Ruth vs Wagner

[E93]

Of course I would love to own a BN Ruth, but to my mind there is not even a question about what is the premier card in the hobby - the T206 Wagner is the iconic card in the hobby.
JimB

[Brian Van Horn]

Wagner.

[Orioles1954]

The T206 set makes me go to sleep....will go with Ruth every single time.

[Bicem]

Both.

Actually give me a Wagner, a red Ruth and a blue Ruth. Thanks!

[MattyC]

This is more of a psychology question, I know, but I can't help wondering how many who choose the Wagner do so simply because they believe it is the more desired "icon" or "Grail" now-- and if the prevailing hobby sentiment anointed the BN Ruth as the new grail at some future point, they'd switch their answer.

By the time it's all said and done, I believe and would bet that the Ruth will overtake the Wagner. The first salvo was already fired in that latest auction. There is no denying the Ruth is rarer, and features the better player. In time these two fundamental principles of the hobby, namely rarity and player popularity, will win out.

It may take time, but these two factors will win out in the end. Traditional view (as in the Wagner's status) is one thing, but the underpinning factors of the hobby's market have begun to work in The Ruth's favor, and will continue to do so into the future. Ruth's sustained heat across so many cards in so many auctions is proof of his enduring popularity, as compared to Wagner. And I say this as someone who thinks Wagner, especially a Wagner portrait, is a cornerstone of any baseball card collection.

[oldjudge]

Cards from sets people are working on always trade at a premium. The Ruth is a rarer card of a better player. That means little since to finish the T206 set you need a Wagner. No one is working on the Baltimore News set. Also, the Baltimore News Ruth is a minor league card, and certainly not Ruth's scarcest card. In all honesty, I'm not sure why it sells for as much as it does.

[MattyC]

Set collectors help drive price and demand, sure, but there are many non-set collectors out there as well. Far more than there are either Wagners or Ruths out there. So the set collector dimension seems moot to me. One doesn't need to be building a Balt News set to want the first card of The Babe, just as one doesn't need to be building a T206 set to want a Wagner or other HOFer. I guess in absence of a crystal ball, only time will tell. And in the end, it will always be each individual collector's call based on his collection.

[drumback]

To me, the BN Ruth isn't really a card. It's a schedule. And it's kind of ugly as well. In any color. Looks like it could have been printed in the seventies. I would choose Wagner. Not even close.

[Orioles1954]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Cards from sets people are working on always trade at a premium. The Ruth is a rarer card of a better player. That means little since to finish the T206 set you need a Wagner. No one is working on the Baltimore News set. Also, the Baltimore News Ruth is a minor league card, and certainly not Ruth's scarcest card. In all honesty, I'm not sure why it sells for as much as it does.

That's true in one regard. For people who get hyped up over the T206 set the Wagner card is the one to get. However, it is not even Wagner's toughest "T" card.

[GaryPassamonte]

I'm with Jay on this one. The BN Ruth is a minor league card, at best. Best player, earliest issue, minor league card. Is there any other minor league card that is considered the "rookie" card of the player pictured? Maybe the Old Mill Jackson?

[benjulmag]

They are both great cards and reading the various responses makes me think about what's so great about collecting -- it is so subjective. Each collector is free to enjoy it in his/her own personal way.

An interesting offshoot question which I think about is whether part of the Wagner's popularity is predicated on it being the only Wagner pose in the set. As has been noted, the T206 is one of the most iconic sets in the hobby and IMO the most iconic set of the dead ball era. Wagner was as prominent a player as any in the game at the time the set was issued, and I always felt that there being only one pose of him (and a portrait pose at that with an attractive orange background) is part of the perfect storm of events that fuels the card's popularity.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

That's true in one regard. For people who get hyped up over the T206 set the Wagner card is the one to get. However, it is not even Wagner's toughest "T" card.

So true.. I've got an E that's far tougher than the T206.

To earlier comment about Wags' expressionless face, to each his own. I think I'm the same boat as those who grew up with it, and '52 Mantle as THE hobby icons and they still carry an amazing appeal as a result. I view both as beautiful cards. I have definitely branched out collecting wise in recent years, but can't ever separate myself from those original childhood dreams/urges. As an alternate to the T206, I've picked up 2 other Wags that share this pose.

[dabigyankeeman]

Of course its the hype of the Wagner card that has made it more desireable (not to me though, I would rather have The Babe).

Its kinda like the hype on the 1952 Topps "rookie" card of Mickey Mantle, when his true rookie card is the 1951 Bowman. Most people would rather have the 1952 and they would say they have his rookie card. I have and love both, but the 1951 is the true rookie as we all know.

[ullmandds]

Personally...I'll take the T206 Wags...not because others will be impressed by it...but because it has always been the "prize" of the hobby since I was a little kid...the ruth is a "prookie"...and I'll just buy my own m101 ruth rookie after the Wags is "given" to me!!!!

[Leon]

I would take the Baltimore News Ruth every day and all day on Sunday over the Wags. The Wags is a great card, and the best known, but to this collector it is common and not such a great card. Heck, I personally like many other T206s better. The Ruth card is iconic, a much, much better looking card to me and will always be one of the absolute best cards in the hobby. For me it's not close. However, if I collected T206 then I am sure I would feel that way about the Wagner. Over time the BN Ruth will continue to escalate and come closer in value to a Wags.