The Next "Big Cards"

[vansaad]

Originally Posted by thatkidfromjerrymaguire

Pretty much ANY Jackie Robinson card...with only a handful of options of mainstream cards (years 1948 through 1956) I think eventually the demand for authentic, playing days cards of Jackie will reach the demand currently bestowed only on Ruth.

Jackie is likely the only baseball player that will continue to be taught about to kids in history class (for obvious reasons) literally forever.

SOME day, I think maybe even the Mantle mystique will fade a little...but Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth will be timeless.

Funny enough, I'm not good at taking my own advice. I very recently saved up a large-ish sum of money (for me) and decided I wanted to add a major piece to my collection. I currently don't own any Jackie cards, and the only Ruth card I own is rough looking 1935 Goudey 4 in 1. I debated for WEEKS whether to add a playing days Jackie card or a playing days Ruth card. And as the weeks went by, prices on both seemed to increase.

In the end, I went with Ruth (a beat up 1931 W517)...but only because his cards seem a little scarcer (and therefore more likely to get out of my price range), and I'm hopeful this current price spike will at least level off and leave me time to still save up and grab a Jackie Robinson card. I might have to lower my condition expectations, but hopefully SOMETHING will be available in my budget.

As a Jackie collector, I may be biased, but I agree with you. Jackie has the perfect mix of historical importance that transcends baseball and great looking cards from iconic sets. The '48 Leaf, '49 Bowman, '52 and '53 Topps are all instantly recognizable, and the '47 Bond Bread portrait has gained steam as his true rookie card (and tough to find with less than 200 or so examples). All of these have soared in price along with other top cards, but I think they will become even harder to obtain next year when it's the 75th anniversary of his debut.

Good luck on your search for a nice Robinson. The '54 through '56 Topps are wonderful looking cards, too, and more plentiful in low to mid grades.