Best Basketball Card of the 20th Century

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Griffins

'86 Jordan is the '52 Mantle of basketball.

Not the greatest player of all time, not the RC of a iconic player, but the iconic card of a generations legend.

Disagree. The 52 Mantle is special because it is a short printed high number card from the first regular Topps set. PSA has graded over 14K Jordans compared to 1243 Mantles. The 86 Fleer Jordan is the 89 UD Griffey of basketball.

The top 3 basketball cards are the 48 Mikan, 57 Russell and 61 Chamberlain. I went with the Wilt because he was the best player of the first ~40 years of the NBA.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by rats60

Disagree. The 52 Mantle is special because it is a short printed high number card from the first regular Topps set.

The '52 Mantle was double printed.

Originally Posted by rats60

The 86 Fleer Jordan is the 89 UD Griffey of basketball.

Wow.

[steve B]

I guess I'd have to ask what's meant by "best"

All the listed cards would be good choices, and there would be a bunch of others depending on stuff like age, what team you follow and a bunch of other stuff.

I'll pick the Bird/Erving/Johnson card, For me it's hard to beat the combination of the main players in the Celtics/Lakers rivalry plus one of my favorite players.

I might stretch to the 92 fleer Darryl Dawkins signed insert. Another favorite, if only for the backboard smashing.

But If I was offered any one of the cards on the list for free? I'd take the Mikan. It's got a lot going for it, and not a lot of downside.

Steve B

[vthobby]

Steve,

I liked your post. Your way of thinking is interesting where you say "If I was offered any one of the cards on the list for free".

I think that is a great way of looking at this question. Throw out the prices and ask "if any of these were free which would I choose". Assuming they are all worth the same today and will all increase at their own rate in the future.

Probably not realistic but it is a cool idea.

In that scenario, my choice would still be Mikan also.

Peace, Mike

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by steve B

I guess I'd have to ask what's meant by "best."

Steve B

Hi, Steve.

This is merely an opinion poll. Everyone is encouraged to vote for (and post) the card they think is, "best." Personally, I chose the '86 Fleer Jordan. In my humble opinion, there are no right or wrong answers.

Thanks for the input, gentlemen. Carry on.

Best regards,

Eric

[vthobby]

In the most recent REA auction, the 1948 Bowman Mikan just set a world record in PSA 8 as it sold for $16,800 with commission!

Mike

[Exhibitman]

I voted none of the above. They are all great cards but I consider aesthetics more than anything else. That disqualifies the Bowman, 1957 Topps and 1961 Fleer cards. The 1980 trio is a significant card but an uggo. The Jordan, frankly, has graphics that overwhelm a dark picture. I hate shiny cards, so no on the Kobe.

I choose the 1969-70 Topps Wilt Chamberlain. To me that's what a basketball card should look like. Tall, large color photo of an alltime great player, great clean graphics that complement rather than interfere with the image. I chose Wilt over Lew because the color scheme on Lew's card is not as bold and interesting as the Wilt card.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by vtgmsc

In the most recent REA auction, the 1948 Bowman Mikan just set a world record in PSA 8 as it sold for $16,800 with commission!

Mike

Nearly all the cards listed in the poll are iconic. I had not checked out this thread before, but I went with the '86 Fleer Jordan. A PSA 10 of the Jordan card is a $14-15K card, despite the fact that there are nearly 10 times as many PSA 10s of the Jordan card as there are of Mikan in 8 or above. "Best" is such a vague term, but I think Jordan card is the most iconic basketball card of all-time.

In the era of huge overproduction, it is amazing to me what the Jordan '86 Fleer card sells for at auction. But that is due to demand. There are over 200 PSA 10s of the Jordan card out there, and it is still a $14-15K card.

The assertion that the '86 Fleer Jordan is comparable to the Upper Deck Griffey doesn't seem to work at all, IMO. A PSA 9 of the Griffey card can be had for under $45 and a PSA 8 of that card can be had for under $25.

[CW]

One part of the Fleer Jordan's mystique as a PSA 10 is the condition sensitivity of the card. Despite being a card from 1986, it's a really tough card to find in perfect condition. Centering is atrocious for the issue, and those colored borders with white cardboard stock show even the tiniest amount of wear. Edge chipping is also common. I think that's a big factor in the $15K price tag.

I remember back in '99-2000 a PSA 10 was a $25K - $33K card, so it still has a ways to go before it reaches those levels again.