Super high end Mantle cards

[etsmith]

According to the list he's 9th among baseball players, so top 10. And lists like these are always very subjective.

[packs]

Mantle will always be Mantle in the collecting world. I don't see time diminishing him. He has way too many cultural touchstones in both the sport and the hobby world.

He won the Triple Crown. Even if his 1952 Topps didn't exist, his 1956 Topps card will always trade well because of it's image and Triple Crown connection. It's just a great card.

And the same is true for his Dan Dee, and his 54 Bowman, his 53 Bowman, his 53 Topps, his 54 Red Heart. He had some great luck with the art departments because his cards are among the most visually appealing in any set he appears in.

Not to mention his insane accolades as a player. I mentioned the Triple Crown. He also won 7 titles and will forever be remembered as the only player to have possibly hit a home run out of Yankee Stadium. Also, unlike Mays and Aaron, he played his entire career with a single team and that team happened to be the Yankees.

In short, he has everything that he could possibly have going for him.

[Touch'EmAll]

Mantle was extra popular because he was fortunate enough to play for the Yankees, who happened to have a lot of other really good players, and thus won quite a few World Series.

Mantle hit the ball farther - that contributes to a legendary mystique that goes beyond basic stats. Kinda like Nolan Ryan who threw the ball faster than any known human to ever exist - again, legendary mystique that goes beyond basic stats.

Now factor in the herd mentality. Gee, Mantle card prices are way up there and going strong, Gee, I better get on the wagon myself. If everyone else wants his cards, I better get some myself. Kinda like rookie cards. In the early 70's nobody cared about them, then somehow in the late 70's it was somehow decided that rookie cards are the grails, and it caught on and the herd mentality has stuck and stuck strong.

But hey, if you want mantle cards for whatever reason and are willing to pay the prices, go ahead, knock yourself out.