Quote:
Originally Posted by jchcollins
I actually think it has less to do with race than it does time and circumstance. When the boomers took the card hobby from an underground thing to mainstream in the late 1970’s / early 80’s - Mantle was their guy. From the getgo, the cards that generation found the most desirable were Mantle over everyone. This has to do with being a Yankee and constantly in the WS, yes. The exposure Mantle got in the 1950’s and early 60’s made him the most recognizable face in baseball, and that is what the people who took the card hobby to new heights had on their minds when they did it.
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All of this.
It also doesn't hurt that the guy had a top 6 or 8 lifetime position player postwar career of all time and was thought to hit 700 foot HRs. Despite having his knee ripped in half in his rookie season.