Overrated/Underrated/Favorite/Least Favourite Singles
 

I started a similar thread about a year ago about baseball card sets. I thought it would be fun to put a new twist on the theme, and start a thread for singles. The concept is self-explanatory (I hope). I tried to stick to popular cards in the hobby, but feel free to use any cards you want. Here's my personal list:

Overrated - t206 Ty Cobb red portrait. It's a super print, so there are thousands out there. It's a direct rip-off of the green portrait, which is a much better looking (and tougher) card.

Underrated - 1933 DeLong Lou Gehrig. There are probably less than 500 in existence (compared to over 4000 1933 Goudey Gehrigs), and it is a simply gorgeous card. The combination of player and scarcity should make this Lou's most valuable card.

Favorite - I could easily use the DeLong Gehrig again, but I'll change it up and go with the 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson. Iconic card, iconic player, iconic set. I think this is Jackie's best card, and I think it's more visually striking than the Mantle from the same set.

Least Favourite - 1940 Play Ball Joe Jackson. Strike one - black and white card. Strike two - not a playing days card. Strike three - historically overrated player*





* Don't beat me up Jackson fans, I don't actually believe that, but I can't call the card out on just two strikes.

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. It's iconic for sure, and I do love the card, but feel that it shouldn't be as valuable as it is, especially since it's a 2nd year card.

Underrated: 1939 World Wide Gum Ted Williams. I think it's Ted Williams best issue as a player. It's a beautiful card, and while rare, I think it gets lost in the prewar shuffle.

Favorite: 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle. I Don't own it, but it's Mantle's true RC and he's the guy that I collect the most.

Least Favorite: 1940 Joe Jackson. I understand why it's popular, but it's not a playing days card, and it shouldn't be the price that it is, in my opinion.

Overrated: Obak Ten Million. It's a damn novelty name, guys.

Underrated: Tris Speaker Exhibit cards. This guy is one of the premiere players of all time yet he is priced like a third-tier HOFer.

Favorite: T206 Collins portrait. Horner and the artist who created the card were masterful, making Collins look good. That man was fugly.

Least Favorite: 1926-27 Exhibit Gehringer

https://i.psacard.com/cardfacts/1927...3200.jpg?h=600

Well, if you say it is Gehringer, I guess I will believe it...

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mantle, followed closely by the comic book cartoonish 1953 Topps Mantle.

Underrated: 1933 Goudey Gehrig 92. Here is greatest first baseman ever. How is Ruth, at the end of his career, or Mantle worth more?

Favorite: 1960 Topps Mantle. Just a gorgeous card. IMO Mantle's best ever.

Least Favorite: Those hideous W series strip cards of Ruth and others. Frankly, I do not understand why anyone with taste would want them. They look like something made by Fisher-Price. It can only be because of the money.

Great Question and Thread Potential and I will have to think on it and then add my 2 cents worth.
However Regarding Jackson. I am a only a slight Joe Jackson Fan (sarcasm) but I agree that I prefer the playing day cards however I disagree when you say Joe Jackson is a Historically Overrated Player. Look at his stats and look at his playing day peers and what they said about him(Even the Babe said he modelled his Swing after Jacksons)

Overrated - 1952 Topps Mantle - It is not rare, it is a double print, and it is not his RC.

Underrated - T206 Eddie Plank, although after an A sold for 126k maybe it's in the 1933 Goudey Lajoie.

Favorite - T206 Honus Wagner, most of the portraits would fit here, but this is the grail.

Least Favorite - 1952 Topps Mantle - who uses a yellow bat? Although as said above the cartoonist 1953 Topps Mantle is close. The 1951-1953 Bowman Mantles are much better looking cards.

I think you might have missed the comment after the asterisk :) Totally agree with you

Gotcha and yes I missed the last half of the asterisk

I guess I have to better learn to read complete sentences

:D

Least favorite comes readily to mind -- T206 Walter Johnson pitching, doesn't even remotely look like him.

Heresy but most overrated T206 Plank. I get the rarity, but it's Eddie Plank, not Young or Mathewson or Johnson or Alexander.

Underrated 1939 PB Ted Williams.

What does the one number away have to do with it, don't follow.

Overrated - will agree with Peter on t206 Plank.

Underrated - 48 Leaf Spahn. Rookie of an underrated player and a striking portrait. Plus in a set with a lot of reds and yellows, the orange is just cool. Can’t think of another orange Leaf, much less one of a HOFer.

Favorite - Ruth’s red Goudey

Least favorite - Ruth’s American Caramel holding a bird

The Leaf’s are a 1949 set, Spahn’s mainstream rookie would be the 1948 Bowman.

