1960 Post Cereal Ron Santo Rookie Card #196
Ron Santo · Post Cereal · Rookie Card, Food Issue
Player
Ron Santo
Set
1960 Post Cereal Baseball
Year
1960
Card #
#196
Condition Grade
Authentic (Altered/Hand-Cut). Estimated PSA 2 or 3 equivalent based on edges.
Category
Rookie Card, Food Issue
Manufacturer
Post Cereal
Demand Level
Strong. Hall of Fame rookie cards from vintage food sets have a dedicated collector base, especially for Chicago Cubs legends.
Valuation
Raw (Ungraded) Value
$50 - $125 (condition dependent)
Graded Value
PSA 2: $75-100, PSA 3: $150-200, PSA 4: $250-325. Note: Hand-cut cards are often graded as 'Authentic' if the borders are uneven.
Comparable Sales
Raw copies with decent eye appeal typically sell between $60 and $110. A PSA 4 (Very Good-Excellent) example recently reached over $300. Prices for Ron Santo rookies have remained stable to slightly rising since his posthumous Hall of Fame induction.
Description
This is a vintage 1960 Post Cereal Ron Santo Rookie Card, one of the rarest and most desirable regional food issues of the Hall of Fame third baseman. Unlike the standard Topps cards of the era, these were printed directly on the backs of cereal boxes and intended to be hand-cut by children. This example features the iconic 'Baseball Star Card No. 196' header, a portrait of a young Santo in his Cubs cap, and his 1960 Major League Batting Record.
Key Features
Rookie card of Hall of Famer Ron Santo. Extremely difficult to find in high grade due to being hand-cut from cereal boxes. One of only 200 cards in this rare mid-century food set.
Authenticity Indicators
Authenticity Confidence: High. The cardboard stock is the correct brownish-grey cereal box fiber visible on the edges. The halftone printing dot pattern in the photo is consistent with 1960s production. Hand-cut characteristics match known authentic survivors. Common red flags like modern high-gloss or bright white interior cardboard are absent.
Flaws to Note
As a hand-cut card, the borders are naturally irregular. The bottom edge is cut close to the yellow stat box. Visible corner wear on the top right. Minor surface abrasion near the '196' and age-related toning/foxing on the white cardboard stock.
Selling Guide
Where to Sell
eBay is the best platform for this specific card due to the high volume of vintage set builders. A specialized sports auction house like Heritage or REA may be better if the card were in pristine, master-cut condition.
Selling Tips
Do not attempt to trim the edges to make them straighter; this will disqualify it from many grading services. List this as 'Hand-Cut' in the title. Take high-resolution photos of both front and back. Mention the specific cereal box origin in the description to attract set collectors.