Quote:
Originally Posted by drcy
All I can say is the card has been a celebrated error/variation for many years-- over 20--, so it's not a recent flash in the pan. I'm sure it will be a popular rarity for years to come. There are longtime desirable 1980s rare variations of common players, so that he is 'only a second tier' HOFer isn't that important. The T206 Sherry Magee error is probably the most desirable error card of all time and obviously Macgee isn't a HOFer . . . It also may be that there was so much over produced stuff in the late 1980s/early 1990s that make the Thomas NNOF rarity so special.
|
+1, although with 521 HR's, lifetime average over .300, and no steroid use, I would certainly rank him in the upper middle echelon of HOF'ers. I bought that card at the right time in the early '90's and believe it is a reasonably good candidate for consistent appreciation in value. When he was in his 20's, Bill James credited him with having a shot at becoming one of the 3-4 best hitters of all time, based on the combination of tremendous power to all fields, high average, and enormous walk totals (.419 OBP for his career, one of the very highest ever for a right-handed hitter). He went through a nasty divorce in the midst of those years, however, which led to two off years, and in his 30's downslide, the reflexes were beginning to go, and he had to cheat on the middle-in fastball, leaving him vulnerable to the outside pitch he used to hit with such great power to RCF. Through this style, he succeeded in maintaining the HR totals for quite awhile, but causing the batting average to decrease. I would certainly hang on to a 7.5 NrMt+.
May your collecting be joyful,
Larry