Quote:
Originally Posted by pokerplyr80
I'm 35 and growing up the 52 Mantle was the ultimate dream card. I was a big baseball fan and new some history, but as for the cards I just knew his were the most valuable and didn't question why. Whatever the reason, or reasons, it has been the case for quite a while and don't see it changing. I agree with peter's statement that this belief will be passed down to future collectors, with or without valid reasons.
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I'm 38, and would concur with your assessment of Mantle's role in the hobby, which continues today but especially from when we were growing up. He's the king of the postwar hobby despite career stats and records because New York and the 1950's was the perfect intersection of time and place for baseball. When baseball nostalgia became a full-blown thing by the early 1990's (The Natural, Field of Dreams, card shops on every corner...) and the baby boomers wanted a piece of that nostalgia, they turned to Mickey Mantle. Forget that Ted Williams batted nearly 50 points higher for his career or that Stan Musial had 600+ more hits or that all things considered - Willie Mays was the best NY centerfielder - Mickey was the guy in those NYY pinstripes. Just how it worked out. I bought into the mystique too, but have to settle for my VG-ish '56 Topps Mantle instead of a '52 Grail or '51 Bowman.
