19th century " Holy Grail "

[barrysloate]

There is no consensus, and there are too many rare 19th century cards. Every Kalamazoo Bats New York Giant or New York Met has 1-3 known, but none of them would qualify. There are probably at least half a dozen cards worthy of the title, and the best you could do in determining a winner is to have a poll.

[uffda51]

Along the lines of Leon's post (Hi, Leon), what if we limited our choices to something approaching the availability of the Wagner - say at least 50-100 examples or more. If we rule out team cards and the ultra rare cards of great players, where does that leave us? The 1952 Topps Mantle and the T206 Wagner are clearly the Grail cards of their eras even though the Mantle is not rare and not a rookie, and there are far tougher Wagners than the T206. I don't think there is a true Grail card for the 19th century, although there are certainly some great cards and some tough cards out there, as well as personal favorites. The N162 Anson comes close, though, IMHO.

[aaroncc]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

There is no consensus, and there are too many rare 19th century cards. Every Kalamazoo Bats New York Giant or New York Met has 1-3 known, but none of them would qualify. There are probably at least half a dozen cards worthy of the title, and the best you could do in determining a winner is to have a poll.

Not sure about the specifics. But I think a poll is a good idea.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by aaroncc

Not sure about the specifics. But I think a poll is a good idea.

If there is a poll the way the question is phrased will be very important. Picking a top 5? cards won't be too difficult but there could be a little bit of jockeying in positions. Certainly many of those already mentioned would make the list. You are welcome to start one Aaron, or anyone else.

[barrysloate]

I think the N172 Anson in Uniform would win in a poll.