Ha classic comment! As a Spahn collector I think both are considered his rookies. And I’m glad you ended the 1948/1949 Leaf debate once and for all. Bravo!

There’s been numerous threads on here with the information, the back text makes clear it could not have been issued in 1948. I’m not the one who fixed the dating. His 1949 Bowman and 1949 Leaf are not rookies, it’s the same as the 1952 Mantle. He had a mainstream card in 1948, his 1949 cards cannot possibly be rookies.

I’ll go with psa’s take:

https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/ba...spahn-32/21555

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't number 311 start the 4th series of the 1952 Topps? Which pushed it into the high number category which are more difficult to find do to the time of the year they were printed?

And many of us will acknowledge that Leaf’s copy writer could not foresee the future and that events it talks about having happened have to have happened before printing.

You are perfectly welcome to ignore facts you don’t like and believe in PSA’s infallibility instead of using facts.

1-80
81-130
131-190
191-250
251-310
311-407

That Mantle leads off the high series does not make him any less of a high than any other high; the original comment saying he is barely a high number of course does not actually relate to how sheets are printed or cards distributed. A card either is or is not in a certain series; it’s a solid cutoff and not a sliding scale. Mantle is one of the 3 DP’s in series 6.

Ok

Overrated - Fictional rookies like Jackie’s 1949 Leaf. Post career cards like Play Ball Jackson and Leaf Ruth. Meme cards like Ten Million, Contentnea’s Uncle Sam and Old Judge’s that include a dog. Hype train cards that defy any rationality like 52 Mantle’s. Cards of Black Sox layers commanding a ~1,000% premium over their playing ability.

Underrated - great players without the PR team. Hornsby, Collins for example. Rarities without the PR team, especially unique or nearly unique items that seem hurt by the fact that there are hardly any extant to appear in auctions and fuel hype.

Favorite: T3/T9 can’t be beat aesthetically in my eyes.

Least Favorite: Strip cards that are ugly.

Overrated - 1952 Topps Mantle. It’s not his true RC and I dislike the pose.

Underrated - T206 Eddie Plank. Finally getting the recognition that it deserves.

Favorite - T206 HOF portraits. Take your pick.

Least favorite - E90-1 Joe Jackson. Such a hideous image.

My mistake Greg. Did not actually know that. We learn something new everyday, I suppose. I'll edit my previous post. Thanks for the knowledge!

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, and that set in general. Some of the cards look nice, but a lot of them look the same.

Underrated: 1935 Diamond Stars Lefty Grove. I'm a sucker for anything Art Deco.

Favorite: 1949 Leaf. If Andy Warhol designed a set, I imagine that is what it would look like.

Least Favorite: 1958 Topps. Who decided that cutout players on garish backgrounds was a good idea?

Great call. It’s a fantastic set, and the Grove card is so tough

The Leafs were released in 1949, despite the cards listing a 1948 copyright on their back. The 1948 Bowmans were released in 1948.

This means that Ralph Kiner, Phil Rizzuto, Stan Musial, and Warren Spahn’s 1948 Bowman cards are these players’ true rookie cards.

Because the Leafs were issued in 1949 (not 1948), this also means that Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige’s 1949 Bowman cards have co-rookie card status with their 1949 (not 1948) Leaf counterparts.

Nonetheless, the majority still consider the Leaf 1948 (and not 1949) cards and co-rookie cards for Kiner, Rizzuto, Musial, and Spahn. This will not change any time soon.

It really doesn’t matter for me. The Leafs should trade at a premium to the 1948 Bowmans. The Leafs were the first post-WW2 color issues, and are beautiful. The 1948 Bowmans are drab. At the end of the day - who cares?!

Overrated - All 1933 Goudey Ruths. Its very late career, they are not rare and there are four different Ruth's in the set

Underrated - T210 Joe Jackson. Crazy rare (only 17 graded between PSA/SGC) and one of the all-time legends. I think this should be a $1mm card in any condition

Favorite - T206 Wagner. It is the all time greatest collectible and the face of cards

Least favorite - E98 "Cy Young". Its a picture of Irv Young

Overrated: T206 John Titus. Why, god? WHY?!?!?

Underrated: W517 Babe Ruth (pick 'em). Been loving the Diamond Stars recently, but these 3"x4" strip cards are everything that virtually all the other strip sets aren't, detailed and nicely aesthetic. Getting lumped into that category hurts.

Favorite: 1953 Bowman color Stan Musial. That image puts me right there in a different era, it's so alive.

