Most significant or sought after postwar cards (besides Mantle)

[KCRfan1]

Ditto on the 1951 All Stars. My top 5 are in no particular order:

1954 Topps Hank Aaron
1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams
1968 Topps 3-d Clemente
1951 Bowman Willie Mays
1948 Leaf Satchell Paige

Fun thread.....

[mickeymantle24]

I would say...

1955 Clemente
1954 Hank Aaron
1963 Topps Rose
1952 Topps Mays
1968 Topps Nolan Ryan

[almostdone]

So here is the tally so far. I just listed everyone who was mentioned even in honorable mention.

1. 55 Clemente (9 votes)
2. 54 Aaron (8 votes)
3. 52 Topps Mays (6 votes)
4. 63 Rose (5 votes)
5. 54 Bowman Williams, 55 Koufax (4 votes each)
6. 68 Ryan, 51 Bowman Mays (3 votes each)
7. 68 3D Clemente, 48 Leaf Paige, 54 Wilson Franks Williams (2 votes each)
8. 67 Seaver, 54 Topps Willams, 69 R. Jackson, 73 Schmidt, 75 Brett, 54 Banks, 48 Leaf J. Robinson, 52 Mathews, 53 Bowman Reese, 60 Yaz (1 vote each)

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned some players from any set like Musial, Berra, Munson, Killebrew, Dimmagio, Ford, Gibson or even some retired ones like Ruth or Wagner.

Keep it going though. I'll change the tally marks if others continue to chime in.

Drew

[Bigdaddy]

1. 1952 Topps Mays
2. 1954 Topps Aaron
3. 1955 Topps Koufax
4. 1963 Topps Rose
5. 1968 Topps Ryan

That's my list and I'm sticking to it.

[begsu1013]

here's my top 5 picks in no particular order:

68 ryan
54 aaron
55 clemente
63 rose
89 ripken error*

* while not necessarily an iconic player like the others, this card created one of the biggest crazes in baseball card history and has remained one of the top selling baseball cards on ebay to this very day.

[Harford20]

I would choose:

1954 Bowman Williams
1955 Topps Clemente
1954 Topps Aaron
1963 Topps Rose
1968 Topps Ryan

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by begsu1013

here's my top 5 picks in no particular order:

68 ryan
54 aaron
55 clemente
63 rose
89 ripken error*

* while not necessarily an iconic player like the others, this card created one of the biggest crazes in baseball card history and has remained one of the top selling baseball cards on ebay to this very day.

I would agree with the 89 Fleer Bill Ripken being an iconic must have card. I have bought/sold/traded 1000's of them over the years. It is also one of the most altered cards because of the whiteout version.

[jsconscum]

1980 Henderson

[begsu1013]

'89 griffey upper deck.

#1 card of the inaugural set.

[JollyElm]

Unfortunately, everyone's picks invariably come down to rookie cards. The same rookie cards. It would be nice to redo this entire thread and eliminate all Mantles and all RC's from consideration. Then we could get somewhere. But then, of course, it would become all about the high numbers from various years (1961 All Stars, 1967 Brooks Robinson, etc., immediately come to mind), so I guess there's no real solution to this dilemma.

Unless…how about the top 5 toughest non-Mantle, non-RC cards to find centered? That's a topic that would result in many, many vastly different lists.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Unless…how about the top 5 toughest non-Mantle, non-RC cards to find centered? That's a topic that would result in many, many vastly different lists.

I like this thread! In no particular order, here is what I came up with :

1953 Bowman Color Stan Musial (and really every star from that set)
1954 Topps Ted Williams #1
1948-1949 Leaf Ted Williams
1957 Topps Yogi Berra
1955 Topps Duke Snider

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by almostdone

So here is the tally so far. I just listed everyone who was mentioned even in honorable mention.

1. 55 Clemente (9 votes)
2. 54 Aaron (8 votes)
3. 52 Topps Mays (6 votes)
4. 63 Rose (5 votes)
5. 54 Bowman Williams, 55 Koufax (4 votes each)
6. 68 Ryan, 51 Bowman Mays (3 votes each)
7. 68 3D Clemente, 48 Leaf Paige, 54 Wilson Franks Williams (2 votes each)
8. 67 Seaver, 54 Topps Willams, 69 R. Jackson, 73 Schmidt, 75 Brett, 54 Banks, 48 Leaf J. Robinson, 52 Mathews, 53 Bowman Reese, 60 Yaz (1 vote each)

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned some players from any set like Musial, Berra, Munson, Killebrew, Dimmagio, Ford, Gibson or even some retired ones like Ruth or Wagner.

Keep it going though. I'll change the tally marks if others continue to chime in.

Drew

The original post asked for "most significant or sought after" post war excluding mantle. While there is no question some of the players you mentioned were great players and are sought after, in my opinion, they are no where near as sought after or significant as those mentioned. Regarding post war cards of pre war players (Ruth, Wagner, etc.) I think that their post war cards are significantly less sought after than their pre war cards from their playing days - dropping their post war cards a few notches in the "significant or sought after" category.

Just my thoughts of course.

[rsdill2]

In no particular order and to keep on track with the OP of most sought after non-Mantle I'd have to say top 6 are:

'55 Clemente
'54 Aaron
'68 Ryan
'63 Rose
'52 Mays
'67 Seaver

Topps is by far the most sought after postwar card so I'd have to go with all Topps cards.

Edited to add:
Most significant and most sought after are very different things to me. I'd say the above 6 are most sought after. Most significant may include cards like the '84D Mattingly and '89UD Griffey.

[Hammerin'Hank]

Originally Posted by rsdill2

In no particular order and to keep on track with the OP of most sought after non-Mantle I'd have to say top 6 are:

'55 Clemente
'54 Aaron
'68 Ryan
'63 Rose
'52 Mays
'67 Seaver

Topps is by far the most sought after postwar card so I'd have to go with all Topps cards.

Edited to add:
Most significant and most sought after are very different things to me. I'd say the above 6 are most sought after. Most significant may include cards like the '84D Mattingly and '89UD Griffey.

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.

[kailes2872]

1) 54 Williams (either 1 or 250 but given where Topps was at the time with no Mantle, it feels like they could have lost the war if not for Ted)
2) 56 Mantle (significant card in that he was back in the fold and the monopoly had begun.
3) 53 Bowman Pee Wee Reese (most beautiful card in the most beautiful set. So nice that it might had led to Bowman demise.
4) 53 Bowman Martin/Rizzuto combo. (Feels like beginning of combo card era - might be a stretch to say this one but I wanted a card to represent that genre)
5) 56 Yankees team card (beginning of team cards that would lead to marked checklists and rubber band marks from being in the front of the team sets)

[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.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by Hammerin'Hank

........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.

Good point Russ on the significance of the set.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Hammerin'Hank

. 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.

How did 84 Donruss raise the bar on card quality? Early Donruss and Fleer cards were of very poor quality compared to Topps. They were a thinner, flimsy card stock. That is why I bought very little of those sets. They were just cheap looking cards.

Donruss cut production in 84 at a time when the hobby was exploding. It was a perceived scarcity of 84 Donruss and 84 Fleer Update that created demand for their products, not putting out a better quality product.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by rsdill2

Topps is by far the most sought after postwar card so I'd have to go with all Topps cards.
.

What about the period before the mainstream Topps cards were issued? You are ruling out all the sets prior to '52 ('52 Topps being their first main stream set).

Z Wheat