Top 10 Most Important Baseball Cards

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Posted By: JimB

Somebody mentioned on another thread about a particular card being one of the top ten most important cards in the hobby. Anybody want to throw out their own subjective list.
Here are my first thoughts:

In no particular order

T206 Honus Wagner
1914/15 CJ Joe Jackson (I like it more than the E90-1 - personal bias)
1952 Topps Mantle
Just So Cy Young
T206 Cobb/Cobb back
1933 Goudey Ruths (Pick your favorite; I like #53)
1934 Goudey Gerhig #37
N28 Anson (I like it better than the N172s, the Mayo, etc. - personal bias)
E90-1 Mitchell (seems to be fading, but once was the "Wagner of E cards")
1933 Goudey Lajoie #106
T206 Plank

Honorable mention: E93 Wagner (I had to include at least one E93 )


I know I am forgetting important cards and when I read other's lists, I will want to change my own, but this should get things started.

JimB

(edited to add message title)

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Posted By: Bryan

Define importance.

I mean the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken was an important card in that it set off a firestorm of the "intentional error cards." That changed the hobby for a couple of years.

It would seem this card has more of an impact on the hobby in general than say the Just So Cy Young. But the Just So Cy Young is one of the most rare cards in existance.

I think you almost need to call the list 10 ten most important vintage cards. That way you can eliminate all of the modern day cards that are important to the hobby but cards most vintage collectors couldn't care less about.

Just a thought.

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

I would probably have to go with the most popular players and then determine their most popular and well-recognized cards (NOT their most expensive or their rarest), so here is my list in NO particular order:


1 - T206 Wagner
2 - 1914 Cracker Jack Matthewson
3 - 1933 Goudey Ruth #53
4 - 1934 Goudey Gehrig #37
5 - T205 Cy Young
6 - 1952 Topps Mantle
7 - 1954 Topps Aaron
8 - T206 Cobb with "Ty Cobb" back
9 - 1948-49 Leaf Jackie Robinson
10 - T204 Walter Johnson

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Posted By: andy becker

i won't give ten....but i would think the 33 goudey lajoie should be included.
maybe not the first "chase" card, but the most recognized for sure.

perhaps i should have read the list a little closer. jimb has 33 goudey 106 on his list. my bad.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

By “important” I am considering importance to the growth and development of the card collecting hobby, not the rarest, not the most expensive. Perhaps call it most influential cards or sets of cards.

N167 baseball players (1st tobacco cards; had these failed, bye bye hobby)
T206 Wagner (The Holy Grail)
T206 Plank (The Holy Grail’s bastard brother)
1952 Topps Mantle (the harbinger of the price explosion)
1957 Topps set (standard baseball card size parameters established)
1974 Topps set (first Topps non-series set)
1981 Fleer Craig Nettles (the main error card touching off mania over the 1981 offerings)
1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. (the rise of super-premium cards)
1990 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson autograph insert card (the 1st insert card)

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Posted By: JimB

Bryan,
I was intentionally vague in not defining "importance" so that people could understand it as they wish. Maybe that was a mistake.

Hal,
I agree and had a hard time not including either the '49 Leaf or '49 Bowman Jackie Robinson. It should be there too. I think the '54 Aaron and '51 Mays are contenders as well. Maybe I should define the parameters a little better.

Why don't we say pre-1957 to pull a number out of a hat. I choose that date as that is the first year when cards were printed in their modern size.
JimB

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Posted By: Greg Ecklund

I think Adam's list is very well done, and to his I would add:

1953 Bowman (first use of color photographs)
1983 Topps Traded Darryl Strawberry/1984 Fleer Update Dwight Gooden (poster children of the early rookie card boom as well as update set mania - people would buy the whole set just to get these cards)

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

Baltimore News Ruth and the T210 Jackson. E93.....huh?

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

Only a handful of people know about them... and we are not talking about the most expensive cards... just the most important to the hobby.

But if these are on your list, Julie...

then more power to ya!

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Posted By: JimB

Hal,
I think Julie was referring to my honorable mention, which was a half joke. I do think the E93 Wagner is a stunning card with a unique pose, but still probably does not deserve to make the top 10.
JimB

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

In terms of sheer evolution a la Adam's list I would include 93 Topps Finest, I believe the refractors were the first so-called "shiny" cards.

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

Jim:

I was answering the question in her title.

She wanted to know why we left out 1914 Ruth and T210 Jackson.

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Posted By: Glenn

My approach is to choose a key card to represent each of ten major sets (most important sets? well that's another debate)

1) T206 Honus Wagner
2) 1933 Goudey Ruth #53
3) 1952 Topps Mantle
4) 1934 Goudey Gehrig #37
5) N172 Anson
6) N28 Anson
7) 1914 Cracker Jack Matty
8) T205 Cobb
9) 1949 Leaf Paige (subject of much recent discussion)
10) T3 Cobb

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

Great Idea Glenn!

