Overrated/Underrated/Favorite/Least Favourite Singles

[Seven]

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. It's iconic for sure, and I do love the card, but feel that it shouldn't be as valuable as it is, especially since it's a 2nd year card.

Underrated: 1939 World Wide Gum Ted Williams. I think it's Ted Williams best issue as a player. It's a beautiful card, and while rare, I think it gets lost in the prewar shuffle.

Favorite: 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle. I Don't own it, but it's Mantle's true RC and he's the guy that I collect the most.

Least Favorite: 1940 Joe Jackson. I understand why it's popular, but it's not a playing days card, and it shouldn't be the price that it is, in my opinion.

[Exhibitman]

Overrated: Obak Ten Million. It's a damn novelty name, guys.

Underrated: Tris Speaker Exhibit cards. This guy is one of the premiere players of all time yet he is priced like a third-tier HOFer.

Favorite: T206 Collins portrait. Horner and the artist who created the card were masterful, making Collins look good. That man was fugly.

Least Favorite: 1926-27 Exhibit Gehringer



Well, if you say it is Gehringer, I guess I will believe it...

[jingram058]

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mantle, followed closely by the comic book cartoonish 1953 Topps Mantle.

Underrated: 1933 Goudey Gehrig 92. Here is greatest first baseman ever. How is Ruth, at the end of his career, or Mantle worth more?

Favorite: 1960 Topps Mantle. Just a gorgeous card. IMO Mantle's best ever.

Least Favorite: Those hideous W series strip cards of Ruth and others. Frankly, I do not understand why anyone with taste would want them. They look like something made by Fisher-Price. It can only be because of the money.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Seven

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. It's iconic for sure, and I do love the card, but we are literally one number away from it not being apart of the high number set, and it's not even his Rookie.

Underrated: 1939 World Wide Gum Ted Williams. I think it's Ted Williams best issue as a player. It's a beautiful card, and while rare, I think it gets lost in the prewar shuffle.

Favorite: 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle. I Don't own it, but it's Mantle's true RC and he's the guy that I collect the most.

Least Favorite: 1940 Joe Jackson. I understand why it's popular, but it's not a playing days card, and it shouldn't be the price that it is, in my opinion.

What does the one number away have to do with it, don't follow.

[Carter08]

Overrated - will agree with Peter on t206 Plank.

Underrated - 48 Leaf Spahn. Rookie of an underrated player and a striking portrait. Plus in a set with a lot of reds and yellows, the orange is just cool. Can’t think of another orange Leaf, much less one of a HOFer.

Favorite - Ruth’s red Goudey

Least favorite - Ruth’s American Caramel holding a bird

[G1911]

The Leaf’s are a 1949 set, Spahn’s mainstream rookie would be the 1948 Bowman.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by G1911

The Leaf’s are a 1949 set, Spahn’s mainstream rookie would be the 1948 Bowman.

Ha classic comment! As a Spahn collector I think both are considered his rookies. And I’m glad you ended the 1948/1949 Leaf debate once and for all. Bravo!

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Carter08

Ha classic comment! As a Spahn collector I think both are considered his rookies. And I’m glad you ended the 1948/1949 Leaf debate once and for all. Bravo!

There’s been numerous threads on here with the information, the back text makes clear it could not have been issued in 1948. I’m not the one who fixed the dating. His 1949 Bowman and 1949 Leaf are not rookies, it’s the same as the 1952 Mantle. He had a mainstream card in 1948, his 1949 cards cannot possibly be rookies.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by G1911

There’s been numerous threads on here with the information, the back text makes clear it could not have been issued in 1948. I’m not the one who fixed the dating. His 1949 Bowman and 1949 Leaf are not rookies, it’s the same as the 1952 Mantle. He had a mainstream card in 1948, his 1949 cards cannot possibly be rookies.

I’ll go with psa’s take:

https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/ba...spahn-32/21555

[Tyruscobb]

Originally Posted by G1911

There’s been numerous threads on here with the information, the back text makes clear it could not have been issued in 1948. I’m not the one who fixed the dating. His 1949 Bowman and 1949 Leaf are not rookies, it’s the same as the 1952 Mantle. He had a mainstream card in 1948, his 1949 cards cannot possibly be rookies.

The Leafs were released in 1949, despite the cards listing a 1948 copyright on their back. The 1948 Bowmans were released in 1948.

This means that Ralph Kiner, Phil Rizzuto, Stan Musial, and Warren Spahn’s 1948 Bowman cards are these players’ true rookie cards.

Because the Leafs were issued in 1949 (not 1948), this also means that Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige’s 1949 Bowman cards have co-rookie card status with their 1949 (not 1948) Leaf counterparts.

Nonetheless, the majority still consider the Leaf 1948 (and not 1949) cards and co-rookie cards for Kiner, Rizzuto, Musial, and Spahn. This will not change any time soon.

It really doesn’t matter for me. The Leafs should trade at a premium to the 1948 Bowmans. The Leafs were the first post-WW2 color issues, and are beautiful. The 1948 Bowmans are drab. At the end of the day - who cares?!

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

What does the one number away have to do with it, don't follow.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't number 311 start the 4th series of the 1952 Topps? Which pushed it into the high number category which are more difficult to find do to the time of the year they were printed?

