Most Important Baseball Card!

[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.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I understand why one of us collectors would single out the Peck & Snyder. That makes perfect sense--to this crowd. Few outside our circles are even aware of its existence.

I strongly disagree that "everyone" knows of the 52T Mantle. Most North Americans have heard of Mickey Mantle, but I recall having very few conversations come up with non-hobbyists about that card in particular. Mantle's name is more bound to come up in conversation for reasons other than that card or any specific one of his cards. I have certainly heard non-hobbyists mention "a Mantle card" or "Mantle cards", but it's always been in generalized terms. Mickey Mantle = $$$ to them, but they don't seem to know enough to get specific.

Non-hobbyists have been much more prone to bring up the Wagner. I've heard that card mentioned countless times over the years. Countless.

1. More people know of Mantle than Wagner, but when it comes to cards,
2. More people seem to know the T206 Wagner than the 52T Mantle.

It's been awfully rare, but I have heard non-collectors speciffically refer to it as a T206! While I'm sure my experience differs from some of yours, nobody outside of the hobby has asked about a "1952 Topps Mickey Mantle".

My vote is for Honus.

[BigfootIsReal]

Bond Bread Jackie Portrait

[rats60]

It is definitely the t206 Honus Wagner. The card makes the national news everytime it sells. Whenever someone finds out that I collect baseball cards, the first question they ask me is "Do you have the Wagner card?"

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by rats60

It is definitely the t206 Honus Wagner. The card makes the national news everytime it sells.

That's an extremely important thing to consider. Certainly not the case with any other card. Even if it's one of the lowest grade copies, the Wagner still makes the news.

The Mantle card gets airplay if it's extremely high grade. The Wilt Chamberlain currently being discussed will, too. I've even seen the Peck & Snyder get a brief segment; must have been a slow news day. But these are all more isolated than how much buzz any Wagner card seems to receive.

Comic book collecting is certainly on par with our hobby in terms of popularity, yet not every single sale of Action Comics #1 gets news time. That seems to be reserved for only the really exceptional copies. A Wagner can look like it was put through the wash and run over by a truck and it still makes the cut for a news story.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by BigfootIsReal

Bond Bread Jackie Portrait

This is the answer