Most Iconic Cards list from the Athletic

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by rats60

One thing that makes a card ionic is how long it has been iconic. The first 3 cards on my list were iconic in the 1930s. A card that has been iconic for 80-90 years doesn't cease being iconic because people enter the hobby and don't bother to educate themselves about the hobby. I no longer collect modern cards, but I still try to follow what is hot. I started collecting in 1967 and the cards on my list were iconic in the 70s and 80s, so why would they not still be? There are not obscure.

The UD Griffey is really only iconic to a small segment of the hobby. Those that were kids in 1989-1999 and couldn't afford the card. Really how iconic is a card that was bought and sold in 100 count lots? How iconic is a card that was 125-150 and crashed to 20.00? At this point the only reason to put it on a list is because it was the key card in Upper Deck's first set. A company that hasn't made baseball cards in over a decade and is barely in business with only a hockey license?

I noticed that no one wants to post the list, why? I saw someone post Griffey was #7. I don't have a problem with it being on the list, but that is way too high. The top 3 modern cards are the 1986 Fleer Jordan, 2003 Exquisite LeBron James and the 2000 Contenders Tom Brady. Two of which I understand aren't even on the list. I could see the first two being on a top 10 list. A list of most iconic cards should span all eras of the hobby. However, that means the list needs to be a lot more than a top 10. The top 10 is going to be mostly prewar cards.

Who said they're no longer iconic? They've just (possibly) been moved down.

And cards don't have to be rare or valuable to be iconic. The Griffey is iconic because it was the first card in a set that changed the entire industry. It was all over everywhere for a decade and is still extremely popular today. So what if it was sold in 100-card lots? The Mantle was double-printed and is extremely common - doesn't change its status.