Hall of Famer Cards

[KMayUSA6060]

Does every Hall of Famer have a card?

[oldjudge]

It depends how you define a card. If you define it as being cardboard, part of a set, and only featuring that one person--definitely no. The first cards fitting that definition didn't appear until 1886 with N167s and Tomlinson cabinets. As you expand the definition of a card more HOFers get included. Actually, you might include the 1863 Grand Match tickets as fitting the first definition.

[h2oya311]

If you expand your definition to include non-contemporary cards, then yes, every HOFer has at least one card. There are quite a few HOFers (particularly negro leaguers and executives) with no known contemporary individual cards. I (and many others) have expanded the definition of card to postcards (teams, usually), photos, and other memorabilia with contemporary images of a HoFer in order to fill those tough gaps in our HOF collections. When all else fails and you need a filler, a post playing-career card exists for every HOFer.

[KMayUSA6060]

I would include Postcards in there at some point. I know there's not one individual card of every HoFer, and I worded the OP incorrectly.

[packs]

I don't think Effa Manley has any official issues at all.

[oldjudge]

The other thing to remember is that new material is constantly being discovered. The 1896-97 Whitehead and Hoag pin rookie of Frank Selee was only just found. I think by the strictest definition of a card the Tomlinson and N167s (and maybe the Grand Match tix) are the first cards and thus the earliest source of rookies. However, I fully understand expanding the definition, when necessary, to find a contemporary image of the HOFer.

[triwak]

She has this one, although it's just a commemorative.

[clydepepper]

It also depends on how you define a Hall-of-Famer:

Do you include managers? (I usually do since they are, along with players, 'uniformed') Umpires ? Owners ? Executives ?

Writers and Broadcasters are also technically Hall-of-Famers.

Even though Negro League records are not nearly as complete as those of the Majors, no one could rightfully not include all of those greats.

...and there are Negro League owners in the Hall as well.

What about scouts and coaches?

...and I would be remiss if I did not include one of the great ambassadors for the sport, Buck O'Neil.

how 'bout Max Patkin?

Where do you draw the line?

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

It also depends on how you define a Hall-of-Famer:

Do you include managers? (I usually do since they are, along with players, 'uniformed') Umpires ? Owners ? Executives ?

Writers and Broadcasters are also technically Hall-of-Famers.

Even though Negro League records are not nearly as complete as those of the Majors, no one could rightfully not include all of those greats.

...and there are Negro League owners in the Hall as well.

What about scouts and coaches?

...and I would be remiss if I did not include one of the great ambassadors for the sport, Buck O'Neil.

how 'bout Max Patkin?

Where do you draw the line?

Very true. And I guess that's part of my curiosity - if you include all of the non-players, do they at some point have some sort of postcard/card/etc. that can be collected?

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Writers and Broadcasters are also technically Hall-of-Famers.

They're technically not. They receive the Frick Award but they're not members.