While major companies like Topps and Bowman continue to dominate the vintage baseball card market, a unique and growing niche is catching the eye of collectors: Latin American baseball cards. Primarily manufactured and distributed in Venezuela, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, these obscure and often rare sets provide an alternative way to collect cards of MLB, Negro League and Latin American stars. To get you started in this interesting area, I will highlight some of the sets I have started collecting: Venezuelan Topps, Puerto Rican League Stickers, Propaganda Montiel, and Caramelo Deportivo.
1945-46 Caramelo Deportivo
1945-46 Caramelo Deportivo–or Sports Caramel–was a Cuban candy issue during the ’45-’46 winter league, making this one of the first sets of the post-war era. This set features 100 cards that are 1 7/8″ x 2 5/8″. Like other Cuban releases from the time, these cards were produced on thin paper stock and intended to be pasted into albums, making it extremely difficult to find copies with no paper loss or extreme back damage. The most difficult card in the set is the redemption of Napoleon Reyes. The extreme scarcity of this card led collectors to consider 99/100 cards to be complete sets. Hall of Famers from this set include Ray Dandridge, Raymond Brown, Martin Dihigo, and Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso. Minnie signed with the Indians in 1948 and made his MLB debut on April 19, 1949, as the first Latin American player in the MLB. However, he did not appear on an American card until 1952, making his Caramelo Deportivo issue a pre-rookie by seven years. Another interesting detail is his name on this Cuban card. The creators included the tilde above the “n” in Miñoso. The tilde was dropped on his American cards, leading to the common mispronunciation of his last name.
Recent Sales:
- Napoleon Reyes redemption card recently sold for $45,000 in October 2023 via Heritage Auctions
- PSA 4 of Miñoso sold for $8,500 in October 2023 on eBay.
- High-grade complete sets of Caramelo Deportivo are fetching between $25,000 and $40,000, with a recent set selling for $38,000 in August 2023 via Robert Edward Auctions.
(Pictured: Minnie Miñoso, Martin Dihigo, Napoleon Reyes)
1950s-1960s Venezuelan Topps
The Venezuelan Topps baseball card sets, produced in the 1950s and 1960s, are highly valued for their rarity and unique twist on the American Topps designs. Created to meet the demand of baseball fans in Venezuela, these sets often mirrored the American Topps designs but with notable differences in production quality and set features. The 1959 set, for example, was limited to 196 cards instead of the 572 found in the U.S. version, and the cards were printed with lower gloss and quality due to the limitations of local production methods. Key stars in this set include Hall of Famers like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Sandy Koufax. Other unique features make Venezuelan Topps cards particularly difficult to find in good condition. For instance, the 1966 Venezuelan Topps cards, produced on darker and less durable cardstock, often appear with faded colors or adhesive marks, as they were commonly glued into albums. Collectors prize these cards for their scarcity and connection to Venezuelan culture, as many of the sets featured Spanish-language backs and printing details. The scarcity of Venezuelan Topps cards makes them a challenge to find, especially in high grades. For example, fewer than 1,500 cards from the 1962 set have been graded by PSA, with the majority receiving low grades. Some of the premier rookies from the era, such as Nolan Ryan’s 1968 rookie card, sell for significant premiums over their American Topps counterparts.
Recent Sales:
- PSA 6 of Mantle’s 1962 Venezuelan Topps sold for $9,500 in September 2023 on eBay
- PSA 5 of Clemente’s 1966 Venezuelan Topps sold for $4,200 in October 2023 via Heritage Auctions
- 1962 Venezuelan Topps set (graded EX-MT or better) sold for $18,000 in August 2023 at Sotheby’s.
(Pictured: 1966 Topps Venezuelan Micky Mantel, 1968 Topps Venezuelan Ryan/Koosman RC)
1946-47 Propagandas Montiel Los Reyes del Deporte
The 1946-47 Propagandas Montiel Los Reyes del Deporte set is a fascinating and rare series from Cuba. Comprised of 180 cards, it includes a range of sports beyond just baseball, including boxing and wrestling. The cards are relatively small, measuring approximately 2-1/8″ x 3-1/8″, and they feature black-and-white images of athletes with simple backgrounds and a minimalist style typical of the era. This collection holds significant cultural and historical value, capturing Cuban and international sports figures, including prominent baseball players from the Cuban and Florida International Leagues as well as MLB stars such as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Stan Musial, whose rookie card is part of this set. The Los Reyes del Deporte cards are known for their delicate paper stock, making mid to high-grade copies rare and highly sought after by collectors. Many cards feature legends from the Cuban baseball scene, making this set particularly appealing to fans of Latin American baseball history.
Recent Sales:
- PSA 4 of Musial’s rookie card sold for $7,800 on eBay in October 2023
- PSA 3 Ruth card sold for $3,200 in September 2023 via Sotheby’s
- High-grade sets of Los Reyes del Deporte are reported to sell for over $40,000, with lower-grade sets fetching between $20,000 to $30,000 at auction
(Pictured: Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and Stan Musial)
1972 Puerto Rican League Stickers
The 1972 Puerto Rican League Stickers were a limited and unique set produced for Puerto Rican Baseball League fans. The set consists of 231 stickers measuring 2.1” x 3” and issued in a specially-designed album. Each sticker is paired with a brief biography of the player written in Spanish. The stickers feature several Major League Baseball stars, including Hall of Famers like Roberto Clemente, Tony Perez, Orlando Cepeda, and Frank Robinson (who is shown as the manager of the Santurce team). Rookie cards of “Goose” Gossage and Mike Schmidt are also featured in the set. Additionally, the album includes stickers of legendary figures such as Satchel Paige and Negro League star Quincy Trouppe. The set also includes a special page dedicated to baseball old-timers and features full-page images of some stars like Clemente.
Recent Sales
- PSA 7 Clemente sold for $3,500 on eBay in October 2023, with higher-graded examples reaching up to $5,000 at auction
- PSA 9 of Schmidt’s rookie sticker sold for $2,000 in November 2023 at Heritage Auctions
- Complete sets of 1972 Puerto Rican League Stickers sell between $2,500 and $4,000, depending on condition
(Pictured: Goose Gossage, Mike Schmidt, Roberto Clemente)
The Latin American vintage baseball card market offers collectors a unique window into the global history of the sport. Sets like Venezuelan Topps, 1946-47 Caramelo Deportivo, Propagandas Montiel Los Reyes del Deporte, and 1972 Puerto Rican League Stickers are treasured for their rarity, cultural significance, and the inclusion of legends such as Roberto Clemente, Minnie Miñoso, and Stan Musial. These cards highlight the talents of Latin American athletes and provide insight into the passion for baseball in regions outside of the U.S. As the demand for these rare cards grows, they remain an essential part of the global baseball legacy, offering collectors a chance to own a piece of history that spans continents and eras.
