Most Important Baseball Card!

[BioCRN]

Boring answer, but the 52 Topps Mantle and T206 Wagner have both heavily contributed to even laymen's understanding of pictures of baseball dudes having extreme value and a desire to own one.

Which one is more important, no idea. Almost anyone can obtain a 52 Mantle and even in crud condition it will still be a card a collector shows to someone when showing off their collection. The T206 Wagner is so hard to obtain and no such thing as a cheap example.

[oldjudge]

I agree with Peter. Maybe you want to rephrase the question. These are baseball cards--none are "important".

[Fred]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

I agree with Peter. Maybe you want to rephrase the question. These are baseball cards--none are "important".

Uh, does that mean you think Anson in Uni is not important?

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by Fred

Uh, does that mean you think Anson in Uni is not important?

I don't think any card is important. It's a baseball card. It can be valuable, it could be rare, but I reserve important for ...more important things.

[perezfan]

1987 Donruss Buddy Biancalana

[Leon]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

I agree with Peter. Maybe you want to rephrase the question. These are baseball cards--none are "important".

Of course. None are important in the grand scheme of things. But the most important card in the hobby is probably the 52 Mantle followed by the T206 Wags....I can't afford either one!
.

[BigfootIsReal]

Originally Posted by Leon

Of course. None are important in the grand scheme of things. But the most important card in the hobby is probably the 52 Mantle followed by the T206 Wags....I can't afford either one!
.

Stop disrespecting Jackie!

[DeanH3]

Hard to argue against a 52T Mantle or T206 Wags. I still think Jackie needs to be at the top when we consider the impact on baseball and American culture. I'm partial to the Bond Bread, for obvious reasons, but the 49 Leaf is great choice too.

[BigfootIsReal]

Originally Posted by DeanH3

Hard to argue against a 52T Mantle or T206 Wags. I still think Jackie needs to be at the top when we consider the impact on baseball and American culture. I'm partial to the Bond Bread, for obvious reasons, but the 49 Leaf is great choice too.

Cool, how long have you had that?

[Yoda]

N172 Anson in uniform.

[DeanH3]

Originally Posted by BigfootIsReal

Cool, how long have you had that?

Almost 10 years now. Time sure does fly.

[bbcard1]

Let me make a pitch for this guy...the 1939 Playballs was the first substantial baseball offering made by Warren Bowman and the Williams rookie was the most significant card in that set. After the war, he rebranded his Gum, Inc to become Bowman and demonstrated that baseball cards were viable product. There is still a small part of the company's DNA in modern Topps and Bowman offerings. I get that this is a somewhat contrarian view, but seemed worth pondering.

[todeen]

I'm going to posit a position for ultra modern cards, and in the moment right now, and say Pokemon 1st Series. I've never collected them. But everyone says that local shows are 50% Pokemon. It seems they are a gateway drug to the larger collecting universe.

If I had to pick a baseball card right now, at this moment, I'd say 1952 Jackie Robinson. Bond Bread is nice, but I think more people could pick out the 52 Jackie. COVID saw crazy price surges, but the Negro Leagues stars seemed to benefit more than other (percentage wise). I've said for years -- since the Jackie movie debuted -- that more of my high school students talk about Jackie Robinson than any other baseball player. Shohei Ohtani is maybe now tied for public awareness, but I think kids would say Jackie is more important.

[jchcollins]

In terms of what I personally think is important - the cards of course change with my seasons of life as a collector:

When I finally made the jump from Garbage Pail Kids to baseball cards in 1986, I was 9 years old. The card I wanted most out of the 35 cent 1986 Topps wax packs was Pete Rose - his player card, #1, which was for some reason impossible for me to pull from a pack that year. I had at least two dupes of his manager card. Never did pull one. I eventually got one during my first stint back into the hobby as an adult in my early 20's - I believe. I guess I latched onto Pete that year because he was probably still in the news a lot for having just broken Cobb's record the year before. At any rate, it was before his betting troubles coming to light really began.

