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What decade has the best baseball rookie cards?

A lot of great rookie cards out there. What decade has the best rookie cards?
1940's
1950's
1960's
1970's
1980's
1990's

I collect hall of fame rookie cards, https://www.instagram.com/stwainfan/

Comments

  • KendallCatKendallCat Posts: 2,966 ✭✭✭✭✭

    50’s - Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Banks, Kaline, Clemente, Koufax, Killebrew, Brooks and Frank Robinson, Gibson. Tough one to beat.

    60’s - Yaz, McCovey, Marchial, Perry, Rose, Stargell, Morgan, Carlton, Carew, and Seaver, Bench, Ryan, Reggie. Second place with all time greatest catcher in Bench, Ryan rookie card is iconic and best pitching RC, Rose is all time hits leader.

    70’s - Munson, Fisk, Schmidt, Winfield. Brett, Yount, Eckersley, Murphy, Murray, Trammell, Molitor, Ozzie. Pretty big drop off from the 60’s.

  • jay0791jay0791 Posts: 3,508 ✭✭✭✭

    If you go by the PSA restricted set

    1933 goudey and
    1909 T206 have a ton of RC HOFers in them

    Collecting PSA... FB,BK,HK,and BB HOF RC sets
    1948-76 Topps FB Sets
    FB & BB HOF Player sets
    1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
  • BlackieBlackie Posts: 1,719 ✭✭✭

    As of right now........the 60's. but i see the 70's going up and for gosh sakes PETE ROSE should be in......just saying.........well thats another for the 1960's. 80's are growing..........I mean if PEDs is ok then betting not on your own team is ok right?

    1964 Topps Football
  • 76collector76collector Posts: 986 ✭✭✭✭✭

    50's all day. And the best looking cards too.

    I cannot hit curveball. Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid.
    Collecting:
    post world war II HOF rookie
    76 topps gem mint 10 commons 9 stars
    Arenado purple refractors(Rockies) Red (Cardinals)
    successful deals with Keevan, Grote15, 1954, mbogoman
  • brad31brad31 Posts: 2,530 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The 60s - loaded with HOF rookie cards - Yaz, McCovey, Santo, Marichal, B. Williams, Brock, Torre, Perry, Stargell, although not in HOF Rose, Niekro, LaRussa, Morgan, Carlton, Perez, Hunter, Palmer, Sutton, Jenkins, Carew, Seaver, Bench, Ryan, Fingers, Jackson, Cox

    This was off the top of my head so could be missing some - that is at least 25 plus Rose. A few will probably still get elected. Just tons of HOF rookies.

  • TabeTabe Posts: 5,920 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Seems obvious to me that it's the 1950s. Mays, Mantle, Aaron. They're just in a higher class than any group coming after them.

  • ArtVandelayArtVandelay Posts: 645 ✭✭✭✭

    While 1970's card designs are my favorite decade the rookie star power is lacking when compared to the 50's, 60's, and even the 80's. 50's wins this with both rookie star power and design.

  • coolstanleycoolstanley Posts: 2,416 ✭✭✭✭✭

    80's

    Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!

    Ignore list -Basebal21

  • brad31brad31 Posts: 2,530 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 18, 2021 10:12AM

    The 50s have the 3 biggest years - ‘51 Bowman, ‘54 Topps and ‘55 Topps.

    But the 60s have the consistency.

    If I look at Topps/Bowman from the 50s and 60s my personal rank would be:

    1) ‘51 Bowman
    2) ‘54 Topps
    3) ‘55 Topps
    4) ‘68 Topps
    5) ‘57 Topps
    6) ‘60 Topps
    7) ‘67 Topps
    8) ‘65 Topps
    9) ‘66 Topps
    10) ‘69 Topps
    11) ‘59 Topps
    12) ‘62 Topps
    13) ‘61 Topps
    14) ‘69 Topps
    15) ‘52 Topps
    16) ‘63 Topps (goes up if Rose makes HOF)
    17) ‘58 Topps
    18) ‘56 Topps
    19) ‘64 Topps
    20) ‘55 Bowman

    If you weight more the best years it’s the 50s. I am a consistency guy so I go with the 60s.

  • mintonlyplsmintonlypls Posts: 1,711 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 18, 2021 9:52AM

    I would have to say the 1950s. It is hard to argue against Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Koufax, Clemente, Frank Robinson, and Gibson plus Killebrew, Brooks Robinson, Maris, Kaline, Banks, and Drysdale.

    The 1960s have more HOFs than the 50s, but the star power is greater in the 1950s.

    mint_only_pls
  • mrmoparmrmopar Posts: 1,030 ✭✭✭✭

    A lot of these guys are romanticized over the years. Clemente was a great ball player no doubt, but was he better than Tony Gwynn for example? Look at the names he is most closely associated with on BR:

    Kaline, Killebrew, Banks, etc. All great players, but were they truly top of the game? Hard to compare past players against future players, as each played in a slightly different condition. It's kind of like arguing HOF worthiness. Everyone has a different standard and opinion.

    Maybe dig deeper than just the top level HOFers if you want to compare card decades.. No mention of guys like Drysdale, Bunning, Mazeroski, Oliver, Pinson, Wilhelm, Kubek, W. Davis, Garvey, Parker, Oliva, John, etc. Solid players that add depth in between the biggies.