Least Favorite: T206 Spike Shannon. Was this intended to be a Picasso homage? (I don't even know what to make of the paper strip "cards.")

Wait until you hear about 1952 Topps Tony Bartirome.

Perhaps someone who had fond memories of the 1941 Goudeys when they were growing up?

Brian

Since I am not very knowledgeable about most sets outside of Old Judges let me restrict my answers to that set. These answers may differ somewhat from the book because of new finds or just because my views have changed over the last 14 years.

Most Overrated—-Anson in Uniform—It is a rare card by most standards (4 or 5 known) but not by Old Judge standards. There are hundreds of poses in the Old Judge set, including those of HOFers, that are as scarce or scarcer.

Most Underrated—Any Player’s League card. These cards are genuinely rare and document an important time in baseball history. The fact that these cards represent only four of the eight Player’s League teams illustrates the cessation of card production following the formation of the American Tobacco Company in early-1890, an act that eliminated the need to include costly purchase inducements in cigarette packs.

Favorite—N173 Ewing portrait. This beautiful pose is only known on a unique N173.

Least Favorite—I love the set so this is a tough question. If I have to pick something it would probably be any Tommy McCarthy card Not that I have anything against McCarthy but he clearly does not belong in the HOF and there are many more deserving players in the set who will never be enshrined..

Apparently you care too, as you’ve written as much about the fact as I have.

Which were in turn designed by someone who fondly remembered a bunch of E card sets.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=211710

Unreal. It's like Zevon's "Mr. Bad Example" come to life.

My take
 

Overrated - 1952 Topps Mantle as stated several times above many factors!

Underrated - 1916 M101-4 Ruth’s to me he is the undisputed GOAT and unlike most I love black and white prints.

Favorite - shocker here, I love the e121 series of 120 Ruth Photo Montage, ahead of it’s time to me and I like the three images of him.

Least favorite - E98 "Cy Young". Irv Young and they didn’t even pitch with same arm lol, so no reason to even pretend lol. Close second E90-1 Joe Jackson normally has terrible registration, lips all over and I don’t like the purple background.

Overrated - 1989 Topps Gregg Jefferies - I’m still waiting for this card’s value to finally reach the promised land and bring me the riches I deserve!!!!!!!!

Underrated - 1973 Topps Willie Davis - My God!! He’s getting plinked on a baseball card!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite - 1974 Topps Ron Santo - This card looks like a fan’s snapshot and is unlike any other card from the era. It just doesn’t fit the look and feel of anything else, so it stands alone.

Least (why is this word written like a Brit?) Favourite - 1958 Topps Sneezin’ Brooks Robinson - Photog, get that man a handkerchief!!!!

Attachment 516633

The Score Jefferies is destined to explode too. Hold tight! God he was disappointing.

Rizzuto is in 1941 Double Play. Why isn't that his RC?

Jackie is in well made pants.

Double Play is much more mainstream than well made pants. Jackie is also in 1947 Bond Bread and 1946 Parade Sportive for that matter.

What is his true rookie card then?

In my opinion Bond Bread but there isn't really a consensus.

Got it. Is Rizzuto double play the consensus rookie card?

I am not sure. I would think it's mainstream enough that there wouldn't be any doubt, but not positive.

Zing!

Winder if it will be back on the boards or REA, or the boards again

overrated...sanella ruth...its a stamp...from germany.

underrated...non goudey babe ruth cards from the USA

favorite...impossible to choose 1...for now 34 goudey gehrig #61...never get tired looking at this!

least favorite...e90-1 JJ it's not even close!!!

I wish the 49 Spahn was his RC but it ain't. A RC should at least not be issued in the year after the other RC candidates. Mine is 2x the fun:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...hn%20front.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ahn%20back.jpg

favorite e101 e102 e105 e106 Mathewson and ty Cobb
also love the 1940 play ball joe Jackson and leaf Paige
Underrated crofts cocoa and candy t205 drum Hindu broadleaf

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
Underrated: 1933 Goudey Jimmie Foxx
Favorite: 1888 N162 Cap Anson
Least Fave: 1969 Topps Jim Beauchamp

(I dare you not to look up that last one :rolleyes: )

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mantle/1952 Topps Mays
Underrated: E95 Caramel Honus Wagner
Favorite: T205 Cobb/1953 Topps Satchel Paige
Least Favorite: 1963 Pete Rose

Favorite - T3 Ty Cobb. By a mile.

Least Favorite - pretty much any in the set but 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson. The whole set is hideous but the Jackie especially.