When I moved on from current packs to "vintage" (then simply called old cards) when I was probably about 11 years old, the apple of my eye was the '56 Topps Mickey Mantle as soon as I laid eyes on it. I thought, and still largely do - that it's just one of the coolest looking vintage cards ever made. The portrait, the leaping action shot into the crowd, the use of color, the cartoons. Landed this at about age 14 by basically trading my entire vintage collection at the time to a mall shop. Worth it.

Fast forward to present day, I'm 47 - and have been back into the hobby this go-round for right at 10 years now - and I really am not sure what to say is the single most important card for me. As a long time Cubs fan, I had never really zeroed in on Cubs collecting - probably because my childhood collecting predated my real baseball fandom - I just always saw fit to collect everything. I made a large step in correcting the team collecting oversight at this year's National in Cleveland (my first) - by finally acquiring every Cub fan's grail - the '54 Topps Ernie Banks RC. Now I want to go back and complete Topps and Bowman team runs - yes even the super exciting guys like Bob Rush, Hobie Landreth, and George Altman. :-)

Beyond that, I'm feeling a pull into some prewar stuff for the first time really ever. I'd like to get some T210 Old Mill's of local minor league players in NC. And not sure what it would be yet - but I'd like to own an an attractive 19th century card just kind of as a type piece sometime fairly soon. Oh well, for right now the main thing I need to do is save money.

I would agree that "most important" card is hard to define, and likely to many collectors very personal. That's why I told my own story. Thanks!

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

In terms of what I personally think is important - the cards of course change with my seasons of life as a collector:

When I finally made the jump from Garbage Pail Kids to baseball cards in 1986, I was 9 years old. The card I wanted most out of the 35 cent 1986 Topps wax packs was Pete Rose - his player card, #1, which was for some reason impossible for me to pull from a pack that year. I had at least two dupes of his manager card. Never did pull one. I eventually got one during my first stint back into the hobby as an adult in my early 20's - I believe. I guess I latched onto Pete that year because he was probably still in the news a lot for having just broken Cobb's record the year before. At any rate, it was before his betting troubles coming to light really began.

When I moved on from current packs to "vintage" (then simply called old cards) when I was probably about 11 years old, the apple of my eye was the '56 Topps Mickey Mantle as soon as I laid eyes on it. I thought, and still largely do - that it's just one of the coolest looking vintage cards ever made. The portrait, the leaping action shot into the crowd, the use of color, the cartoons. Landed this at about age 14 by basically trading my entire vintage collection at the time to a mall shop. Worth it.

Fast forward to present day, I'm 47 - and have been back into the hobby this go-round for right at 10 years now - and I really am not sure what to say is the single most important card for me. As a long time Cubs fan, I had never really zeroed in on Cubs collecting - probably because my childhood collecting predated my real baseball fandom - I just always saw fit to collect everything. I made a large step in correcting the team collecting oversight at this year's National in Cleveland (my first) - by finally acquiring every Cub fan's grail - the '54 Topps Ernie Banks RC. Now I want to go back and complete Topps and Bowman team runs - yes even the super exciting guys like Bob Rush, Hobie Landreth, and George Altman. :-)

Beyond that, I'm feeling a pull into some prewar stuff for the first time really ever. I'd like to get some T210 Old Mill's of local minor league players in NC. And not sure what it would be yet - but I'd like to own an an attractive 19th century card just kind of as a type piece sometime fairly soon. Oh well, for right now the main thing I need to do is save money.

I would agree that "most important" card is hard to define, and likely to many collectors very personal. That's why I told my own story.

Good story! And I agree that each collector may have his own personal most 'important" card.

That of course prompted me to try to select my own personal most important card. So of course I then asked myself which stars I like the most which is a tough question right there. Then which stars have the most attractive poses in some of my favourite sets, e.g. Topps 1959, 1960, 1963, 1954 and 1958. But then again I didn't actually buy and collect any Baseball cards pre-1962 at the time (though I acquired a few later) so I can't say I remember certain specific cards from those pre-1962 sets. Therefore the pull of nostalgia for any particular card from those earlier years just isn't there.

So when I then asked myself which one specific Baseball card I remember the most clearly from my early pack buying days, it's the #1 card from the 1962 set:

(Not mine.)