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Posted By: Anonymous

http://www.network54.com/Forum/153652/message/1123809629/Beckett%27s+Baseball+Card+Hall+of+Fame

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Posted By: Scot Reader (ebay: sreader3)

I will equate "important" with "recognizable" for purposes of my list. Here goes:

1. T206 Wagner
2. 1952 Topps Mantle
3. 1933 Goudey Ruth #53
4. 1934 Goudey Gehrig #37
5. T206 Cobb Red Portrait
6. 1963 Topps Rose
7. T206 Plank
8. T206 Magie
9. 1933 Goudey Lajoie
10. 1954 Bowman Williams

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Posted By: Wesley

1. T206 Wagner
2. T206 Plank
3. 1933 Goudey Lajoie
4. 1952 Topps Mantle
5. M101-4 Ruth
6. 1934 Goudey Gehrig
7. CJ Jackson
8. 1948 Leaf Paige
9. 1954 Bowman Williams
10. 1933 Goudey #144 Ruth


There are a few rare cards and a few one of a kind cards that I would prefer to own over these ten. A Just So Cy Young or Kbat Ewing come to mind, but less than one percent of the hobby has even heard of those cards. So arguably, some of the super rare prewar cards that forum members love have almost ZERO impact on the overall hobby.

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Posted By: Dan Koteles

a Victory Cobb or 1912 Matty Boston Garter ,or Jackson or Cobb 1913 Boston Garter, should hold some status ,but
where?

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

N162 "King" Kelly
T206 Honus Wagner
1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson
1933 DeLong Lou Gehrig
1933 Goudey Babe Ruth (anyone of the 4)
1934 Goudey Nap. LaJoie
1941 PlayBall Joe DiMaggio
1949 Leaf Leroy Paige
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
1954 Bowman Ted Williams

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

HAL

Did I catch you referring to the 1949 LEAF Jackie Robinson
as a "1948-1949" issue. This set is not a Basket Ball or a
Hockey set....it's a BASEBALL set. Please don't hyphenate it.
Shame on you.

T-Rex Ted strikes again.

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

Ted:

As much as it pains me to do so...

I feel like I have to list it that way or many of the folks will get confused.

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

HAL

We beat this subject to death months ago. And, I thought you were on board.
If I recall correctly you subsequently chastised Dave V. for calling this set
something else other than 1949. Pardon me for being so dogmatic....or is it
dogged; but, I feel you have regressed.

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Posted By: Anonymous

T206 Wagner
Baltimore News Ruth
N172 Anson
T206 Plank
E107 Mathewson
G&B Spalding
M101-5 Ruth
1952 Topps Mantle
1954 Bowman Williams
1989 UD Griffey

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Posted By: zach

N172 Cap Anson in uniform
Just So Tobacco Cy Young
T206 Honus Wagner
T206 Eddie Plank
T210 Series 8 Joe Jackson
Baltimore News Babe Ruth
M101-5 Babe Ruth
1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie
1949 Leaf Satchel Paige
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

Glad I am not alone...JimB, isn't that an E93 Matty in your avitar (isn't it funny how we call them avitars?)...I like that one better than the Wagner. I know, we are discussing IMPORTANCE. Anybody who doesn't know about the T210 Jackson and Baltimore News Ruth is...missing something.

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Posted By: Charlie O'Neal

T206 Wagner
33 Goudey Lajoie
33 Goudey Ruth
14 CJ Jackson/Cobb
33 Goudey Gehrig
52 Topps Mantle
84 Fleer Update Set
89 UD Griffey Jr.
89 Fleer Ripken FF
94 SP Arod

Everything that I picked after 1980 was b/c if the importance the card(s) had on changing the hobby. Anything that was picked before 1980 was b/c they are the most recgonizable to most people outside of the hobby with the exception of Lajoie.

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Posted By: Brian C. Daniels

funny Hal,no one commented on it. There are piles of them and it's not "our" group's type of true Vintage but he is underrated and the card is attractive.

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Posted By: jay behrens

This is probably a very old school style list with a few updates:

t206 Wagner
t206 Plank
t206 Magie
1933 Goudey Lajoie
e90-1 Mitchell (this card is getting really iffy for this type list)
1952 Topps Mantle
1981 Craig Nettles variation (started the variation craze)

After these cards, I think of any truley importnat cards, but can think of several sets. Many of the cards people list like the T210 Jax, Balt News Ruth, etc are important to us, but to the general collecting public, I don't think they reached the status of the cards listed above.

