Top 10 — Most Collected Players

[LincolnVT]

I’m sure that forms of this have been discussed before. Interested on peoples list of the top 10 most collected baseball players. Thinking this would be my list. Tough exercise.

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Mickey Mantle
Jackie Robinson
Ted Williams
Joe Jackson
Joe DiMaggio
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron

[T_Hamilton]

Nice list, thanks for getting us started...

I would sub out Ted Williams for Ken Griffey Jr, who seems to be one of the most collected players still today.

[rats60]

My list would be
Honus Wagner
Ty Cobb
Joe Jackson
Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig
Jackie Robinson
Mickey Mantle
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron
Roberto Clemente

[Jcfowler6]

Just to play devil’s advocate. Many people can’t collect those players because of cost. This may be better called “most desired” versus “most collected”.


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[oldjudge]

I like Ethan's list except I would include Gehrig and delete Aaron. My real preference would be a list of 11 with both Gehrig and Aaron included.

[LincolnVT]

Fair point.

Originally Posted by Jcfowler6

Just to play devil’s advocate. Many people can’t collect those players because of cost. This may be better called “most desired” versus “most collected”.


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[jsfriedm]

I don't think there are enough Wagners and Jacksons, especially at reasonable prices, to make them collectable for any but a small elite. I also don't think DiMaggio is quite up there. My (strictly vintage baseball) list would therefore be:

Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig
Ty Cobb
Mickey Mantle
Willie Mays
Ted Williams
Henry Aaron
Jackie Robinson
Roberto Clemente

And for the 10th...Sandy Koufax?

[Rhotchkiss]

I collect mostly players from the turn of the century (1900s), so my personal list of players I collect are:

Honus Wagner
Ty Cobb
Babe Ruth
Joe Jackson
Cy Young
Christy Mathewson
Eddie Plank
Nap Lajoie
Lou Gehrig
Tris Speaker

That said, I recognize that 5 of the bottom 6 (excluding Gehrig) wouldn’t show up on most lists, and I think most would substitute at least Mantle, Mays, and Robinson; not sure the balance

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I collect mostly players from the turn of the century (1900s), so my personal list of players I collect are:

Honus Wagner
Ty Cobb
Babe Ruth
Joe Jackson
Cy Young
Christy Mathewson
Eddie Plank
Nap Lajoie
Lou Gehrig
Tris Speaker

That said, I recognize that 5 of the bottom 6 (excluding Gehrig) wouldn’t show up on most lists, and I think most would substitute at least Mantle, Mays, and Robinson; not sure the balance

No Walter Johnson?

[x2drich2000]

Originally Posted by LincolnVT

I’m sure that forms of this have been discussed before. Interested on peoples list of the top 10 most collected baseball players. Thinking this would be my list. Tough exercise.

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Mickey Mantle
Jackie Robinson
Ted Williams
Joe Jackson
Joe DiMaggio
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron

I would drop out Jackson, DiMaggio, and maybe Williams and add in Griffey, Ryan, and maybe Trout or Rose. As a group this board might not care, but modern is still part of the hobby.

[JollyElm]

It's a tough question to really answer as it becomes quite the jumble of all-time favorites, HOF'ers you're 'supposed' to want, valuable cards, home run Gods, players you would collect, but can't afford, and on and on.

As a post-war guy, I don't think the list even reaches ten (although each collector has his personal favorite players to feather the nest), but it clearly would be these guys in a sort-of 'if you see them at a good price, you buy them immediately' kind of way (in no specific order):

• Mickey Mantle
• Willie Mays
• Hank Aaron
• Sandy Koufax
• Roberto Clemente
• Nolan Ryan
• Jackie Robinson
• Ted Williams

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

• Mickey Mantle
• Willie Mays
• Hank Aaron
• Sandy Koufax
• Roberto Clemente
• Nolan Ryan
• Jackie Robinson
• Ted Williams[/B]

I like Darren's post-war list, notably the addition of Ryan, but taking into account pre-war, even if I currently don't have many cards or other memorabilia featuring them, I'd add Ruth and Gehrig.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by rats60

No Walter Johnson?