Though I didn't really like that Roger Maris card at the time since I was a Yankee hater, it's definitely the Baseball card I most clearly remember from my formative years. It also had a cameo in a Star Trek episode where Mr. Spock described it as "priceless".

Moreover since then I've read accounts of how many Yankee fans were hostile to Maris since he was threatening to break the record of their idol Babe Ruth. They thought if anybody broke Ruth's record, it should be their anointed dauphin Mickey Mantle. This put incredible mental strain on Roger Maris in that 1961 season. I've sympathized with Maris ever since I read those accounts.

And then to add insult to injury, Topps added a subset of Babe Ruth cards to the 1962 set! Even if I acquire the rest of the 1962 set, I'll pass on the Babe Ruth cards and leave those spots in my binder sheets empty.

[bk400]

The two most important cards for me are the 1985 Topps Dwight Gooden and the 1985 Topps Roger Clemens rookie cards. Those were the two dueling cards that everyone chased when I was a kid, and they were the ones that brought me (and perhaps a whole generation) into the hobby.

As for the most iconic, hard to argue with the 52T Mantle.

[Fred]

I'd go with the T206 Wags because it was the first card I read about that seemed to pay attention to the value of cards when I was a kid. It seemed that just about any card could have been had 5 decades ago, but Wags was the card that was way out there in the way of attainability. However, the KGB Chicken card has got to be a close second. When he was the KGB Chicken, Ted would go to concerts and do all kinds of funny and outrageous stuff. His heyday of craziness was in the 80s. Total show to watch him at concerts and sporting events.

52T Mantle is very iconic, but when I think of a card that has put the hobby on the map, I think Wags.

[sb1]

In my opinion 1952 Topps Mantle. Everyone knows it and most want it. And, it's a great looking card. The T206 Wagner is unobtainable for most and it's a fugly card, Alfred E. Neuman look alike

Much more of the general public could pick the Mantle out of a lineup versus the Wagner. In the card world people know the Wagner, elsewhere not at much. When I owned the Wagner below, friends and family outside of the hobby had no idea what it was. I could show them a 1952 Mantle and everyone knows Mickey Mantle, even if they don't know exactly what year it is.


Pics of both of them for context....I have a good eye for 2's

Further consideration should be given to of all things the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie. When the hobby was exploding circa 1990+/- it was the hottest card on the planet and still is in high demand in all grades. Like the Mantle high demand and ample supply make it a marketing darling. The Ryan Rookie was the gunpowder for the collecting boom of the 1990's.

[bnorth]

For me that is easy. The card I coveted the most and got me into the hobby was the 1983 Topps Wade Boggs rookie. No other card is even close.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by bnorth

For me that is easy. The card I coveted the most and got me into the hobby was the 1983 Topps Wade Boggs rookie. No other card is even close.

Have you seen the show “Kevin Can F$%k Himself”?

That card features prominently, LOL 😂

[D. Bergin]

52T Mantle followed by Wags followed by 89UD Griffey Jr.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by bnorth

For me that is easy. The card I coveted the most and got me into the hobby was the 1983 Topps Wade Boggs rookie. No other card is even close.

It was the 1983 Topps Ryne Sandberg rookie for me when I was 12.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by bnorth

For me that is easy. The card I coveted the most and got me into the hobby was the 1983 Topps Wade Boggs rookie. No other card is even close.

Nice Ben, I knew you would say that. For me it is the '52 Topps Mantle for reasons already stated by many. A close 2nd would be the Walter Johnson card from T206. And to me what really brings these cards to life is listening to them tell their own stories in the audible book of "Glory of Their Times...."

[packs]

The 1989 Hoops Mark Jackson featuring the Menendez Brothers sitting courtside.

[e107collector]

Originally Posted by sb1

In my opinion 1952 Topps Mantle. Everyone knows it and most want it. And, it's a great looking card. The T206 Wagner is unobtainable for most and it's a fugly card, Alfred E. Neuman look alike

Much more of the general public could pick the Mantle out of a lineup versus the Wagner. In the card world people know the Wagner, elsewhere not at much. When I owned the Wagner below, friends and family outside of the hobby had no idea what it was. I could show them a 1952 Mantle and everyone knows Mickey Mantle, even if they don't know exactly what year it is.


