1. Whitey Glazner
2. Hal Chase
3. George Stovall

I look for Ruth, Hornsby, Collins, and Johnson more than for any other HOFers, but I've never accumulated very many cards of any of them since I pretty much always prefer the rare card of a common player to the common card of a great player given that the cost is the same.

How about a rare card of a great player. The funny thing is there are many cards of great players that are rare and not nearly as expensive as their most popular cards with a much larger pop

That would be better, but most of my favorite cards have a population of 1.

OP: Does the question refer to quantity or quality?

To be more specific, are you asking who people collect multiple copies of on a regular basis, or who people target the most, picking up cards when they can (either due to scarcity or affordability, etc.)?

As to who to add to the list, some good players already mentioned, I can't think of any better.

As for the question of "who others are collecting"
I like/collect Ruth, Cobb, Young and rare type cards :), only not to the extent as before. Eventually I will end up with a really nice Ruth Goudey #144 (have sold a few really nice ones but want one a little better) but probably not an 8, my pocketbook is more 5-6 range. Will upgrade my T205 Cobby from the nice 4.5 I have. And I have the E90-1 Young spot filled. From the population of graded ones it is fine
My 3 faves....maybe in that order. :)

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Joe Jackson and Hal Chase

Hey there! I also collect Chase. If you have anything you'd like to sell/trade, let me know! Nice to see another collector of Prince Hal.

Mike

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Jake daubert ,heinie groh, Miller huggins

Though he doesn't have a ton of cards Jim Thorpe cards are popular.

I can only summon a Top 3, but..

Cobb
Foxx
Collins

1) Cobb
2) Mathewson
3) Ruth
4) Wagner
5) Gehrig
6) Johnson
7) Young
8) Alexander
9) Hornsby
10) Speaker

I kind of think that Mathewson isn't as collected as these lists suggest. His "name" is right up there but it seems to me that his card values seem to run lower than those of WaJo and Cy Young...which has always seemed odd to me given his place in the game and popular culture during his career.

Matty might actually be my number #1 most collected player. I’ve got more (34) than Cobbs (25), but per your comment, his cards are a just a bit lower price than WaJo, Young. He’s almost in his own little pricing tier, above guys like Speaker, Lajoie, Collins, but well beneath Cobb, Wagner, Joe Jax.

Indeed. Just in his own era he would rank 6th I would say. That wouldn't include Ruth or Gehrig or Anson or Kelly or Delahanty.

I would say Matty is borderline top 10 for most collected pre-WW2 players. Which to me doesn't really do him or his stature enough justice. I doon't know if it has to do with his SABRmetric stats, but if it did, GC Alexander would be more collected and he is not. So I'm not quite sure what the deal is with Matty.

Agree, it doesn’t do him justice, and seems odd. He’s got a lot going for him— played the bulk of his career in NY as the highest profile pitcher of the era, WS hero, perfect image/reputation, and the absolute perfect look. Maybe it’s partly influenced by the fact that the Giants moved to SF? As an SF Giants fan, I’ve always collected the old NYGs, but perhaps others do not? NY collectors have the Yankees, and then of the teams that moved, I’ve gotta think the Dodgers are more collected than the Giants. I feel Philadelphia A’s like Collins, Grove, Foxx, Cochrane, Simmons also get short changed, perhaps in part because there is no longer any real direct tie with that team.

That said, as a Matty collector, I like that he has so many nice looking and attainable cards. No way I’d have as many as I do if they were in a higher price tier, or if he were included in fewer mainstream sets like Alexander.

Hal Chase

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Dropping the Grey Eagle?
 

I do not understand why Speaker is so often forgotten and frankly disrespected when it comes to lists like this....Know your history.
Top 3 if not the greatest center fielder of all time, All Time Doubles leader with record that may never be touched, #5 all time average, 3 World Series. First and only player-manager to win world series. Could go on and on...and he's dropped from the list? C'Mon man! :)

Tris Speaker
 

Just want to say the lack of respect/recognition Speaker gets is unbelievable. I see him get taken off this list by many on this thread. While he may not be one of the 10 most collected, he was certainly a top 10 player and I just can't understand why he is all too often left off of lists. I'm partial, but that is for no reason than study of the history of baseball. Do a little research on Tris. The man was absolutely legendary. No way he shouldnt be a top 10 collected from this era, and should not be left off of ANY top 10 players list in my opinion. There was a reason Ty Cobb (who they say was almost impossible to win over) befriended him. He was great.

If someone mentions Chase, it’s always a good time to show off his game used glove!

1.Honus Wagner
2.Pie Traynor
3.Paul Waner
4.Lloyd Waner
5.Arky Vaughan
6.Fred Clarke
7.Max Carey

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And a card, one of my favorites.
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I like Cobb, Foxx, and Collins. And though I'm not especially a fan I do think the Tris Speaker T3 turkey red is one of the best looking cards in the hobby.

I don't collect by player (just sets and type cards) but I do like to vary the players in the different set examples I have. This is my only Speaker.

Not so, Jayd. Bucky Harris, "The Boy Wonder," played second base and managed the Washington Senators to their only ever World Series Championship in 1924.

Don't forget Lou Boudreau in 1948, who also won MVP.

Charles "The Other" Wagner.

Bill Carrigan a bit.

The only pre-war player I've collected in depth is Fred Clarke. I tried to collect Ty Cobb for a while but when the Covid price spikes hit I gave up on that and sold most of what I had. When cards become the price of cars I'm personally collecting cars, not cards. I've been priced out of a lot of collectibles since Covid. Not so much because I can't afford them as I'm just not willing to pay todays numbers for many pieces of cardboard.

Post-war I've collected Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, and Gerry Cheevers extensively.