Leaf Gum Company)
Set: 1948 Leaf Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Virgil (Fireball) Trucks
Position/Team: Pitcher for Tigers
Card #: 5
Card Size: 2-3/8” x 2-7/8”
Card Value Snapshot: Raw/Ungraded: $300 | Grade 7: $950
⬇️ See More Pricing Data Below
Virgil “Fire” Trucks (1917–2013) was a durable and highly effective right-handed pitcher who spent 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the Detroit Tigers. He is best remembered for his blazing fastball—which earned him his nickname—and his remarkable 1952 season.
Two No-Hitters in One Season (1952): Trucks achieved baseball immortality by throwing two no-hitters for the Tigers in 1952. The first came on May 15 against the Washington Senators, and the second occurred on August 25 against the New York Yankees. At age 35, he became the oldest pitcher to accomplish this feat in a single season.
World Series Champion: He was a member of two World Series championship teams: the 1945 Detroit Tigers (where he won Game 2) and the 1958 New York Yankees (though he did not appear in that specific series).
All-Star Selections: Trucks was a two-time American League All-Star (1949 and 1954). Notably, he earned the win in the 1949 All-Star Game, which was the first integrated All-Star contest.
Strikeout Prowess: During his first professional season in the minor leagues (1938), he set a record by striking out 418 batters in 273 innings. In the majors, he retired with 1,532 career strikeouts and a 177–135 record.
Virgil Trucks is not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. However, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (1974) and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (1985) for his contributions to the sport.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
Tracking the current market value for the 1948 Leaf Virgil Trucks Card #5. Below, find updated pricing data for ungraded (raw) copies, as well as verified PSA graded sales trends collected from secondary marketplaces.
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Raw/Ungraded: $300
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Grade 1: -
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Grade 2: $300
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Grade 3: $425
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Grade 4: $650
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Grade 5: $825
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Grade 6: $900
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Grade 7: $950
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Grade 8: $3,900
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Grade 9: -
Data Updated: July 2026
➡️ See All 1948 Leaf Rookie Card Prices
Pricing data includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
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