What Are The Top 10 Most Iconic Baseball Cards Ever?

[Kidnapped18]

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...

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Kidnapped18

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...

Agree. Not enough modern on these lists. 1989 UD Griffey is a must. 2011 Topps Update Trout is a likely candidate, in a parallel form. And it's possible that 2018 Chrome Ohtani would be on the list, although I prefer 2017 Bowman Chrome Ohtani.

Modern is of course the bread and butter of collecting.

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[bk400]

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.

[egri]

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

[martuzzi]

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

[oldjudge]

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

[doug.goodman]

I'm shocked.

Shocked, I say!

That this card has been on no list...

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Kidnapped18

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...

Wagner, Plank and Lajoie are the only 3 musts. They are the foundation of the hobby and were iconic when the rest were commons. Mantle represents the Topps era and Griffey the modern era and definitely belong on the list.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

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.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

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.

Responding to #1, I don't think Baltimore Ruth could be on that list. I don't think I'd include it on my list, and I know what it is. It doesn't get the same publicity of the T206 Wagner or 52 Mantle, or even his own Goudey cards when it's not at auction. But I also think non-collectors could name 10 players rather than cards. Wagner, Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Mantle, Griffey, Ohtani would likely be universal. Maybe includes Aaron, Bonds, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mays, Ryan, Trout, Judge.

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[todeen]

Originally Posted by rats60

Wagner, Plank and Lajoie are the only 3 musts. They are the foundation of the hobby and were iconic when the rest were commons. Mantle represents the Topps era and Griffey the modern era and definitely belong on the list.

I don't think 89 Griffey can represent the modern era because it has no parallels. We've been in an era of parallels (I'm thinking Chrome colored refractors to build a rainbow) for 25ish years. Gotta include Trout or Ohtani to get that on the list.

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[ullmandds]

I agree with billy!

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

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.

[Yoda]

Simply because I love the card, I would include the E95 Ty Cobb.

[JohnP0621]

THE t206 Ty Cobb with the Ty Cobb back has to be in the Top 10. Probably Top 5.

Regards
John P

[Brent G.]

Originally Posted by rats60

Wagner, Plank and Lajoie are the only 3 musts. They are the foundation of the hobby and were iconic when the rest were commons. Mantle represents the Topps era and Griffey the modern era and definitely belong on the list.

What would be the 2nd most iconic card of the modern era? The '85 McGwire Olympic card is the only one I can think of that reached that level of popularity/pursuit.

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

What would be the 2nd most iconic card of the modern era? The '85 McGwire Olympic card is the only one I can think of that reached that level of popularity/pursuit.

1980 and later, these are the ones that come immediately to mind for me (in no particular order, after the top 2)

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”.

[Brent G.]

Originally Posted by gonzo

1980 and later, these are the ones that come immediately to mind for me (in no particular order, after the top 2)

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”.

That's solid. The 1984 Traded/Update of Gooden was on fire in '84-'86 -- Clemens and Puckett got there over time, but that initial Doctor K frenzy was wild.

[Eric72]

• T206 Honus Wagner
• T206 Eddie Plank
• T206 Ty Cobb Red Portrait
• 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth 144
• 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie
• 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
• 1963 Topps Pete Rose
• 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan
• 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey, Jr.
  
• 1993 SP Derek Jeter
• 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken FF

[Brent G.]

Originally Posted by gonzo

1980 and later, these are the ones that come immediately to mind for me (in no particular order, after the top 2)

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”.

We probably aren’t giving the Canseco Rated Rookie its due. That thing was hot as the sun after 40/40.

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

We probably aren’t giving the Canseco Rated Rookie its due. That thing was hot as the sun after 40/40.

Oh yeah, that Canseco, along with the Gooden, Clemens, and Puckett update/traded cards you mentioned earlier, were all huge. And the Ripken Traded and Valenzuela Traded before that.


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!

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

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.