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Seven

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't number 311 start the 4th series of the 1952 Topps? Which pushed it into the high number category which are more difficult to find do to the time of the year they were printed?

1-80
81-130
131-190
191-250
251-310
311-407

That Mantle leads off the high series does not make him any less of a high than any other high; the original comment saying he is barely a high number of course does not actually relate to how sheets are printed or cards distributed. A card either is or is not in a certain series; it’s a solid cutoff and not a sliding scale. Mantle is one of the 3 DP’s in series 6.

[G1911]

Overrated - Fictional rookies like Jackie’s 1949 Leaf. Post career cards like Play Ball Jackson and Leaf Ruth. Meme cards like Ten Million, Contentnea’s Uncle Sam and Old Judge’s that include a dog. Hype train cards that defy any rationality like 52 Mantle’s. Cards of Black Sox layers commanding a ~1,000% premium over their playing ability.

Underrated - great players without the PR team. Hornsby, Collins for example. Rarities without the PR team, especially unique or nearly unique items that seem hurt by the fact that there are hardly any extant to appear in auctions and fuel hype.

Favorite: T3/T9 can’t be beat aesthetically in my eyes.

Least Favorite: Strip cards that are ugly.

[3-2-count]

Overrated - 1952 Topps Mantle. It’s not his true RC and I dislike the pose.

Underrated - T206 Eddie Plank. Finally getting the recognition that it deserves.

Favorite - T206 HOF portraits. Take your pick.

Least favorite - E90-1 Joe Jackson. Such a hideous image.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by G1911

1-80
81-130
131-190
191-250
251-310
311-407

That Mantle leads off the high series does not make him any less of a high than any other high; the original comment saying he is barely a high number of course does not actually relate to how sheets are printed or cards distributed. A card either is or is not in a certain series; it’s a solid cutoff and not a sliding scale. Mantle is one of the 3 DP’s in series 6.

My mistake Greg. Did not actually know that. We learn something new everyday, I suppose. I'll edit my previous post. Thanks for the knowledge!

[egri]

Overrated: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, and that set in general. Some of the cards look nice, but a lot of them look the same.

Underrated: 1935 Diamond Stars Lefty Grove. I'm a sucker for anything Art Deco.

Favorite: 1949 Leaf. If Andy Warhol designed a set, I imagine that is what it would look like.

Least Favorite: 1958 Topps. Who decided that cutout players on garish backgrounds was a good idea?

[skelly423]

Originally Posted by egri

Underrated: 1935 Diamond Stars Lefty Grove. I'm a sucker for anything Art Deco.

Great call. It’s a fantastic set, and the Grove card is so tough

[Rhotchkiss]

Overrated - All 1933 Goudey Ruths. Its very late career, they are not rare and there are four different Ruth's in the set

Underrated - T210 Joe Jackson. Crazy rare (only 17 graded between PSA/SGC) and one of the all-time legends. I think this should be a $1mm card in any condition

Favorite - T206 Wagner. It is the all time greatest collectible and the face of cards

Least favorite - E98 "Cy Young". Its a picture of Irv Young

[oldjudge]

Since I am not very knowledgeable about most sets outside of Old Judges let me restrict my answers to that set. These answers may differ somewhat from the book because of new finds or just because my views have changed over the last 14 years.

Most Overrated—-Anson in Uniform—It is a rare card by most standards (4 or 5 known) but not by Old Judge standards. There are hundreds of poses in the Old Judge set, including those of HOFers, that are as scarce or scarcer.

Most Underrated—Any Player’s League card. These cards are genuinely rare and document an important time in baseball history. The fact that these cards represent only four of the eight Player’s League teams illustrates the cessation of card production following the formation of the American Tobacco Company in early-1890, an act that eliminated the need to include costly purchase inducements in cigarette packs.

Favorite—N173 Ewing portrait. This beautiful pose is only known on a unique N173.

Least Favorite—I love the set so this is a tough question. If I have to pick something it would probably be any Tommy McCarthy card Not that I have anything against McCarthy but he clearly does not belong in the HOF and there are many more deserving players in the set who will never be enshrined..

[Lobo Aullando]

Overrated: T206 John Titus. Why, god? WHY?!?!?

Underrated: W517 Babe Ruth (pick 'em). Been loving the Diamond Stars recently, but these 3"x4" strip cards are everything that virtually all the other strip sets aren't, detailed and nicely aesthetic. Getting lumped into that category hurts.

Favorite: 1953 Bowman color Stan Musial. That image puts me right there in a different era, it's so alive.

Least Favorite: T206 Spike Shannon. Was this intended to be a Picasso homage? (I don't even know what to make of the paper strip "cards.")

[egri]

Originally Posted by Lobo Aullando

Overrated: T206 John Titus. Why, god? WHY?!?!?

Wait until you hear about 1952 Topps Tony Bartirome.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by egri

Least Favorite: 1958 Topps. Who decided that cutout players on garish backgrounds was a good idea?

Perhaps someone who had fond memories of the 1941 Goudeys when they were growing up?

Brian

[steve B]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Perhaps someone who had fond memories of the 1941 Goudeys when they were growing up?

Brian

Which were in turn designed by someone who fondly remembered a bunch of E card sets.