If you had....

[sportscardpete]

If it was discretionary money I wouldn't worry about "liquidity". I'd probably get a t206 plank and put it in under my mattress for a few years =).

[Leon]

I would probably go with top tier HOF'ers from the most collected sets...and try to get the best looking cards I could but probably not the highest technical grades. I have always thought the grade of "6" is a pretty good combination of value and aesthetics for the money. Personally, I like even lower grade cards that have great eye appeal. Just some random thoughts ....

[Piratedogcardshows]

I would go with the Plank as well.

[taborton101]

I'd probably try to go for a nice grade 5.5 or 6 Mantle ('52)...might be personal bias because I happen to love that card, but I'd say you can't really go wrong with it...truly iconic card that even non-collectors will recognize, and I think if you had to sell it/liquidate in a hurry, you'd find more buyers than for the Plank (which I think is more of a niche' card for T206/tobacco collectors only...although there are lots of them out there too (including myself ))

[ullmandds]

I like some previously mentioned suggestions...planks good...personally don't think mantle topps rookie is a great investment as there are lots of them. I'd buy iconic cards in the best condition you could afford...t206 plank...rare back hoofer...t207 Lowry red cross...goudey lajoie...any Cobb rookie postcards ESP distaste fielding...Ruth rookie...etc.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I like some previously mentioned suggestions...planks good...personally don't think mantle topps rookie is a great investment as there are lots of them. I'd buy iconic cards in the best condition you could afford...t206 plank...rare back hoofer...t207 Lowry red cross...goudey lajoie...any Cobb rookie postcards ESP distaste fielding...Ruth rookie...etc.

+1 here. IMHO, the '52 Mantle is quite overpriced relative to the number available in mid-grade and lower. The Plank will always be a high demand card that is quite rare relative to the number of collectors who desire it and a key to one of the greatest sets of all time (and I don't even collect it, yet!). Better catch up to one of the M101 Ruths quickly, though. I remember when I just lost out in an auction for one in ExMt in the early to mid '90's (I believe it went in the six thousand range, and I didn't get out of the fives), and I seem to recall that one of the more prominent dealers (Memory Lane?) was offering a TPG card in ExMt for $100,000.

Personally, I like Cobb's various 1907 rookie postcards (and admittedly am biased, as I have both the Dietsche Fielding and Batting position examples) as being very undervalued in comparison to their availability and significance. Plus, postcards (and Exhibits) seem to be emerging with their much more general acceptance as baseball cards and the fact that PSA and SGC especially offer nice, attractive TPG holders for them.

As long as there is baseball, a continuing flow of media info re the history of the game in the form of books and television, there will always be demand for players such as Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Mathewson and their peers. I do think that restoration is a coming thing which is in the process of growing in acceptance. That may well reduce the value of very high-grade examples of the upper echelon HOF'ers which are only tough to obtain in the sense that they are condition rarities. IMHO, stay with key cards that are very scarce to quite rare in any grade, with good eye appeal.

Best of luck if you take the $$$ plunge, and happy collecting in any event,

Larry

[terjung]

Good post, Larry!
I'd think it's probably safe to add Wagner to that list along with Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, and Matty.

[E93]

Plank or top tier HOFs in the way Leon described above.
JimB

[vintagerookies51]

I think the Plank would be a good investment. Another one I thought of is buying a few (or just 1 or 2) E107 HOFs.

[xdrx]

Any chance the Mantle bubble bursts as the generation of collectors who remember him first hand starts to "move on"?

I'm 43 and a non-Yankee fan. Mantle means no more to me than Aaron or Mays.

[ullmandds]

I think so

[Ronnie73]

I believe the only mantles 1952-1969 that have gone up in value are the higher grade PSA 9's and 10's. Lower grade Mantles that I sold 20 years ago, I can buy today for around the same price. I would invest in Babe Ruth before any Mantles but I believe the T212 Obaks are very under rated compared to T205's and T206's but a Plank would be nice too