Sets I would say are important are:

Old Judge (the first true set of cards)
e107 Breisch-Williams (transition from 19c to tobacco/caramel cards
1933 Goudey (start of the modern gum cards)
1957 Topps (start of standard size as we know it today)
1989 Upper Deck (start of premium cards)
Not sure when the first was that offered up chase cards, but I was out of the hobby then.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: pete ullman

I AGREE WITH ZACH!

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Posted By: jay behrens

and then my list for stuffy blowhards like ourselves that don't think the rest of the hobby exists

t206 Wagner
n172 Anson uniform
t206 Plank
1933 Lajoie
t210 Jackson
Balt News Ruth
Just So Young
e107 Mathewson
m101-5 Ruth
t231 Baker

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: Josh Wolf

1)1916 Zeenut Jimmy Claxton
2)1914 Baltimore News Ruth
3)T206 Wagner
4)T210 Jackson
5)T206 Plank
6)E90-1 Jackson
7)1933 Goudey Lajoie
8)1952 Topps Mantle
9)1951 Bowman Mantle
10)1954 Topps Aaron
Honorable Mention)1950-51 Toleteros Gibson

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Posted By: identify7

Most Importrant = something has to be most expensive and the t206 Wagner protects the hobby's rarest and more treasured cards from the deep pocketed collector wannabees.

Also the 1952 Mantle serves the same purpose - protecting the actual Mantle rookie from the somewhat less deep pocketed wannabees.

Throw in a pile of Playball DiMaggio's and some Goudey Ruths for the more relentless of them - and our collecting is secure. All at the cost of some very common and relatively common cards.

These sacrificial cards are what is important to our hobby.

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Posted By: DJ

This discussion is basically like screaming at a brick wall as everyone seems to have a different idea of how to approach it.

My definition is what cards helped form this business and if that is the question, you have to put cards that people actually own and/or know about. The sad thing about history is that it's lost to most of the world.

Sure obscure high value and one in the world cards are fun to put on this list but IMO, it all comes down to the cards that helped form the collecting mind like the rookie cards of Rose, Ryan, Griffey, Mattingly etc.

If you go to the National Convention and ask EVERY card collector about Jimmy Claxton or what a Zee-Nut is, 99.9% of the people will issue you a blank stare. Or ask them what a Yum Yum is or maybe look for people on the show floor who may own one.

Of course, this is brought to you by IMO.

DJ

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Posted By: Tim James

The ten most important cards have turned into the ten most coveted.When we talk about the most"important",it seems to me that it should be a discussion about sets,not individual cards.The first Goudey cards,and earlier E sets,and T cards have always been my passion.The beautiful artwork of the backgrounds and such have kept me glued to the hobby of collecting,and viewing these wonderful cards !

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Posted By: drdduet

1. T206 Wagner
2. Baltimore News Ruth
3. T210 Joe Jackson
4. 1952 Topps Mantle
5. Cobb/Cobb back
6. M101 Ruth
7. 1914 CJ Mathewson
8. 4BH Kelly
9. OJ Anson in uniform
10. Just So Young

This just so happens to be the order that I'd acquire them if I had endless funds.

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Posted By: Cat

Other than the first two, not necessarily in this order:

1. T206 Wagner
2. M101-5 Ruth
3. 1952 Topps Mantle
4. E90-1 Jackson
5. T206 Cobb (red or green)
6. T205 Mathewson
7. OJ Anson Uniform
8. Just So Young
9. T204 Ramly Johnson
10. 1968 Topps Ryan

Honorable Mention: 1951 Bowman Mays (todays greatest living baseball player)

I really would have liked to have said t205 Young (#6 above), but I needed to get Matty in there somewhere.

Edited to correct typos unless otherwise noted.

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Posted By: Robert Zimmerman

1. T206 Wagner
2. 1952 Mantle
3. 1933 Ruth
4. 1934 Gehrig
5. T206 Cobb Red Portrait
6. M101-5 Ruth
7. T206 Plank
8. T206 Magie
9. 1933 Lajoie
10. N172 Anson

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Posted By: Jay Miller

T206 Wagner
N172 Anson in Uniform
Baltimore News Ruth
Just So Young
Kalamazoo Bats Ewing
E107 Wagner
E107 Mathewson
Peck & Snyder Creighton
1933 Lajoie
1952 Topps Mantle

Honorable Mention: Kalamazoo Bats Corcoran

I have limited the above to individual player cards. We could also discuss the top 10 team cards. My list would certainly include:

Pittsburgh Kalamazoo Bats
Peck & Snyder Cincinnati
Fatima New York
Joseph Hall Chicago