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Counting Down The 10 Most Iconic Sports Cards of Alltime Video - Thoughts
This video came out about 10 months ago, but I missed it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TczUC9u-fMc Chris rattles off his 10 most iconic cards, with some honorables mentioned. For those not wanting to watch the video (22 minutes, :D), here is the list: 10. 1980-81 Topps basketball Bird/Johnson 9. 1979-80 OPC Gretzky 8. 1933 Goudey Ruth (Yellow) 7. 2003-4 Topps Chrome L. James 6. 2000 Playoff Contenders Brady 5. 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson 4. 1989 UD Griffey 3. 1909 T206 Wagner 2. 1986 Fleer Jordan 1. 1952 Topps Mantle Some initial thoughts. 1. I was surprised that there are only around 1600 graded Yellow Ruths (PSA SGC and BVG). I would have thought there was more. 2. There are 135,000 graded UD Griffeys…. What?!?!? 3. I am okay with the list for the most part. Maybe take out one card and add in the 1965 Topps Namath. What are your thoughts? |
Seems like a little bit of recency bias to me. Maybe some of that is due to the explosion in available items over the last 30-35 years.
I remember a listing of the 100 greatest moments in baseball that came out a few years ago, and most of them were in the last 20 years. At the time, I remember thinking that a lot of older history was ignored simply because it had faded from the popular imagination. But that shouldn't make it any less important! |
Given the demographic of the hobby a recency bias is probably appropriate. I am surprised 11 Update Trout is not on there.
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I don't really disagree with any of those if we are only using the word "iconic", as in, people who don't collect recognize them.
I don't necessarily agree with the Brady since there were about 1 million different Brady RC's, same with Lebron. If it were me I'd swap one of those with the 1984 Donruss Mattingly. That one was hot molten lava when it came out and really changed the hobby. |
I agree with the Johnson/Bird card being 10th (as far as how the hobby sees it), but I've always thought it was a shame that it's below anything but the Mantle and Wagner.
Magic and Bird turned the NBA from a third sport afterthought in America into the beginning of a worldwide behemoth, paving the way for Jordan and LeBron to become much bigger megastars than they likely would have otherwise. And the fact that they're both on the same rookie card, and that no other multi-player rc is even close to that kind of superstar power, just makes it that much more memorable and one of a kind. |
That's a list without any surprises. I was interested in the honorable mentions, and for baseball I would argue that they missed the mark. I was expecting to see T206 Cobb, or 1933/34 Goudey Lou Gehrig, a Walter Johnson or even Joe Jackson. Anyone from that initial 1939 HOF induction ceremony could certainly have been on this list before either Derek Jeter or Nolan Ryan.
Here is the list of Honorable mentions: 1951 Mantle 1951 Mays 1954 Aaron 1916 Sporting News Babe Ruth 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan 1993 SP Derek Jeter 1935 Bronco Nagurski 1958 Topps Jim Brown 1986 Topps Jerry Rice Rookies of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar 1996 Topps Chrome Kobe Bryant 2003 Exquisite Lebron James 1951 Parkhurst Gordie Howe 1966 Topps Bobby Orr |
10 most iconic B.B. cards
Am I not correct,if I put a "34" Joe DiMaggio Zeenut card above
a few others listed Does he not qualify? |
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1. T206 Honus Wagner 2. Baltimore News Babe Ruth 3. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle 4. 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan 5. M101/4-5 Babe Ruth 6. T206 Ty Cobb/Cobb Back 7. T206 Eddie Plank 8. 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie 9. 2003/4 Exquisite LeBron James 10. 2000 Contenders Tom Brady |
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People Who Know Zero About Sports Know who Ruth, Jackie, Mickey, Jordan, Brady, and Lebrone are...that’s why I feel these names are on the YouTube Gentleman's Top 10 Iconic List.
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Merriam-Webster online defines iconic as "widely recognized and well-established."
T206 Wagner 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Goudey Babe Ruth 144 T206 Cobb Red 1972 Topps FB #338 IA Steve Spurrier 1952 Topps Robinson 1951 Bowman Willie Mays 1953 Topps Satchel Paige Luca Doncic rookies Tom Brady's in Leland's |
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Iconic is something that stands the test of time. Plank and Lajoie were iconic to the hobby founders in the 1930s. They were iconic to collectors in the 70s and 80s as 2 of the 3 most valuable cards in the hobby. If newer collectors don't bother to educate themselves about all segments of the hobby and its history, that is their problem, not the Hobby's. If you are making a top 10 list, all segments should be represented. I bet if you showed people pictures of 4 or 5 Ruth cards and asked them which was the Goudey, most would have no clue. When a Goudey Ruth sells, it gets no publicity. The last time the BN Ruth sold, it set the record for the most expensive sale of a sports card. If that isn't iconic, then I don't know what is. |
I doubt the modern card mob would know much about the E107 Matty; its elegance and beauty and historical significance as his RC.
