Most Important Baseball Card!

[BigfootIsReal]

Originally Posted by DeanH3

Hard to argue against a 52T Mantle or T206 Wags. I still think Jackie needs to be at the top when we consider the impact on baseball and American culture. I'm partial to the Bond Bread, for obvious reasons, but the 49 Leaf is great choice too.

Cool, how long have you had that?

[Yoda]

N172 Anson in uniform.

[DeanH3]

Originally Posted by BigfootIsReal

Cool, how long have you had that?

Almost 10 years now. Time sure does fly.

[bbcard1]

Let me make a pitch for this guy...the 1939 Playballs was the first substantial baseball offering made by Warren Bowman and the Williams rookie was the most significant card in that set. After the war, he rebranded his Gum, Inc to become Bowman and demonstrated that baseball cards were viable product. There is still a small part of the company's DNA in modern Topps and Bowman offerings. I get that this is a somewhat contrarian view, but seemed worth pondering.

[CW]

Thinking a bit outside the box here, but...

the most important card is the one that got you interested in collecting cards.

[JollyElm]

If you had to rank your cards in an orderly stack of "Easiest to sell or trade" to
"Wouldn't sell or trade it even if a loved one's life was hanging in the balance,"
then that card at the bottom is the most important card.

[vintagerookies51]

Important for American history? I'd vote the Bond Bread Jackie portrait. Outside of that I'd be torn between T206 Wags and 52T Mantle. One is extremely rare and expensive and makes the news every time one gets sold, while one is the realistic grail card for many collectors.

[todeen]

I'm going to posit a position for ultra modern cards, and in the moment right now, and say Pokemon 1st Series. I've never collected them. But everyone says that local shows are 50% Pokemon. It seems they are a gateway drug to the larger collecting universe.

If I had to pick a baseball card right now, at this moment, I'd say 1952 Jackie Robinson. Bond Bread is nice, but I think more people could pick out the 52 Jackie. COVID saw crazy price surges, but the Negro Leagues stars seemed to benefit more than other (percentage wise). I've said for years -- since the Jackie movie debuted -- that more of my high school students talk about Jackie Robinson than any other baseball player. Shohei Ohtani is maybe now tied for public awareness, but I think kids would say Jackie is more important.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by todeen

I'm going to posit a position for ultra modern cards, and in the moment right now, and say Pokemon 1st Series. I've never collected them. But everyone says that local shows are 50% Pokemon. It seems they are a gateway drug to the larger collecting universe.

If a youngster was ten years old in 1999 when Pokemon cards debuted in the United States, that youngster is now at the age of 35 looking back fondly at the items that he treasured and coveted during his formative years.