Players who are more known for a card than their career.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by alanu

When I first started collecting I had heard a lot more about these cards before I knew a whole lot about the players behind them, even though they are all HOFer's

t206 Wagner
Goudey Lajoie

Bowman Mikan

National Chicle Nagurski

The Wagner and Lajoie are extremes cases in this instance. And while I didn't originally have these two in mind when starting this thread, I did imagine Wagner would potentially come up. Didn't really think much about Lajoie, but that card is perfect as well, but nowhere near the Wagner extreme. Looking back to the 80's and early 90's, we all remember seeing those generic "baseball card starter kits". They usually came with a handful of garbage cards and a few reprints, with the two most memorable being the Wagner and Lajoie. On the backs of these, they both talked about the history of the card, and what it's worth as opposed to talking about the player. I think that things like this helped lead to people caring more about what a card's worth, then they do the player that is on it..

Actually, your mention of Nagurski, got me thinking that the 1955 Topps All-American Four Horsemen card might fit into this category... Sure the nickname is probably more known than the individual players, but I think the card may be even more known that the nickname..

[scmavl]

Somebody beat me to Don Mossi. My other pick would be Wally Moon.

[vargha]

Damn! That is quite the unibrow.

[scmavl]

Originally Posted by vargha

Damn! That is quite the unibrow.

EVERY year, EVERY card... He never trimmed that thing.

[chris6net]

As a New Yorker who collected in the 70,s Lou Piniella for his 1977 Burger King card that Steinbrenner had them add.CN

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by chris6net

As a New Yorker who collected in the 70,s Lou Piniella for his 1978 Burger King card that Steinbrenner had them add.CN

1977 Burger King.
http://gothamist.com/2008/08/31/the_...wentythird.php

[Bosox Blair]

One more comment on Wagner. This forum, an audience of card-collecting obsessed folks, may not appreciate it, but there is a whole world of people who love baseball (and baseball history), but don't give a hoot about cards/collectibles.

I personally know several people who have read "The Glory of Their Times", but have never ever purchased a baseball card. To those people, Honus Wagner was one of the greatest ballplayers ever (which is repeated frequently in that book...the book is not about baseball cards...), not some guy on a baseball card.

There are hundreds of other books about baseball from which one learns about Honus Wagner the great player, not Honus Wagner the card.

So Bilko, Honus Wagner is *an* answer to the question, but not a very good one. There are quite a number of answers given in this thread that are not even debatable - I think that makes them much better answers.

(Frankly, Mantle is a much worse answer...pretty much everybody in North America knows of Mantle's career, and very few of those know or care about 1952 Topps...)

Cheers,
Blair

[leaflover]

One for the type set?.....Here's my choice.
Pitcher, catcher, infielder or outfielder?? I don't know. The card is a keeper because of his name.

[kkkkandp]

I am always amazed at how fervently collectors pursue and generously they pay for the cards of Billy Sunday and John Francis "Phenomenal" Smith considering how truly pedestrian their careers were.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Pancho Herrer(a).
Masanori Murakami.
Was Hobliztel mentioned yet?
Johnny Ray.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by kkkkandp

I am always amazed at how fervently collectors pursue and generously they pay for the cards of Billy Sunday and John Francis "Phenomenal" Smith considering how truly pedestrian their careers were.

Billy Sunday is known more for being a preacher though. I'm pretty sure that's the main reason his items get as much love as they do..