Most Iconic Cards list from the Athletic

[RCMcKenzie]

I've never read that site. I don't really understand the concept, but like my mom used to say, the world does not revolve around me. This is an interesting topic to me, so I'll throw out a list...

TOP TEN MOST ICONIC BASEBALL CARDS...discuss

1 T206 Honus Wagner
2 T206 Plank
3 T204 Walter Johnson
4 T206 Cobb Red
5 T206 Cobb Green
6 1933 Goudey Ruth
7 1934 Goudey Gehrig
8 T210 Joe Jackson
9 T206 Cy Young port
10 Goudey Lajoie

[rats60]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

I've never read that site. I don't really understand the concept, but like my mom used to say, the world does not revolve around me. This is an interesting topic to me, so I'll throw out a list...

TOP TEN MOST ICONIC BASEBALL CARDS...discuss

1 T206 Honus Wagner
2 T206 Plank
3 T204 Walter Johnson
4 T206 Cobb Red
5 T206 Cobb Green
6 1933 Goudey Ruth
7 1934 Goudey Gehrig
8 T210 Joe Jackson
9 T206 Cy Young port
10 Goudey Lajoie

T206 Wagner
T206 Plank
1933 Goudey Lajoie
1952 Topps Mantle
Baltimore News Ruth
T206 Cobb/Cobb back
M101-4/5 Ruth
1925 Exhibit Gehrig
T210 Jackson
1914 Cracker Jack Mathewson

[Sean]

Originally Posted by rats60

T206 Wagner
T206 Plank
1933 Goudey Lajoie
1952 Topps Mantle
Baltimore News Ruth
T206 Cobb/Cobb back
M101-4/5 Ruth
1925 Exhibit Gehrig
T210 Jackson
1914 Cracker Jack Mathewson

I like this list, though I would replace the Gehrig or Mathewson with the Old Judge Cap Anson in uniform. Or is that one too rare and obscure?

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Sean

I like this list, though I would replace the Gehrig or Mathewson with the Old Judge Cap Anson in uniform. Or is that one too rare and obscure?

That is certainly a good choice. Very iconic card.

[Sean]

Originally Posted by rats60

T206 Wagner
T206 Plank
1933 Goudey Lajoie
1952 Topps Mantle
Baltimore News Ruth
T206 Cobb/Cobb back
M101-4/5 Ruth
1925 Exhibit Gehrig
T210 Jackson
1914 Cracker Jack Mathewson

I'm happy to say that I've owned three cards on this list at one time or another.

[Snapolit1]

It's a totally defensible list. Of course we might not agree with it but it's as good as any list I could come up with. Yellow Gehrig should be on the list.

1: T206 Honus Wagner
2: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
3: 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth (yellow)
4: 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan
5: 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle
6: 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson
7: 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr.
8: T206 Ty Cobb Red Portrait (Cobb back)
9: 1954 Topps Hank Aaron
10: 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky
11: 1965 Topps Joe Namath
12: 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan with Jerry Koosman
13: 1914 CJ Ty Cobb
14: 1952 Topps Willie Mays
15: 1914 CJ Joe Jackson
16: M101-5 Sporting News Babe Ruth
17: 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente
18: 1951 Bowman Willie Mays
19: 1958 Topps Jim Brown
20: 1980 Topps Larry Bird / Magic Johnson / Julius Erving
21 (tied): 1955 Topps Koufax (rookie), 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams
23 (tied): 1966 Topps USA Bobby Orr, Baltimore News Ruth, T3 Cobb

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

It's a totally defensible list. Of course we might not agree with it but it's as good as any list I could come up with. Yellow Gehrig should be on the list.

1: T206 Honus Wagner
2: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
3: 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth (yellow)
4: 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan
5: 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle
6: 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson
7: 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr.
8: T206 Ty Cobb Red Portrait (Cobb back)
9: 1954 Topps Hank Aaron
10: 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky
11: 1965 Topps Joe Namath
12: 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan with Jerry Koosman
13: 1914 CJ Ty Cobb
14: 1952 Topps Willie Mays
15: 1914 CJ Joe Jackson
16: M101-5 Sporting News Babe Ruth
17: 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente
18: 1951 Bowman Willie Mays
19: 1958 Topps Jim Brown
20: 1980 Topps Larry Bird / Magic Johnson / Julius Erving
21 (tied): 1955 Topps Koufax (rookie), 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams
23 (tied): 1966 Topps USA Bobby Orr, Baltimore News Ruth, T3 Cobb

It is a terrible list. No Plank or Lajoie? No Jackie Robinson RC? Missing 2 of the top 3 basketball cards Kobe Chrome and LeBron Exquisite? Missing the #1 football card, Brady Contenders? Proof of why I would never pay to read The Atlantic.

[MooseDog]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

I've never read that site. I don't really understand the concept, but like my mom used to say, the world does not revolve around me.

The Athletic aspires to be a bit like what Sports Illustrated used to be plus daily "fluff" content (usually league/team based). They do have some excellent sportswriters. They do produce a lot of articles on a daily basis but a couple of times a month, there's a truly excellent long-form piece like SI used to have on a weekly basis.

They generally have a nice sale around Black Friday and Xmas and I've found it mostly worth the money if you like good sportswriting.

[Rookiemonster]

This seems like the pre war baseball card collector version of a iconic card list. To be iconic the majority should know about it. Not some obscure cards that even some of the most experienced collector has never seen. Griffey 1989 UD is iconic
It doesn’t compare to some pre war iconic stuff but never the less it has made its mark. 1989 Ripken F#ck face card. And now Trout Topps update is becoming another staple in the hobby.
Etc

The list should also span from the beginning to current time .

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Rookiemonster

This seems like the pre war baseball card collector version of a iconic card list. To be iconic the majority should know about it. Not some obscure cards that even some of the most experienced collector has never seen. Griffey 1989 UD is iconic
It doesn’t compare to some pre war iconic stuff but never the less it has made its mark. 1989 Ripken F#ck face card. And now Trout Topps update is becoming another staple in the hobby.
Etc

The list should also span from the beginning to current time .

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.

[Snapolit1]

Really how iconic is a card that was bought and sold in 100 count lots?

The most iconic rock and roll album of the modern era is is arguably the Beatles Sgt. Pepper. It sold over 32 million copies.

What does iconic have to with scarcity?

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Really how iconic is a card that was bought and sold in 100 count lots?

The most iconic rock and roll album of the modern era is is arguably the Beatles Sgt. Pepper. It sold over 32 million copies.

What does iconic have to with scarcity?

Yet the most iconic card in the hobby is the t206 Wagner and its statis is because of rarity relative to its set. It is a factor.

[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.

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by rats60

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 same reason that the top 10 list of home run hitters in 1967 is not the same as it is now. Has nothing new happened in the last 53 years?

[Rookiemonster]

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.

I can’t agree , I think the points you mentioned can help a card to be iconic . I don’t think there is a true formula for anything to be iconic.The collectors of 80s thru the 90s and to current date are probably the majority of collectors now. The “new kids “the people getting back in to it are not thinking about a rare card that they never knew existed. They won’t what they remember and then eventually will learn more about the hobby and move from that point.

[Republicaninmass]

To be iconic in my eyes, people who just breeze through the hobby should know them by sight.

[Snapolit1]

I agree. The Griffey card is known by millions of people. The Ruth rookie, no.

It’s like arguing that some obscure song by Muddy Waters is more iconic than Rock Around the Clock. It isn’t.