Great call re Wajo, and I thought of him at 10, but I went with Speaker instead because aside from his T204, I dont own any specific Wajo cards outside of my T206 and 1914 CJ sets. With Tris Speaker, I have him as part of my T206 and 1914 CJ sets, but I also own his E90-1 and T216 and I do have an almost complete T206 back run. So, for me, I think I need to list Speaker ahead of Wajo. Actually, I probably have fewer Gehrig cards than any listed and fewer than Wajo....

All that said, I think Wajo is a top 5 best player of all time and probably the best pitcher in history.

[babraham]

Originally Posted by LincolnVT

I’m sure that forms of this have been discussed before. Interested on peoples list of the top 10 most collected baseball players. Thinking this would be my list. Tough exercise.

My list for my personal collecting would be:

Joe Jackson
Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Lou Gehrig
Mickey Mantle
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron
Kirby Puckett (was a big MN Twins fan growing up)
Rod Carew
Harmon Killebrew

[Touch'EmAll]

Most collected, hmm. For me, that is a balance between affordability and desirability: Walter Johnson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Nolan Ryan, Steph Curry, Walter Payton and Derrick Henry. If for some crazy reason I have big money burning a hole in my pocket - Cobb, Mathewson, Ruth & Ted Williams.

[MR RAREBACK]

ty cobb
mathewson
cy young
walter johnson
clemente
ruth
paige
Rod carew and Pete rose
hornsby
greenberg

[todeen]

I going to include up to ultra modern:
Cobb
Ruth
Gehrig
Mantle / or sub Jackie Robinson
Mays
Aaron / or sub Clemente
Henderson
Griffey
Trout
Ohtani (for international fame) / or sub Acuna Jr

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[ValKehl]

I'm really glad to see that Sam Rice isn't on anyone's list!

[brianp-beme]

I am approaching this from a strictly 20th century/Prewar point of view, and also from a 'Top 10 Most Desired' angle. Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were considered for the list, but since they were both at the start of their careers when WW2 lowered its boom, I decided instead to include a couple of others (Hornsby and Foxx) in their place.

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Joe Jackson
Lou Gehrig
Cy Young
Christy Mathewson
Walter Johnson
Rogers Hornsby
Jimmie Foxx

Brian

[Peter_Spaeth]

If the question is meant to include all collectors in the hobby, none of these lists is even close, with Tim's being the closest. Vintage is a small portion of the hobby now and probably has been for quite a while. Most people here are just listing their favorite players, predictably, but that is not the question. Joe Jackson in the top 10 collected players? Uh, no.

[mrreality68]

I would not take Wagner or Jackson off the list unless the criteria was changed. I understand based on prices cards are now tougher to buy. If the criteria was based on available to the masses then I could see potentially taking Jackson off the list I can understand since limited # and sets of cards resulted in low supply and high demand so higher prices. But there is a huge number of sets and cards that Wagner was in and there are still enough supply to make him having cards just as available and affordable as other stars on the list

[robertsmithnocure]

Here is my list made up of players whose careers started in the pre-war card era.

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Lou Gehrig
Joe Jackson
Cy Young
Walter Johnson
Ted Williams
Christy Mathewson
Joe DiMaggio

[Jcfowler6]

When I’m selling I get the most requests for

Clemente
Jackie Robinson
Mantle
Nolan Ryan
Jeter
Aaron
Koufax
HOF rookies


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[todeen]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

If the question is meant to include all collectors in the hobby, none of these lists is even close, with Tim's being the closest. Vintage is a small portion of the hobby now and probably has been for quite a while. Most people here are just listing their favorite players, predictably, but that is not the question. Joe Jackson in the top 10 collected players? Uh, no.

I agree with you. But I took into account desire to collect player XYZ. But I forgot Jackie Robinson. He is definitely top 10. I'm on Twitter, and the amount of buyers seeking Jackie Robinson is partially what inflated his prices during COVID.

Originally Posted by Jcfowler6

When I’m selling I get the most requests for

Clemente
Jackie Robinson
Mantle
Nolan Ryan
Jeter
Aaron
Koufax
HOF rookies

I forgot Jeter. That's a good choice. I'm not sure where I could fit him into my list though...I don't think I could trade out any of my modern players: Henderson, Griffey, Trout, Ohtani.

