Poll: Leaf Jackie Robinson Rookie vs Bonds Bread Rookie

[DeanH3]

Admittedly, I'm biased. But I'd rather own the Bond Bread. I've owned the '49 Leaf and while it's iconic, the image is really bad. Add in the new information that has surface over the last few years, make the Bond Bread more appealing to me.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by DeanH3

Admittedly, I'm biased. But I'd rather own the Bond Bread. I've owned the '49 Leaf and while it's iconic, the image is really bad. Add in the new information that has surface over the last few years, make the Bond Bread more appealing to me.

It doesn't sound to me like you're biased, it sounds to me like you have an opinion.

If I had to choose between them, I would choose the BB for the same reason, Leaf is just a bad image.

[darwinbulldog]

I happen to like the image on the '49 Leaf, but I can certainly understand not liking it. I have the same general objection to the '49 Leaf and '52 Topps sets; they're the result of thinking you can take perfectly good black and white images and make them more appealing to little kids by suffusing them with garish colors. In most cases I find it really detracts from the overall quality of the images, and in many cases (Leaf Jackie excepted) they're just plain hideous. You reliably find much better-looking color cards from the issues that use proper illustrations (1950-52 Bowman and 1953, 1955, and 1956 Topps -- and T206 for that matter).

[vansaad]

Jackie has one of the best looking run of cards in the hobby. His big three complement each other so well in color and sizing, and I love them displayed together.

But if I could chose only one, it would be the '47 Bond Bread portrait (D302). Issued during Jackie's rookie season, I'm in the crowd that considers it his true rookie. It also is a bridge to postwar, being one of the best looking B&W war-era cards before the return to color with '49 Leaf. The Bond Bread portrait (2 1/4" x 3 1/2") is also very close in size to the modern standard baseball card (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") - ten years before the '57 Topps set established the current standard. The portrait card is scarcer than the Leaf and '52 Topps, which requires some effort and patience to find a nice example. And, for an even tougher challenge, collectors can go after the remaining 12 cards in the Bond Bread Jackie Robinson set.


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jackie 48 leaf.jpg

jackie 52 Topps.jpg

[Exhibitman]

I'm with Greg, Dean and Aaron on this: the Leaf just looks goofy, like someone smacked him on the head with a fungo bat. I actually like all of the Robinson cards except the 1949 Leaf and the 1949 Bowman. Neither really appeals to me aesthetically.

My favorite set since I was a kid is 1954 Topps



But I digress...I just wanted to post the 1954.

[G1911]

I love his 1954 and 1955 Topps cards, the yellow background works well. Jackie's Topps run is just gorgeous.

Mine has the misfortune of a couple creases and was taped to something on all four corners at one point. On the positive side, I bought it for $40 at a show in c. 2015 after nobody was paying the $50 original asking price. I should have bought my other Jackie needs (1950 Bowman, 1956 Topps grey back) back then, but I was poor.

[brianp-beme]

Rookie Schmookie!

I have his 1956 Topps, but I have always liked his similar 1955 Topps card. I just like the 1955 design with the team logo seen on the 1955 card, and also prefer the non-outlined portrait seen in the 1955 card (outlining is big design no-no for me). The 1956 card does have a great Jackie slide depicted, though.

Ideally my favorite card would be a combination of the layout and design with non-outlined Jackie head of the 1955 card, with the sliding background image of the 1956 card.

Brian (neither of these 1955 and 1956 bad boys are mine, nor do I have the skills to create a fantasy card to my specifications)