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What Are The Top 10 Most Iconic Baseball Cards Ever?
Baseball Collector on YouTube posted a video this afternoon asking for collectors’ opinions on the top 10 most iconic baseball cards:
https://youtu.be/lgQjFdYfz0w?si=NMdmKVnJ07iIKbSc It’s definitely not a new topic, but it’s fun. My list: 1. T206 Honus Wagner 2. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle 3. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #144 4. 1916 M101-4/5 Babe Ruth 5. T206 Ty Cobb Red Background 6. 1949 Leaf Jackie Robinson 7. 1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson 8. 1954 Topps Hank Aaron 9. 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams 10. 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. What say you? |
1 t206 Honus Wagner
2 t206 Eddie Plank 3 1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie 4 Baltimore News Babe Ruth 5 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle 6 1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson 7 Turkey Red Ty Cobb 8 1949 Leaf Jackie Robinson 9 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente 10 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr |
T206 Wagner
52T Mantle Baltimore Ruth ‘14 CJ Joe ‘14 CJ Cobb ‘14 CJ Mathewson 49L Robinson Zeenut Joe throw #53 Goudey Ruth 39 PB Ted |
1909 T206 Wagner, 1952 Topps Mantle and 1989 Upper Deck Griffey are a must on a top 10 list!
The other seven cards can be debated... |
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Modern is of course the bread and butter of collecting. Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk |
Fun thread!
I think the first few posts captured the big ones for me. I'd put the 54 Aaron higher on all of the lists, though. For modern, I'd add 2013 Ohtani #42 BBM (especially the scarce parallel versions). That's Ohtani's first baseball card. |
T206 Honus Wagner
1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #144 1941 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams 1948 Leaf Ted Williams 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle 1954 Topps Hank Aaron 1960 Topps Carl Yastrzemski 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken |
T206 Wagner
1952T Mantle 1916 Sporting News Ruth 1914 CJ Jackson 1933 Goudey Ruth 53 T206 Plank 1951B Mantle 1951B Mays T206 Cobb Green 1954T Aaron Bonus: 1989 UD Griffey |
T206 Wagner
T210 Jackson Baltimore News Ruth M101-4/5 Ruth rookie E107 Wagner 1952 Topps Mantle W600 Cobb 1951 Bowman Mays 1954 Topps Aaron 1939 Play Ball Williams |
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I'm shocked.
Shocked, I say! That this card has been on no list... |
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These lists have been done to death. There really need to be four such lists.
1. The "Universal Top 10 Card List" that non-collectors can most identify with. Frankly, I don't think most non-collectors could name 10 cards, nor would I expect them to. 2. The list that all types of collectors can identify with (even if you abhor modern, you'd have to make some obvious concessions) 3. The list that pre-1980 vintage collectors can identify with, to include any pre-1980 card 4. The list that pre-war collectors can identify with, to include pre-war cards only. |
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I agree with billy!
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You'd also have various parameters that needed to be dealt with.
Are we talking only of cards with a perpetual impact on the hobby? We can all think of some "boom & bust" cards that had a huge impact, be it for a period of a decade or just a season! The 1980's-early 1990's boom produced some extremely iconic cards, most of which have since been relegated to sentimentally iconic! 2-3 different Bo Jacksons, a few Mattinglys, a couple of Cansecos, McGwire, Clemens, even Gregg Jefferies. Should those be counted? RCs of Ripken and maybe even Rickey should be represented IMO. All of the cards mentioned are far more identifiable to a much wider swath of humanity than a Plank ("Who?! What?!") or even a 144 Ruth. Let's face it: the majority of the cards we'd pick for our personal lists would be more than a few time zones away from a Universally Recognized Iconic Cards list. You don't have to like the truth to admit to it. I'm OK with it, even if those newer issues are of no personal consequence anymore. While the cards themselves may have lost their luster, the memories associated with them are pure gold. As ridiculous as it sounds, you couldn't pry my 1988 Score or 1989 Topps & OPC Gregg Jefferies cards out of my hands! I've had them since they were released. If you were there, you remember, and hopefully don't think me too silly for still liking them. |
Simply because I love the card, I would include the E95 Ty Cobb.
