Leaf Trading Cards is back with the much-anticipated sequel, the 2025 Leaf History Book Sports Edition Chapter 2. This isn’t your typical trading card release—it’s a grand unveiling of rich sports history immortalized in an anthology that captures the essence and aura of sports legends from multiple generations. Think of it as a cross between a modern art gallery and a hall of fame, all neatly bound in stunning trading card booklets meant to ignite both nostalgia and curiosity.
As we’ve grown accustomed to Leaf dropping jaws with their releases, this one raises the bar even higher. Two years after debuting their groundbreaking concept in 2023, the company has harnessed time and creativity to craft an edition that’s as much an exhibition as it is a collector’s dream. Words like “multi-sport” fall short here because these collectibles transcend such mundane labels. Imagine holding a booklet that chronicles the legacies of iconic figures like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Roberto Clemente, right next to Vince Lombardi and Pelé. These are stories that couldn’t share a playing field but now share pages—worthy of a conversation piece on any coffee table.
The mesmerizing release features just two cards per hobby box, but each card is a booklet—a vignette of sports history. You won’t find fillers or afterthoughts here. Leaf has chiselled away the ordinary to reveal pure, unadulterated lore.
The card design alone is innovative, where storytelling meets art in a fashion reminiscent of great literature bound between covers. Several series within the edition transform traditional card concepts into narrative experiences. The Next Chapter intertwines player photographs and autographs from various stages of their careers—an evolving narrative that flips open like a timeline. The returning Autobiography series does what the name suggests with a blend of authenticity and intrigue, pairing signatures with a printed narrative of the athlete’s life journey.
An exciting newcomer is the Art Book series—where signature meets illustration—adding an aesthetic flair that will make any collector consider dusting off their gallery wall. Couple these with returning fan-favorites like Match Book and the ambitious Book of Generations, which presents family-tree-like multiple signatures, and you have the makings of a truly memorable collection.
And just when you think you’ve hit the peak, the ultra-exclusive Black Book or the colossal Book Club Autographs appear, boasting up to eight signatures per booklet. Yet, it’s the Dominant Dozen that takes the crown, blending twelve enormous personalities and requiring a special display case (and perhaps a substantial investment).
Turning the page to memorabilia, the collection reveals even more variety. The Get Your Program Here! is a collector’s eye candy loaded with eight relics, while Famous Fabrics flaunt nine—a woven testimony to the sports’ fabric through the ages. Higher still are multi-piece memorandums like Aces in My Book and Pages in History, each featuring ten relics, and reaching the zenith with twelve relics in their pinnacle sets.
A walk through Leaf’s virtual museum gives collectors a “who’s who” of sports stardom, with every booklet offering a kaleidoscopic view of game-changing moments and figures. From Aaron Judge to Patrick Mahomes, Bobby Witt Jr., to the unforgettable brilliance of NBA’s Charles Barkley and Giannis Antetokounmpo, soccer’s Lionel Messi and, of course, the likes of Bo Jackson, and Larry Bird. This is a collection as inclusive as it is exclusive, a celebration that spans the globe and encapsulates the heart of athletic greatness.
This chapter holds thematic and conceptual subsets that are essentially trophies in their own right. Aces in My Book literally gathers a pantheon pitching from the pages—Ryan, Maddux, Johnson, to name a few. Then there’s the artistic brilliance of the Art Book line that feels like a fluid dance between sports and creative expression, including notable names like Aaron Judge and Allen Iverson.
Each narrative within this collection stands as a testament to the athletes’ endeavors and enduring legacy. It’s personal with the Autobiography, magnificent with the Black Book, uniting with Book Club, and reminiscent with Double Booked sets, each telling tales that make the mundane mighty.
There’s an inherent magic in flipping open a booklet that feels like it might just be the Holy Grail of trading cards—a tangible echo through time featuring the likes of Ruth, Mays, Mantle, Ali, Chamberlain, to even the cultural icons like Bruce Lee. Every name, every piece of memorabilia, every inked signature on these pages brings stories alive.
Configurations are made even more appealing with parallels that sparkle—Bronze, Purple, Silver, and the opulent Gold Holo Foil. These variations are superbly crafted, making completion a treasured pilgrimage for collectors with the heart of a completist.
The 2025 Leaf History Book Sports Edition Chapter 2 is a quintessential keep for any true sports aficionado. These aren’t mere cards—they’re chronicles. The two-booklet per box experience ensures that every moment of unboxing feels like unveiling a time capsule filled with cherished memories and new stories waiting to be told. With such captivating narratives on each page, it’s clear Leaf isn’t just rewriting sports history; they’re binding it into timeless volumes ready to be admired for generations to come.
