[jchcollins]

Off the top of my head -

*'56 Topps Mantle - Not the most expensive or most desirable Topps Mantle, but as the notorious Brent Huigens once said, "the Mantle that feeds the masses." An attractive card, and his base card from his single greatest season. I'll be honest I can't afford a '52 Topps or a '51 Bowman. But I have two 56's and love them.

*'56 Topps Roberto Clemente - If this work of art is not one of the single most beautiful baseball cards ever produced, then I'm not sure what is.

*'57 Topps Aaron - The reverse photo aside, easily an iconic and immediately recognized Aaron card.

*'68 Topps Ryan / Koosman - The card that exploded around 1990 when people realized Nolan was on the verge of 5,000 K's. It went from a $250 card in 1988 to well over $1,000 in short order.

*'75 Topps George Brett - One of the first mainstream rookies to gain notoriety and value. The fact that George does not have to share this card with someone else is both rare for the time, and desirable.

*'80 Topps Rickey Henderson - Just a classic card. PSA deliberately withholds 10's on it, there have been several convincing studies.

*'84 Topps Don Mattingly - Sorry, but I don't know of a more desired card than this one when I first started collecting as a kid. Even those of us who had never seen him play wanted one.

*'89 UD Ken Griffey Jr., #1 - Perhaps the first post-modern baseball card. A thing of beauty.