If wrong, I will be happy but I don't see Mantle going down anytime soon if ever. Have DiMaggio, Gehrig or Ruth cards cooled off?

I second this.

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Snapshot Images and brand name ("topps") matter for future generations much more than scarcity/history....So for example the orange background 1954 Topps Hank Aaron in GD-VG in theory would hold better than a scarcer perhaps better conditioned relatively unknown regional card like the Johnson Cookie Aaron. JMO

53 , 56 mantle
55 clemente
54 aaron

undervalue card will stay undervalue forever. stick with the high demand blue chip

For 1000 bucks I'd find a rare card of a popular player that people seem to be over looking. One that doesn't come to market often. Then hope that it takes off in popularity. Or a 48 Berra. That one seems under appreciated in my opinion.

Dale Murphy or Fred McGriff RCs. If they make the HOF and I think they will there won't be a Smith/Baines mega-surge, but the cards should appreciate substantially. You could buy a lot of 9s for $1000.

Darn it, I forgot to stock up on those Harold Baines rookie cards before he got elected. And to think of how many could've come back slabbed 9 or 10 from PSA! Does anyone think "Joey" Albert Belle will ever get into The Hall? It's not too late to pick up a few bricks of his 1990 Score and Upper Deck rookie cards.....you could probably get 500-or-so of his Mint to Gem Mint rookies for around $15 + shipping.....Woohoo!

I'd buy the nicest 1953 Willie Mays I could find, probably a PSA 4 at today's prices. High number and SP to boot.

1956 Mantle psa 5
1956 Jackie psa 7 ( higher?)


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Agreed. I know this is a postwar board, but a decent T206 Johnson Portrait was 300 to 400 dollars a few years ago, a similar card could be 1000 today. It's really nice looking card displaying the greatest pitcher of all-time. I don't think you could go wrong with that. Just my opinion of course.

There is always the best looking card T206 from Speaker, Matty, Lajoie, C.Young, you could get for 1000. I would say Ty Cobb, but that is out of reach now.

I know these won't jump huge, but 10 or 20 years from now, it would be interesting to see what these cards are worth at that time.

When I started collecting cards from the 30's and regionals were in high demand. There is definitely something of a generational demand curve that switched to the early 50's with 52 topps becoming a very significant set. T206 is also a very popular set and always will be the king of tobacco issues. ( When I started L1 leathers and S81 silks were in high demand but are just to rare to generate large collector interest.
So if I was starting a collection of $1,000 plus cards I would get a t206 Hall of Famer I liked in psa 6 or above.
The market is starting to like Barry Bonds and Clemens more and more I would look at a Bonds before Clemens.
Some of the late 70's early 1980's names like Gwynn ( I have begun looking at PSA 10 Gwynn's myself and own 2 psa 9's)
Hope this helps op and dose not irritate too many..

I've seen E-bay:D and neither will make the hall.

Before Harold Baines I would have agreed with you, but I think we may be seeing a relaxation of standards.

Can't believe Harold Baines is in and the greatest hitter of our generation is not, Bonds. Even though I hate the liar and so does everyone else. McGriff should probably be in...

I just love the "I've seen E-bay" line you use and I wanted to use it just once...:D

Oh I get it hahaha.

The relaxation of standards has been a thing in Cooperstown since at least the 1940's. Bob Meusel? Jake Daubert? George Kell? Rube Marquard?

Even with the relaxation of standards - given the players you just mentioned - Maris? Sorry, I will stop there.

Maris on his career without regard to 1961 is not a HOF'er. As for the exception...eh? I really wouldn't care if Maris got in. He did something virtually unique. Yes, I know it goes against a lot of things to take the position. I don't know that I would vote for him if I had a vote. But just saying I'm going to find it hard to get fired-up about if he gets in one day.

Meusel isn't in the Hall, is he?

Only his brother Stan is. [emoji3]

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Apologies - I used some examples from the wrong "list" in making my point. Neither Meusel or Daubert have plaques in Cooperstown. For purposes of maintaining the example, how about I substitute Freddie Lindstrom and Tommy McCarthy? The point is just that the Hall is not only for the Ty Cobbs and Tom Seavers. There have been less than fantastic ballplayers getting in for decades...

Back to the OP, I would set your sights on the very best 1975 Topps Nolan Ryan #500 in PSA NM-MT+ 8.5. More than a few of your fellow collectors love this card. For a grand you can no longer buy a graded MINT specimen. Still, if you can find a centered 8 without print defects, and choice picture and color quality, buy that.

A long side note I trust will not challenge your attention span. Stay away from the 1975 MINIs. They were once thought to be a scarce sleeper. Then a certain event put the kaibosh on that thinking. When collector-dealer Charles Conlon died over 10 years ago, and his vast collection was auctioned by REA, among the many items were dozens and dozens of 1975 Topps MINI CASES. That's right, I mean unopened cases. Charles did his best to corner the market on the Topps Minis in their year of issue, buying up as much product as he could, thus ruining any chance Topps could successfully gauge its test issue. You see, Topps tested the Minis in Conlon's home state of Michigan. Whatever Charles did not own, mega dealer Larry Fritsch did. Thereafter, Charles made no comment or crowing about what he had done, but once the hobby really took off in the 1980s, Charles quietly advertised in SCD he had an unopened wax box for sale!

Shrewd of Charles, wasn't it?

Someone selling a complete unopened box of 1975 Topps Minis? Wow. His price was $400. Of course, he never hinted he had hundreds of such wax boxes resting nicely in his hundred-plus cases.

Perhaps there were more than a few whispers of what Charles Conlon had in '75 Topps Minis, but if you were interested in them, you had to call Charles, and he'd fix ya right up!

So, when REA auctioned the boat-load of new old stock (NOS) that Charles still had, it sent a clear, crisp message to collectors vying for a place on PSA's Set Registry, or player Set Registry. In a nutshell, if you still don't get the connection, '75 Topps Minis are gonna be common as dirt!

Funny though, REA got a hunka, hunka load o' dough for those cases.

Long to short, in this case, buy a regular issue 1975 Topps Nolan Ryan, one of Nolan's best-looking cards, coming right after his fourth no-hitter.

Regardless, take your time, 'cause a lot of things are uncertain.

---- Brian Powell

That's nuts about the mini's. I never liked them anyway. LCS has a Brett in the case they want like $150 for.