Most significant or sought after postwar cards (besides Mantle)

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by Hammerin'Hank

Why is the 84 Donruss Mattingly considered one of the most significant post war cards ever ? I'm just want to understand that perspective. Sure it was super significant from 1984 - 1990.............. just like Dale Murphy was from 1978 - 1990 but not so much any more. Unfortunately both players washed out in their early 30's. I guess the 84 Donruss set was kind of like the 89 Upperdeck set in that it raised the bar on card quality throughout the hobby but that seems more like a the significance of a set vs. the significant of 1 card.

I can offer what I hope will be a helpful answer to this. To many who avidly collected or came of collecting age in that era, the 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly card was a very hot and desired card. The price it commands in high grade today is a testament to the nostalgic value it holds for a good number of collectors-- of which I am one. In fact it was the very first card I sought out when returning to the hobby. (The first would be a 52 Topps Mantle, and second the Donnie, but the latter was way more affordable.)

I was more of a Doc and Darryl fan growing up, though as I got older I began to appreciate Mattingly's work ethic, and the reasons he was so respected by his peers. But the appeal of the card has much more to do with its status in the hobby at its height, than even the player's performance. Though he was arguably the best hitter in baseball for the four seasons of 84, 85, 86, 87-- and in the biggest media market.

Taking Murphy as a useful touchstone, he was scorching hot for a shorter period, and also his offensive game was not as complete as Mattingly's, he played in a smaller market, and his card was not "the" key card of a very popular set. So to many, that card will always be fondly remembered. Add to that how the set represented, to many, the advent of a premium card offering that excited a new generation of collectors, and the Donnie Baseball card being "the" star card of the set, and it becomes easy to see how it was so significant for several years.

That significance doesn't wane to collectors for whom cards are a trip back to those very times.