Pics of both of them for context....I have a good eye for 2's

Further consideration should be given to of all things the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie. When the hobby was exploding circa 1990+/- it was the hottest card on the planet and still is in high demand in all grades. Like the Mantle high demand and ample supply make it a marketing darling. The Ryan Rookie was the gunpowder for the collecting boom of the 1990's.

Scott,

Well said. Both of those cards look nicer than the grades shown.

[Rhotchkiss]

“Important”? No clue. Probably the first “card” is the most important. So something like the CDV pictured below, featuring the 1859 Brooklyn Atlantics baseball team.

If you told me I could have any card I wanted, it’s the t206 Wagner- all day, every day

If you asked for most famous, I would say the 1952 Topps Mantle (followed by the Billy Ripken Fuckface)

[GaryPassamonte]

Or this very underpriced cdv or the P & S trade card of the same team.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by sb1

In my opinion 1952 Topps Mantle. Everyone knows it and most want it. And, it's a great looking card. The T206 Wagner is unobtainable for most and it's a fugly card, Alfred E. Neuman look alike

It's a nice-looking card, yes, but the guy on it looks nothing like Mantle!

Here, look again and compare:







Shape of the head is wrong ... skin color wrong ... ears are too big ... teeth too big ...

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

It's a nice-looking card, yes, but the guy on it looks nothing like Mantle!

Here, look again and compare:







Shape of the head is wrong ... skin color wrong ... ears are too big ... teeth too big ...

I’d agree. Judged on the aesthetics alone and not what we know of the card - I don’t think it looks fantastic. But of course it’s iconic, and has been for a long time, so most of that is just out the window at this point.

The ‘68 Topps Ryan / Koosman is another example of a card like that. I won’t call it downright ugly, but it’s certainly not the prettiest card ever made. But it’s become an icon unto itself, so nobody really cares.

The one card you actually hear this subject discussed around a lot is the ‘63 Rose. Arguably the ugliest pricey card ever made…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Tomi]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

It's a nice-looking card, yes, but the guy on it looks nothing like Mantle!

Here, look again and compare:







Shape of the head is wrong ... skin color wrong ... ears are too big ... teeth too big ...

Looks pretty close when you use the original photo it was made from.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by BioCRN

Almost anyone can obtain a 52 Mantle.

Big if true

[Yoda]

The Texas Tommy Joe Jackson, just because I covet one.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Yoda

The Texas Tommy Joe Jackson, just because I covet one.

I'm with you on that one John.

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Big if true

I don't think I've ever known of a time while I've been alive where anyone couldn't get a 1952 Topps Mantle if they wanted one...and you know, had the money for it... That second part is important.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by BioCRN

I don't think I've ever known of a time while I've been alive where anyone couldn't get a 1952 Topps Mantle if they wanted one...and you know, had the money for it... That second part is important.

I agree with this. The last PSA 1 sold for 19k and it was missing a piece of the card. The one before that was 28k. Even when I bought mine in 1985, I paid 2k. The 1952 Mantle has never been affordable. It has always been a major investment like the t206 Wagner.

[MVSNYC]

Not on top of the mountain like the T206 Wagner and '52 Topps Mantle clearly are, nor as valuable...but I'd submit that this card is quite important also...

[ullmandds]

Whatever card was the first card to be intentionally short printed to get people to buy more packs/cards...is/was the most important card.

[brunswickreeves]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Whatever card was the first card to be intentionally short printed to get people to buy more packs/cards...is/was the most important card.

1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie missing from packs created quite a chase…

[Shankweather]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

Not on top of the mountain like the T206 Wagner and '52 Topps Mantle clearly are, nor as valuable...but I'd submit that this card is quite important also...

This should be the clear choice

EDIT: The pic didn't quote for some reason. It's the 1949 Leaf Jackie Robinson.

[Jstottlemire1]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

Not on top of the mountain like the T206 Wagner and '52 Topps Mantle clearly are, nor as valuable...but I'd submit that this card is quite important also...

Love it and tough call but I believe it's up there as well with the aforementioned.

[OhioLawyerF5]

The most important baseball card is the next one I need to fill a hole in my PC.