The Top 20 Players of the Topps Era

[Peter_Spaeth]

IMO you are a bit light on pitchers. I would put Ryan and Carlton on the list. To make room, I would lose Banks, and Kaline or Yaz. Or better yet just go to 22.

[jchcollins]

I'd agree that Nolan Ryan needs to be on the list somewhere. If we are relating all this to Topps, Ryan's RC was likely the most popular card in the entire vintage hobby for about 5 years or so starting close to 1990. I'm sure some would disagree, but it was and is still - certainly up there.

[skelly423]

I know he doesn't quite have the career counting stats, but I'm going to throw some love in Larry Doby's direction. Obviously there are exceptional factors to his case that go beyond statistics that are impossible to really measure. I just think he deserves to be mentioned in the conversation.

[Kutcher55]

Your list looks good, rats60. Of those players, here are some years that are personal favorites of mine:

Bench: The 69 is probably the obvious choice, not going out on a limb there.

Yaz: I like the 71, it's a unique look for Yaz. 62 is also nice with the triple bat illusion.

Banks: Huge fan of a 67. Great balance on this card and great smile from Ernie.

Gibson: The '68 for the historical significance. Nice portrait too. His 71 is cool as well if you demand an action shot...

Spahn: I appreciate both the 57 and the 58. Two totally different cards, so if one doesn't strike your fancy; the other one might.

[bk400]

Originally Posted by Kutcher55

Your list looks good, rats60. Of those players, here are some years that are personal favorites of mine:

Bench: The 69 is probably the obvious choice, not going out on a limb there.

Yaz: I like the 71, it's a unique look for Yaz. 62 is also nice with the triple bat illusion.

Banks: Huge fan of a 67. Great balance on this card and great smile from Ernie.

Gibson: The '68 for the historical significance. Nice portrait too. His 71 is cool as well if you demand an action shot...

Spahn: I appreciate both the 57 and the 58. Two totally different cards, so if one doesn't strike your fancy; the other one might.

+1

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

I'd agree that Nolan Ryan needs to be on the list somewhere. If we are relating all this to Topps, Ryan's RC was likely the most popular card in the entire vintage hobby for about 5 years or so starting close to 1990. I'm sure some would disagree, but it was and is still - certainly up there.

I like your overall idea. I agree with the Nolan Ryan comment.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

IMO you are a bit light on pitchers. I would put Ryan and Carlton on the list. To make room, I would lose Banks, and Kaline or Yaz. Or better yet just go to 22.

The problem is that they don't fit the years. They really need to be on the correct team and that would mean adding 1971 to make room for one. Seaver could take the 1971 Topps slot and either Ryan or Carlton the 1973 slot. Those are both great looking cards. Carlton has his 27 win season. Ryan had a 2.28 ERA and 329 Ks.

[JollyElm]

Yaz has a gloriously happy 1966 card. The '71 is an awfully close-up headshot, no??

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by rats60

The problem is that they don't fit the years. They really need to be on the correct team and that would mean adding 1971 to make room for one. Seaver could take the 1971 Topps slot and either Ryan or Carlton the 1973 slot. Those are both great looking cards. Carlton has his 27 win season. Ryan had a 2.28 ERA and 329 Ks.

Or you could extend the upper boundary of your project to 1978 thus leaving slots for 25 players!

[Balticfox]

And dropping the lower boundary a year would enable this card to be added:



Unfortunately the Bob Feller card from 1952 is his Rookie card.

[rats60]

I am not doing 1951-53 because of cost and most cards are portraits. Paige is 2-3K in PSA 6 and it is still a portrait. There are only 2 HOFers who are not portraits, Newhouser, who isn't good enough for the list, and Mays, who costs ~7k. My idea was to do a fun project and not have to put much into it, so I can have a nice display of Topps designs through the years, with the best players.

[Balticfox]

Tell us which players from which year you finally choose!

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Tell us which players from which year you finally choose!

Mostly what tiger8mush had posted.
1954 Berra
1955 J Robinson
1956 Clemente
1957 T Williams
1958 Spahn
1959 Kaline
1960 Banks
1961 Aaron
1962 Musial
1963 Koufax
1964 Mathews
1965 Mantle
1966 Mays
1967 F Robinson
1968 Yastrzemski
1969 Gibson
1970 Bench
1972 Morgan
1973 Seaver
1974 Schmidt

If I go to 25 I would do
1971 Ryan or Seaver (have both raw)
1973 Seaver or Ryan (have Ryan raw)
1975 Brett (have a PSA 7 & 8)
1976 Carlton
1977 Rose
1978 Reggie Jackson