From a purely aesthetic point of view, what cards just take your breath away?

[CW]

This image always grabbed me...

Similar to the popular E90-1 Joe Jackson with its "leaning on bat" pose, this Cobb card has a bit more attitude -- Cobb just chillin' in the on deck circle waiting his turn, cap tipped back, maybe yelling the occasional obscenity at the opposing pitcher. I also like the small touch the artist added with the darker yellow brush strokes in the background.

[Collectorsince62]

I'm guessing many on this thread have never seen this card because it's so recent. No, it doesn't compare to a Turkey Red or Sporting Life in terms of value, but from an eye appeal standpoint, I think it belongs in the "breathless" category.

[ls7plus]

Personally, I always thought '55 Topps were gorgeous--just check out the Robinson, Aaron, Banks and the rest--absolutely beautiful cards!

Good thread,

Larry

[the 'stache]

Here one of mine.



Sam Crawford throwing, a real beauty of the Hall of Famer.

[the 'stache]

One more from the 1953 Bowman set. The second oldest living Hall of Famer, Monte Irvin (he's 96). This one came from a B&L auction win.

[jason.1969]

Out of the (not very many) baseball cards I have, I'd put my 1934 Goudey of Lefty Grove at the top. Out of the sets out there, from which I have only the Mel Ott, I am a huge fan of the very cartoonish 1934-1936 Diamond Stars.

Not my card, but look at this wonderful example.

50128.jpg

And not baseball at all, but I am a fan of Liebig trade cards. Between 1872 and 2001, they put out over 1800 different sets. Nearly all have wonderful artwork, and the range of topics is amazing. Here is one from 1906 (Astronomers, Series 1) that I have 4 of the 6 cards from.

Liebig 846 Astronomer series.jpg

[Touch'EmAll]

This is a really nice Cobb.

[begsu1013]

[jason.1969]

Originally Posted by begsu1013

Love it!!

[jason.1969]

Here is a card I think is just beautiful. How do you beat that?

[pcoz]

A couple of my favorites....

[brian1961]

During one of these kinds of threads, someone loaded up a postcard, or cabinet card, of the entire 1905 New York Giants baseball team, seated and standing on a staircase at possibly a train station, or perhaps inside the Polo Grounds at the stairway to the upper deck of the grandstands. They were dressed in their uniforms, if I recall. Just seeing Matty and Iron Man Joe McGinnity was so moving. This is a subtle plea for an owner of this rare card to load 'er up on here once again!

Twas an image you just don't forget.

[maddux311]

The one card that has always kept me in awe is the 53 Campanella. The rich burgundy background along with his vibrant facial expression is a thing of beauty.

[Bliggity]

The simple elegance of this one really gets me every time I look at it. Probably my favorite card in my collection.

[Yoda]

Oh, what riches my eyes have feasted upon. There is still plenty abroad in the land, as these jewels have revealed. Virtually all of my favorites have been revealed, but here are a couple of honorable mentions:
1. Texas Tommy Joe Jackson. Same 'photo as the Pinkerton, but check Joe's uniform, virtually spotless, which, I guess, means it was a posed shot. I think the Tommy is a bit rarer than the T5.
2. Cracker Jack Tris Speaker - Res Ipsa Loquitor
3. T206 Foley White - Check the expression on Foley's face, " ok kid, that's enough, now give me the ball back."
If any kind soul could post a scan, I would be grateful. Tks. John

[btcarfagno]

I have always loved the images from the Texas Tommy set. Three of my favorites:







Tom C

[MVSNYC]

Might not be the intent of the OP, but I find the drastic front miscuts incredibly cool and visually appealing.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by ZiggerZagger

Another barrage of personal favorites. The '33 Goudey set has some stunning cards in it, and the surreal multi-colored backgrounds have always held my attention.

Then again, you just never know what'll catch your eye.
Which is what makes collecting like one giant all-you-can-eat buffet.

And I'm always headed back for seconds...

Does the 1933 Goudey Paul Richards remind anyone else of Ray Kinsella's father in the same pose in 'Field of Dreams'?
.
.

[esd10]

the card I really find the most attractive is the 1914 cj Mathewson but I don't own one.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Does the 1933 Goudey Paul Richards remind anyone else of Ray Kinsella's father in the same pose in 'Field of Dreams'?
.
.

Holy sh*t. I think you just cracked the code on why I love the look of that card so much. Great observation. It's also one of the very few cards in the whole set that is not a deliberate pose/portrait or an "action shot" of someone batting, throwing, fielding. There's a voyeuristic quality that is unique to that card. It's stunning.

[MVSNYC]

Raymond- great call. Beautiful (candid) pose. One of my favorite movies.

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

Raymond- great call. Beautiful (candid) pose. One of my favorite movies.

