[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by Gr8Beldini

"Who was the better player" usually does not drive price. Nor does a player passing away. When a player dies, there might be a little more demand initially, but everybody dies and ultimately that initial price bump will level off. What drives price, more than anything else is "iconic." There is no better example of this than Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente. There aren't 5 players in history that were better players than Hank Aaron, yet Roberto Clemente, an EXACT contempory, will sell at a higher price in almost any set. While Hank is respected for his greatness, Roberto is Revered. It is why Nolan Ryan cards sell for more money than Tom Seaver cards. It is why Bob Gibson cards sell for much more than Juan Marichal cards. Marichal was the better pitcher but not nearly as iconic as Gibson. It is why there is tremendous demand for the rookie card of Steve Dalkowski. Never threw a pitch in the majors but is a legend. Joe Morgan was a significantly better player than his teammate Pete Rose, but in almost any set, Rose's cards sell for more (usually much more). Joe Torre was a better player than Tony Conigliaro but who's cards are more in demand (thereby more expensive). Two teammates Jack Morris (HoFer) vs. Mark Fidrych (one year wonder). Which rookie card will sell for more money? Jackie Robinson was a great player but he wasn't any better than Tim Raines. The demand for Jackie's cards is driven by his status as a cultural icon, not because he was a very good baseball player.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=277906