My friend Kevin Struss sold me one many moons ago and I still rue the day I decided to part with it. |
Opinion, opinion, opinion...and if my opinion differs, it just doesn't matter.
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If the list is confined to knowledge and stature within the hobby, I don't see how the Griffey can be left off. That card was and is HUGE. Likewise the 11 Trout.
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I'm curious about the Ruth on the list - does anyone know why the yellow one would be considered more iconic than #144?
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Billy Ripken f face might be close.
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I think the list tends too modern, but I concede that many of the cards I would put on a top 10 list likely aren’t proper for an all time iconic, defining iconic as most widely recognized (definition 2 of Websters).
Here is my LAYMAN most iconic list 52 Topps Mantle T206 Wagner 1987 Fleer Jordan 1989 UD Griffey T206 red/green Cobb (Horner image) 1933 Goudey Ruth Batting 1980 Topps Bird-Magic 1954 Aaron 1914 CJ Joe Jackson 1979 OPC Gretzky My Baseball card collector most iconic T206 Wagner BN Ruth 1952 Topps Mantle M101-4/5 Ruth T210 Jackson T206 red/green Cobb 1914 CJ Mathewson T206 Plank 1933 Goudey Lajoie 1914 CJ Jackson Honorable mention 1933 Goudey yellow Ruth 1948/9 Leaf Paige 1948/9 Robinson 1963 Rose 1968 Ryan |
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The 89 Topps Update Randy Kutcher deserves at least an honorable mention.
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Rovell's list was from 2010. I think it was less random than the list in the 1st post of this thread. To me 'iconic' focuses on eras.
The 52T Mantle is the golden era, 1950's icon for cards. Wagner is tobacco era. Griffey is that card for the junk wax era collectors. I did not collect in college and so the Griffey doesn't ring any bells for me. I do recognize what it is, like a Gretsky rookie, or 1981 Topps Harold Baines. Modern is really a different hobby to me. I don't really recognize any cards made after 2000, so I don't really know what symbolizes that era, other than refractors of the stars like Kobe, Brady, LeBron, and Messi, and Justin Herbert, and so on. I just realized I don't own any of the top 10 cards in the hobby from post 1. I used to own a Leaf Robinson when I was a kid that my Dad bought me for $45. I may have a Bird rookie from a pack in a box in storage somewhere. |
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After college, I turned to pre-war and never looked back. I appreciate Jordan as a basketball star, but his Fleer card took off in popularity after I essentially left that hobby behind. |
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8 of the cards on my list have been in general media news stories over the last ~5 years. Many times due to selling for record or near record prices. These cards should be the most known cards both in and outside the hobby. For the first ~60 years of the hobby there was a big 3. I could not ignore cards that were so important to our hobby for so long, and still are. |
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Off topic, but why not
My Top 10 baseball cards from the 1980s 1989 UD Griffey 1985 Topps USA McGwire 1984 Donruss Mattingly 1986 Topps Traded Bonds 1982 Topps Traded Ripken 1983 Topps Boggs 1980 Topps Henderson 1985 Topps Goodin 1987 Donruss Maddux 1989 Fleer Ripken FF Other cool ones 1984 Topps Strawberry 1983 Topps Gwynn 1985 Topps USA Conseco |
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Hard to argue too much, but I'd drop the Brady and replace it with the 2011 Update Mike Trout.
I'm just glad I own one. Two if I can count the Topps Gretzky instead of OPC. |
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As for a great set, 89 Donruss is pretty strong with Griffey, Randy Johnson and Schilling. Also Sheffield. |
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Sorry to hijack thread. I will drop the 80s |
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So when I think of iconic for those "not in the know," I believe there are many other millennials who saw those crappy intro to collecting books and could identify some important cards even if they couldn't name them. And if they had to choose B&W or color, they would choose color because that's what those scholastic books had. Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk |
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I might quibble with the list here and there but overall I think it's correct. |
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Not sure where the magic of 30 years comes from, but I would probably cast a wider net when it comes to recency when discussing a hobby that is at/approaching 150 years old now. |
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