Players who are more known for a card than their career.

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by Bilko G

Honus Wagner is easily the best fit for this question.

I respectfully disagree. The easiest answers to this question are players whose careers are long forgotten (or were never worth remembering to begin with), but who happen to have sought-after and/or rare cards.

It is a much tougher argument to say that a man with a spectacular career - a member of the inaugural group elected to the Hall of Fame - is better known for a card than his amazing on-field accomplishments.

Cheers,
Blair

[Collectorsince62]

How about all the "other guys" on multi-player rookie cards? Fritz Ackley is my favorite ('65 T Carlton).

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by Bosox Blair

I respectfully disagree. The easiest answers to this question are players whose careers are long forgotten (or were never worth remembering to begin with), but who happen to have sought-after and/or rare cards.

It is a much tougher argument to say that a man with a spectacular career - a member of the inaugural group elected to the Hall of Fame - is better known for a card than his amazing on-field accomplishments.

Cheers,
Blair

I kind of agree and don't agree with your statement. Amongst true baseball fans, maybe, maybe not. Let's not forget that this is legitimately THE most famous card ever, and the legendary nature of this card might even outshine his spectacular career, or at the very least be on equal footing.

Now outside of a true and knowledgeable baseball fan, often times if you were to mention his name, most people would know him as "that guy with the famous baseball card". You know, "the one that the nuns sold", or "the one that some guy found in their grandpa's attic, that's worth a lot of money." Hell, just about everyone alive has once heard about one of these being found in an attic somewhere. It's pretty much an Urban Legend, right up there with Sasquach, the Chupacabra, the Lochness Monster, and maybe even "Pop-Rocks and soda"..

[cdn_collector]

The two names that immediately jumped into my mind when I read the title of this thread [both already mentioned]:

Bill O'Hara
Ten Million

As for the debate on Honus Wagner, I think I actually agree. If we're considering the general population, I would argue that many know his name simply because of his card. In fact, many people I talk to just know that there is *a* really expensive card -- referring to it as 'the card that Wayne Gretzky used to own' works well up here in Canada -- but very few know who is even on it.

Regards,

Richard.

[murcerfan]

Dreyfus, Konstanty, Bruton, Houtteman and Jablonski
...no, not ambulance chasers

[BleedinBlue]

Oscar Gamble
1976 Topps Traded

[Ejm1]

Originally Posted by BleedinBlue

Oscar Gamble
1976 Topps Traded

The afro is more of a legend than the player and the card.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by Ejm1

The afro is more of a legend than the player and the card.

I'm with BleedinBlue on this one.. EVERY kid collector I knew growing up, knew Oscar Gamble (for greatest ever fro) and Bake McBride (for awesome chops) by name, only because of these two cards, but we had no idea who these guys were as players.. turns out both were pretty good ballplayers!

[alanu]

When I first started collecting I had heard a lot more about these cards before I knew a whole lot about the players behind them, even though they are all HOFer's

t206 Wagner
Goudey Lajoie

Bowman Mikan

National Chicle Nagurski

1916 PCL Zeenut Jimmy Claxton