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top 10
THE t206 Ty Cobb with the Ty Cobb back has to be in the Top 10. Probably Top 5.
Regards John P |
1. Wagner T206
2. 1952 Topps Mantle 3. 1954 Topps Hank Aaaron 4. 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson 5. 1952 Topps Willie Mays 6. 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth 144 7. 1949 Leaf Jackie 8. 1968 Ryan / Koosman RC 9. 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly 10. 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken Error |
T206 Wagner
1952 Topps Mantle 1933 Goudey Lajoie 1933 Goudey Ruth red background T206 Cobb portrait red 1914 Ruth Baltimore News T206 Cobb Tobacco Ty Cobb back 1954 Bowman Williams T206 Plank 1951 Bowman Mantle |
Though certainly nothing against the card; it's fantastic and I'll never own one in a million years - but I don't really see how the Baltimore News Ruth can be called "iconic."
It's just so scarce - what are there like 10 known copies in the world? I had never even seen a picture of that card until I was an adult in the hobby - well more than 20 years after I started collecting. Don't get me wrong, I'd be fine with calling one of the Goudey Ruth's iconic, or maybe even the M101. But I just can't get there with the BN. Just because a card is uber expensive doesn't necessarily mean it's the most well known or iconic. Just my 2 cents. |
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I'd go with: T206 Wagner T206 Plank 1914 CJ Jackson 1914 CJ Cobb 1916 Ruth M101-4/5 !933 Goudey Lajoie 1949 Leaf Robinson 1951 Bowman Mantle 1952 Topps Mantle 1989 UD Griffey |
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1989 UD Griffey Jr. 1985 Topps McGwire Olympic 1980 Topps Henderson 1984 Donruss Mattingly 1988 Donruss Gregg Jeffries 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken FF 1990 Topps Frank Thomas no name on front The Score card with Bo Jackson wearing the shoulder pads The Upper Deck baseball card of Michael Jordan I would put Jeter, Pujols, Trout, and Ohtani rookies somewhere in there, but I don’t really know much about which of their options are the “best”. |
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T206 Wagner
T206 Johnson (portrait) CJ Cobb CJ Jackson 1933 Goudey Ruth (#53) 1934 Goudey Gehrig (#37) 1951 Bowman Mays 1952 Topps Mantle 1954 Topps Aaron 1989 UD Griffey Jr. |
1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth
T206 Honus Wagner N172 Old Judge -Cap Anson in Uniform T210 Old Mill- Joe Jackson T206 Eddie Plank T206 Ty Cobb w/Cobb back M101-4/5 Babe Ruth 1952 Topps- Mickey Mantle Mantle 1933/34 Goudey-Napoleon Lajoie 1949 Leaf- Jackie Robinson But just for myself, I would rather own a T206 Joe Doyle Nat'l than all of these except the BN Ruth, but the Doyle isn't what I consider "iconic," it's just my favorite. |
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Probably not a top 5 card, but the E90-1 Young sure has a lot going for it, including a timeless baseball name. Even the kids know his name because of the award.
I would have to include it in my top 10, with a mix of the above mentioned cards. This was the first card on my list of cool cards to check off. Ready for the weekend, Bob |
T206 Wagner and 52 Topps Mantle are in their own stratosphere. Every other card fights for the scraps. But if we are talking “iconic”, I don’t think many of the prewar cards being listed are correct. Here post WW2 cards I think could be above almost all those pre war (my knowledge ends after 1989):
1954 Aaron 89 UD Griffey 1963 Rose 1968 Ryan 1989 fleer Ripken FF 1985 Topps McGuire 1951 Bowman Mays 1949 Leaf Robinson 1955 Clemente 1951 Bowman Musial 1953 Bowman Reese 1980 Topps Henderson |
If you display a Goudey Ruth at a show up here in Canada, then yes, we Canadians will instantly recoginize it. It is an iconic card indeed. Same goes for a Leaf Jackie Robinson, Topps Mantle, Topps Aaron, etc. But a Goudey Lajoie? A T206 Plank ?? Ummm ... I don't know about that ...
