Top 10 � Most Collected Players

brianp-beme · #1 06-14-2023, 07:03 PM

I am approaching this from a strictly 20th century/Prewar point of view, and also from a 'Top 10 Most Desired' angle. Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were considered for the list, but since they were both at the start of their careers when WW2 lowered its boom, I decided instead to include a couple of others (Hornsby and Foxx) in their place.

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Joe Jackson
Lou Gehrig
Cy Young
Christy Mathewson
Walter Johnson
Rogers Hornsby
Jimmie Foxx

Brian

Peter_Spaeth · #2 06-14-2023, 07:11 PM

If the question is meant to include all collectors in the hobby, none of these lists is even close, with Tim's being the closest. Vintage is a small portion of the hobby now and probably has been for quite a while. Most people here are just listing their favorite players, predictably, but that is not the question. Joe Jackson in the top 10 collected players? Uh, no.

mrreality68 · #3 06-14-2023, 08:26 PM

I would not take Wagner or Jackson off the list unless the criteria was changed. I understand based on prices cards are now tougher to buy. If the criteria was based on available to the masses then I could see potentially taking Jackson off the list I can understand since limited # and sets of cards resulted in low supply and high demand so higher prices. But there is a huge number of sets and cards that Wagner was in and there are still enough supply to make him having cards just as available and affordable as other stars on the list

robertsmithnocure · #4 06-14-2023, 08:57 PM

Here is my list made up of players whose careers started in the pre-war card era.

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Lou Gehrig
Joe Jackson
Cy Young
Walter Johnson
Ted Williams
Christy Mathewson
Joe DiMaggio

JustinD · #5 06-15-2023, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

If the question is meant to include all collectors in the hobby, none of these lists is even close, with Tim's being the closest. Vintage is a small portion of the hobby now and probably has been for quite a while. Most people here are just listing their favorite players, predictably, but that is not the question. Joe Jackson in the top 10 collected players? Uh, no.

Agreed.

I am not in a bubble on this and I thought last year BR did a decent research job to take all transactions into account. Unsurprisingly, the most veteran player was Trout -

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ll-card-market

This has likely changed a bit as modern changes with the winds, but the real talk is that my cards are nowhere near the masses due to cost and quantity. I think the question is not being answered, all of these are no where near the top 10 most collected players, but maybe somewhere in the top 10 most known players...likely that is still a stretch to the common collector under 35.

Peter_Spaeth · #6 06-15-2023, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustinD

Agreed.

I am not in a bubble on this and I thought last year BR did a decent research job to take all transactions into account. Unsurprisingly, the most veteran player was Trout -

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ll-card-market

This has likely changed a bit as modern changes with the winds, but the real talk is that my cards are nowhere near the masses due to cost and quantity. I think the question is not being answered, all of these are no where near the top 10 most collected players, but maybe somewhere in the top 10 most known players...likely that is still a stretch to the common collector under 35.

Yep. People including the OP himself are answering the question as if it read, who are YOUR favorite players to collect.

Ebay search for PSA Joe Jackson: 414 results, and that includes some Joe Morgan/Sonny Jackson cards. PSA Derek Jeter: 15,000 plus results.

Bored5000 · #7 06-15-2023, 02:18 PM

As the thread question is posed, I think the 10 most collected players would all have to be modern. The amount of of people capable of dropping four figures or more on a card for many of the pre-war names that have been mentioned in this thread is limited -- at least compared to the number of people able to pick up cheap cards of current players.

rats60 · #8 06-15-2023, 03:19 PM

I don't think people collect modern cards for the most part. They are investing and flipping. Most of these cards crash in value. The only current player that should even be considered is Mike Trout.

Most collected players are players that people buy to keep in their collection. The most collectible players by definition are going to be players whose cards are more difficult to find because they are locked away in collections.

carlsonjok · #9 06-15-2023, 07:35 PM

I took a poll of the attendees at Davos regarding what the number 1 most popular table wine is in the world. I found out that it is Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape.

Don't let those entitled millennials tell you that it is Barefoot or Sutter Home.

carlsonjok · #10 06-15-2023, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rats60

I don't think people collect modern cards for the most part. They are investing and flipping. Most of these cards crash in value. The only current player that should even be considered is Mike Trout.

Most collected players are players that people buy to keep in their collection. The most collectible players by definition are going to be players whose cards are more difficult to find because they are locked away in collections.

I bet they probably also put sugar on their porridge.

If anyone is interested in a semi-scientific study, there is a Player Collection thread on Blowout forums. If the length of the lines are indicative of anything other than character count, then the five most popular players to collect are:

Ken Griffey. Jr
Bryce Harper
Derek Jeter
Nolan Ryan
David Wright

Added in edit: The question was who the most collected players are, not the most collectible. Out in the workaday world, there is a difference.

Peter_Spaeth · #11 06-15-2023, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rats60

I don't think people collect modern cards for the most part. They are investing and flipping. Most of these cards crash in value. The only current player that should even be considered is Mike Trout.

Most collected players are players that people buy to keep in their collection. The most collectible players by definition are going to be players whose cards are more difficult to find because they are locked away in collections.

I would bet my life most people buying modern cards are collectors. Sure, there are flippers and investors, but that does not negate the overall proposition. These things are produced and purchased by the millions. People are collecting them.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Top 10 Personally Collected Players who retired before WW2	joshuanip	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	76	05-15-2025 03:13 PM
Most Collected / Most Popular Pre-War Players (Top 10)	that T206 Guy	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	11	07-07-2018 08:14 AM
Opinion on Top (5) collected baseball players	koufax1fan	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	41	05-11-2013 07:50 PM
How long you collected as a kid ?...	hangman62	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	83	05-21-2011 08:10 AM
Do you think vintage players collected their own cards?	Archive	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	7	10-04-2005 10:38 PM