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[BeanTown]

Pre War for players I like (not most collected)
Cobb
Jackson
Gehrig
Young
Wagner
Ruth
DiMaggio
Williams
Mathewson
Johnson/Hornsby/Foxx

Postwar Cards in order:
Mantle
Clemente
Robinson, J
Jeter
Aaron
Ripken Jr
Rose
Griffey Jr
Trout
Mays/Ryan/Henderson/Ohtani/Acuna

[Johnny630]

This would be my Most Collected/Easily Liquidated/ Growth Investment Names

Ruth
Cobb
Wagner
J Jackson
J Robinson
Mantle
Mays
Clemente
Rose
Ryan

[mrreality68]

wow some great lists and I agree it is almost impossible to keep it to 10 and that is just in mlb

I like breaking it up by pre war and post war to give us 20 as Bean Town did

[Exhibitman]

Babe Ruth
Mickey Mantle
Jackie Robinson
Michael Jordan
Muhammad Ali
Pele
Tom Brady
Roberto Clemente
Ohtani
LeBron James

Don't forget the rest of the world or the other sports. Their collector bases are worldwide. Also can't omit the moderns; their footprint is gigantic compared to vimtage. If limited to baseball:

Ruth
Mantle
Robinson
Clemente
Ohtani
Jeter
Griffey Jr.
Cobb
Gehrig
Ryan

[darwinbulldog]

As of last year, allegedly this is the top 10.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

As of last year, allegedly this is the top 10.

Much more representative of the broader hobby.

[robw1959]

These are my top ten, and I have at least two of each . . .

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Mickey Mantle
Jackie Robinson
Ted Williams
Lou Gehrig
Joe DiMaggio
Willie Mays
Stan Musial

[EddieP]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

As of last year, allegedly this is the top 10.

I think that list is a top 10 Flippers List.

[jsfriedm]

Originally Posted by robw1959

These are my top ten, and I have at least two of each . . .

Babe Ruth
Ty Cobb
Honus Wagner
Mickey Mantle
Jackie Robinson
Ted Williams
Lou Gehrig
Joe DiMaggio
Willie Mays
Stan Musial

To paraphrase Casey Stengel, ya gotta have a pitcher, or you're not going to have any hits.

[mordecaibrown1]

Sorry meant to only post once

[mordecaibrown1]

Sorry meant to only post once

[mordecaibrown1]

Ruth, Joe Jackson, Cobb, Wagner, Matty, Young, Gehrig, that I like!

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

If the question is meant to include all collectors in the hobby, none of these lists is even close, with Tim's being the closest. Vintage is a small portion of the hobby now and probably has been for quite a while. Most people here are just listing their favorite players, predictably, but that is not the question. Joe Jackson in the top 10 collected players? Uh, no.

Agreed.

I am not in a bubble on this and I thought last year BR did a decent research job to take all transactions into account. Unsurprisingly, the most veteran player was Trout -

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ll-card-market

This has likely changed a bit as modern changes with the winds, but the real talk is that my cards are nowhere near the masses due to cost and quantity. I think the question is not being answered, all of these are no where near the top 10 most collected players, but maybe somewhere in the top 10 most known players...likely that is still a stretch to the common collector under 35.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by JustinD

Agreed.

I am not in a bubble on this and I thought last year BR did a decent research job to take all transactions into account. Unsurprisingly, the most veteran player was Trout -

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ll-card-market

This has likely changed a bit as modern changes with the winds, but the real talk is that my cards are nowhere near the masses due to cost and quantity. I think the question is not being answered, all of these are no where near the top 10 most collected players, but maybe somewhere in the top 10 most known players...likely that is still a stretch to the common collector under 35.

Yep. People including the OP himself are answering the question as if it read, who are YOUR favorite players to collect.

Ebay search for PSA Joe Jackson: 414 results, and that includes some Joe Morgan/Sonny Jackson cards. PSA Derek Jeter: 15,000 plus results.

[Bored5000]

As the thread question is posed, I think the 10 most collected players would all have to be modern. The amount of of people capable of dropping four figures or more on a card for many of the pre-war names that have been mentioned in this thread is limited -- at least compared to the number of people able to pick up cheap cards of current players.

[rats60]

I don't think people collect modern cards for the most part. They are investing and flipping. Most of these cards crash in value. The only current player that should even be considered is Mike Trout.

Most collected players are players that people buy to keep in their collection. The most collectible players by definition are going to be players whose cards are more difficult to find because they are locked away in collections.