Get a lump in my throat just thinking about it.

[MVSNYC]

Me too, David. The final scene always gets me.

[jason.1969]

Originally Posted by Kawika

Get a lump in my throat just thinking about it.

What a difference the year make! The 1951 Bowman of Paul Richards has none of this sublime beauty!!

[jmb]

Bringing this thread back around. The Goudey's have always been favorites of mine.

[jmb]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Does the 1933 Goudey Paul Richards remind anyone else of Ray Kinsella's father in the same pose in 'Field of Dreams'?
.
.

Absolutely !

[leaflover]

These are a couple of my favorites.

[MR RAREBACK]

hornsby

[LEHR]

*From a purely aesthetic point of view:

N173
T3
High grade T200
High grade T222
High grade 1933 Goudey

[jbl79]

Originally Posted by jmb

Bringing this thread back around. The Goudey's have always been favorites of mine.

Those are some great Goudey's you have there. The Mantle really pops too. Amazing centering on all of them! They all look so much better than the grades given. My type of cards!

[pcoz]

Love the violet backed E94's...

[Leon]

Originally Posted by pcoz

Love the violet backed E94's...

Love 'em Pete.....(and all the others too, guys!!)

ps...my new pursuit might be "great cards which are well centered, AND i LOVE, type collection"

[TheBig6]

[JollyRoger]

Always liked this one...

[parkerj33]

Great thread guys...thanks for the posts. This reminds me of one of my favorite sayings, there are two types of baseball cards....ones i have and ones i want.
unfortunately 99.9% of these are in the latter category.

[cammb]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

This one isn't from my collection so I copied the picture from ebay. I couldn't figure out how to just get the front. I've always loved the way this one looks and hope to add one some day. Personally I think it's one of the best looking cards in the hobby. They sure don't make 'em like they used to.

I'm also a huge fan of the 53 Bowman Reese and although this one isn't mine I own a lower grade copy.

The 53 Bowman Color Reese is my favorite. No better action shot anywhere.

[jingram058]

I am resurrecting this old thread because 1) there are some INCREDIBLE cards posted here, and 2) a lot of the posts and comments are by folks who, sadly, for whatever reason, don't post anymore.

[brianp-beme]

Nine years is a mighty long time to hold off from making a comment about a post, but the below card just shows the difference 50 years makes in relation to the fans in the stands...they almost all seem to be watching the game, and are not on their phones or talking to the person next to them.


Brian (an additional astute observation is that absolutely no one seems to have a cell phone either)

Originally Posted by PolarBear

[brunswickreeves]

Pre-war: Wagner and Cobb about to do battle at the 1909 World Series.
Post-war: Mantle looking toward a to be chartered future.

[MikeGarcia]

..

..It's hard for me to find a Teddy Ballgame card which isn't mesmerizing Like this 1941 Wheates Premium from The Jack Armstrong "The All-American Boy" Radio Program :
.
Even his error cards :
.

[Balticfox]

One I have:



A favourite player in an excellent shot from one of my very favourite sets! The 1958 Topps do have my very favourite Baseball card backs.

And two I don't have:



Not just Maris' rookie card but with the Cleveland Indians!



A favourite player in a very good pose from perhaps my very favourite Baseball card set.

[brianp-beme]

These are some of the cards that aesthetically make an asthmatic out of me.

Brian (I am inclined to lose my breath with sunsets, beautiful colors whether bright or subdued, great compositions, and crystal clear black and white photos. Ran out of scan space, otherwise would have included the 1933 Goudey of Paul Richards, an excellent example of a beautifully colored card with great compostion)

[Aaron Seefeldt]

Deleted

[TheBig6]

[GeoPoto]

Here's a couple I like. The hint of a Washington Monument is a nice touch:



Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[kmac32]

I have always found the rolling up any junk era St Louis Crapinal card and shoving each end up my nostrils like a nose ring takes my breath away or at the least, makes it harder to breathe.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

One I have:



A favourite player in an excellent shot from one of my very favourite sets! The 1958 Topps do have my very favourite Baseball card backs.

And two I don't have:



Not just Maris' rookie card but with the Cleveland Indians!



A favourite player in a very good pose from perhaps my very favourite Baseball card set.

The 1958 Topps Warren Spahn is one of the most gorgeous cards of all time. I think it's his best card ever.

[bnorth]

I love the red borders and B/W pictures of the T210s and also am quite fond of these 2 T212 Weed cards. The Shoeless card is a reprint. The T210s are the entire Ft Worth team set. Then I have 5 different T210 Jackson cards.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by kmac32

I have always found the rolling up any junk era St Louis Crapinal card and shoving each end up my nostrils like a nose ring takes my breath away or at the least, makes it harder to breathe.

[Snowman]

These are probably my 3 favorite Jackie Robinson cards.