And the Baltimore Ruth is so rare that most people have never even heard of it. |
What Are The Top 10 Most Iconic Baseball Cards Ever?
After reading through these posts, I changed my mind on a couple cards and updated my list to swap the BN Ruth for the M101-4/5, and the ‘55 Clemente for the ‘89 UD Griffey Jr.
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Glad to see someone included the Old Judge Anson in uniform, the "Wagner" or "Lajoie" of the 19th century. I'm surprised Jay Miller didn't include it on his list since I suspect he's the only one of us who owns one. |
To me, an iconic card is all about capturing a great player in a great pose or portrait with great artistry. To that end, my list:
1. T206 Honus Wagner 2. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle 3. 1933 Goudey #144 Babe Ruth 4. 1933 Goudey #92 Lou Gehrig 5. T205 Ty Cobb 6. T206 Christy Mathewson (White Cap) 7. 1941 Play Ball Joe Dimaggio 8. 1953 Topps Willie Mays 9. 1951 Bowman Ted Williams 10. 1952 Bowman Stan Musial |
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Not nearly as significant to the hobby, but a fond memory from the time, is opening 1982 Donruss packs, hoping to get the San Diego Chicken card. There was even an offer/address to get it autographed! |
I'd definitely take the Frank Thomas NNO off any list. I feel like I hadn't even heard of it until a few years ago, or I found it so forgettable that it completely escaped me. Was it perhaps more regionally hot for a time? Thomas was and is still huge in the Midwest, so am wondering if it was more something like that.
I feel like I only saw one mention of the Billy FF card. That needs to be on there. That's one that many non-collectors would remember! If you had tried creating this list 35 years ago, I could see the whiteout and black box trying to vie for space on the list as well! It was that big a deal at the time. This card, in all its variations, seemed like it was was all the talk of the hobby and non-hobby world for a year or two. In a similar vein, I'm kinda glad nobody mentioned the Dale Murphy rev neg. |
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When I think of the iconic cards I think of all the cards I’d always see on the covers of price guides and the old almanacs you used to have to buy. They always seemed to find space for a T205 Matty.
Even in the movie The Accountant there’s a scene where he opens a safe and inside there’s a T205 Matty among a stack of cards and comics. |
I am probably more aligned with the idea of 'iconic' espoused in the last post.
For me, they are the cards that make our hobby great--the ones that are most recognizable, the ones I dreamed about as a kid (and even as an adult). For me, the hobby would not be the same without them: T206 Wagner T206 Plank T206 Cobb green portrait 1914/15 CJ Cobb 1933 Goudey Ruth #53 1933 Goudey Ruth #144 1933 Goudey Gehrig 1951 Bowman Mantle 1952 Topps Mantle 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson I don't distinguish CJ cards that look the same or prioritize cards that are most valuable. Just the ones that are awe-inspiring for me. Of course, I could add at least another 10 to the list, and for purposes of full disclosure, at least some of them are my own favorites within my PC. |
I'm also amazed that I don't think I saw the T205 Cobb mentioned anywhere. Surely, it should be represented even on a "For Collectors Only" list. To me, that is the iconic Cobb card, bar none. CJ Cobb comes close, but I'll take the T205.
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Which tops it for you? Forgive me if I'm asking to repeat something you already said. If you had to ditch all but one, which comes out the winner? I could jokingly see the comparison made to having to choose between your children. I went back to check. CJ it is! |
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