[carlsonjok]

I took a poll of the attendees at Davos regarding what the number 1 most popular table wine is in the world. I found out that it is Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Don't let those entitled millennials tell you that it is Barefoot or Sutter Home.

[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by rats60

I don't think people collect modern cards for the most part. They are investing and flipping. Most of these cards crash in value. The only current player that should even be considered is Mike Trout.

Most collected players are players that people buy to keep in their collection. The most collectible players by definition are going to be players whose cards are more difficult to find because they are locked away in collections.

I bet they probably also put sugar on their porridge.

If anyone is interested in a semi-scientific study, there is a Player Collection thread on Blowout forums. If the length of the lines are indicative of anything other than character count, then the five most popular players to collect are:

Ken Griffey. Jr
Bryce Harper
Derek Jeter
Nolan Ryan
David Wright

Added in edit: The question was who the most collected players are, not the most collectible. Out in the workaday world, there is a difference.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by rats60

I don't think people collect modern cards for the most part. They are investing and flipping. Most of these cards crash in value. The only current player that should even be considered is Mike Trout.

Most collected players are players that people buy to keep in their collection. The most collectible players by definition are going to be players whose cards are more difficult to find because they are locked away in collections.

I would bet my life most people buying modern cards are collectors. Sure, there are flippers and investors, but that does not negate the overall proposition. These things are produced and purchased by the millions. People are collecting them.

[robw1959]

Originally Posted by jsfriedm

To paraphrase Casey Stengel, ya gotta have a pitcher, or you're not going to have any hits.

Casey is correct. Nevertheless, these are my top ten favorites to collect. I do have pitchers, but they fall outside of my top ten. I would probably list Walter and Christy at numbers 11 & 12.

[mq711]

I think there is a big difference who collectors would like to collect and who they can afford and thus actually collect. Why would a collector with a $200 a month hobby budget be interested in Wagner, Jackson etc because any one of their cards would destroy their budget in one transaction and leave 364 days with no collecting activity. I would guess that the majority of top tier collections have been in place for years and enhanced somewhat thru trades and purchases with money from other sales. The other 99% of collectors acquire what is reasonably available in their price range. Based on this reasoning I would think the top players collected are junk era thru current players.

Judge
Jetter
Trout
Harper
Ryan
Griffy Jr

[rats60]

Originally Posted by carlsonjok

I bet they probably also put sugar on their porridge.

If anyone is interested in a semi-scientific study, there is a Player Collection thread on Blowout forums. If the length of the lines are indicative of anything other than character count, then the five most popular players to collect are:

Ken Griffey. Jr
Bryce Harper
Derek Jeter
Nolan Ryan
David Wright

Added in edit: The question was who the most collected players are, not the most collectible. Out in the workaday world, there is a difference.

And only one of those players are active, which proves my point. All those other players that Blowout guys collected, Mattingly, Gooden, Canseco, Thomas, etc. they have moved on from when their performance declined. Ryan, Griffey and Jeter would be on my top 20, not top 10.

You have to remember the majority of Blowout are collectors of a specific age that grew up in the junk wax era. Not a good representation of the hobby either.

[glynparson]

Mantle
Ruth
Jeter
Ryan
Rose
Robinson
Aaron
Griffey jr
Mays
Clemente

There are better players than some of these guys but I don’t think there are many that are more collected. Trout and or ohtani may belong on this list somewhere but I’m not sure who I’d take off. Ripken jr also has a lot of collectors.i am honestly not sure cobb Wagner etc have more collectors than the post war guys. I know we would mostly rather have their cards but this is not a group that is even close to representing how the majority of the hobby feels.

[mordecaibrown1]

To me I like the combo of Vintage, popularity and Rarity!

[Snowman]

Griffey is hands down the #1 most collected baseball player in the hobby. And it's not close. While many of the pre-war guys might be more desirable, they're priced out for the majority of collectors. Blending these lists is not easy. But I think the top 10 probably looks something like this:

1. Ken Griffey Jr.
2. Mike Trout
3. Babe Ruth
4. Jackie Robinson
5. Mickey Mantle
6. Willie Mays
7. Ty Cobb
8. Hank Aaron
9. Nolan Ryan
10. Roberto Clemente

[Peter_Spaeth]

Travis' list still looks too skewed to vintage to me. How may people are really buying Babe Ruth cards? I have to believe Jeter is on any hobby inclusive list, for example. And currently, Ohtani for sure.