    I collect Steve Garvey, Dodgers and signed cards. Collector since 1978.
  • daltexdaltex Posts: 3,477 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @mrmopar said:
    A lot of these guys are romanticized over the years. Clemente was a great ball player no doubt, but was he better than Tony Gwynn for example? Look at the names he is most closely associated with on BR:

    Kaline, Killebrew, Banks, etc. All great players, but were they truly top of the game? Hard to compare past players against future players, as each played in a slightly different condition. It's kind of like arguing HOF worthiness. Everyone has a different standard and opinion.

    Maybe dig deeper than just the top level HOFers if you want to compare card decades.. No mention of guys like Drysdale, Bunning, Mazeroski, Oliver, Pinson, Wilhelm, Kubek, W. Davis, Garvey, Parker, Oliva, John, etc. Solid players that add depth in between the biggies.

    Yes. Much better. Better hitter and with Jesse Barfield one of the two best fielding right fielders of all time. Gwynn was just bad (overall, his post CF career outweighs his pre CF career). Now if you were to say Frank Robinson. . .

    The problem with using similarity scores for truly great players is that even the most similar just aren't very similar. No one would confuse Zack Wheat with Clemente. Take a good, but not great, player like Aaron Judge, for example, and you'll see that his ten most similar players are all significantly more similar than What was to Clemente. Besides, if you see a list of players like Bellinger, Acuna, Soto, Mancini, and Schwarber, you won't struggle to guess that Judge is similar to them. No one would answer Clemente if asked for a player similar to Wheat, Pinson, Goslin, Oliver, and Slaughter.

  • 82FootballWaxMemorys82FootballWaxMemorys Posts: 1,279 ✭✭✭✭✭

    More> @mrmopar said:

    A lot of these guys are romanticized over the years. Clemente was a great ball player no doubt, but was he better than Tony Gwynn for example? Look at the names he is most closely associated with on BR:

    Kaline, Killebrew, Banks, etc. All great players, but were they truly top of the game? Hard to compare past players against future players, as each played in a slightly different condition. It's kind of like arguing HOF worthiness. Everyone has a different standard and opinion.

    Maybe dig deeper than just the top level HOFers if you want to compare card decades.. No mention of guys like Drysdale, Bunning, Mazeroski, Oliver, Pinson, Wilhelm, Kubek, W. Davis, Garvey, Parker, Oliva, John, etc. Solid players that add depth in between the biggies.

    More than pure numbers make legends. Take Ryan's numbers for instance :)

    Of course in today's game perhaps it is only metrics...?

    Unless otherwise specified my posts represent only my opinion, not fact.

  • McvillagehtxMcvillagehtx Posts: 103 ✭✭✭

    Clemente was an all timer, but I agree on guys like Ernie banks and Lou Brock. Not the all timers that one would think based off the hype they get

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,171 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Best cards or best rookies? Are you considering XRC's in the new stuff?

    I don't care for the rookie cards depicting several players. 1963 was a particularly ugly year.

    The 1950's had some truly great players but the 1990's the photography and gloss were amazing!

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • McvillagehtxMcvillagehtx Posts: 103 ✭✭✭

    Killebrew is another good example. One would think he is in the inner circle of all time greats by the way people speak of him. He is closer to John Olerud than he is a Jeff Bagwell or Frank Thomas.

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,171 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Mcvillagehtx said:
    Killebrew is another good example. One would think he is in the inner circle of all time greats by the way people speak of him. He is closer to John Olerud than he is a Jeff Bagwell or Frank Thomas.

    You know nothing about Killebrew's career and accomplishments or baseball in general.

    Killebrew led the league in Home Runs 6 times, between them Bagwell and Thomas did it.....................NEVER.

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • mrmoparmrmopar Posts: 1,030 ✭✭✭✭

    Does leading the league really cement you as a great though? It;s a little better measure than being voted to an ASG roster (which is almost meaningless). You were the best in that year, possibly just in your own league, maybe all of baseball. For several years, that is a great accomplishment, but to say Thomas and Bagwell never lead the league in HRs, therefore, they are not as good. It doesn't make sense.

    George Foster hit 52 HRs and lead the league one year. Is he better than Thomas or Bagwell? Even Killebrew never hit 50+ in a season.

    As pointed out, stats can lead you to all kinds of places.

    I collect Steve Garvey, Dodgers and signed cards. Collector since 1978.
  • tod41tod41 Posts: 86 ✭✭✭

    @Mcvillagehtx said:
    Killebrew is another good example. One would think he is in the inner circle of all time greats by the way people speak of him. He is closer to John Olerud than he is a** Jeff Bagwell** or Frank Thomas.

    Lets see Bagwell hit in a Domeless Minnesota without the steroids.

  • McvillagehtxMcvillagehtx Posts: 103 ✭✭✭

    Metropolitan stadium was a big time hitters park.

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,171 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @mrmopar said:
    Does leading the league really cement you as a great though?

    >
    Maybe not once, but show me the guys who led their league more than 6 times, then show me the guys who hit 40 or more in a season (another with 39). eight or more times. Not many guys in either group, even if you include the juicers.
    >
    It;s a little better measure than being voted to an ASG roster (which is almost meaningless). You were the best in that year, possibly just in your own league, maybe all of baseball. For several years, that is a great accomplishment, but to say Thomas and Bagwell never lead the league in HRs, therefore, they are not as good. It doesn't make sense.

    Actually it does.

    Hitting home runs is the best thing you can do as a batter and until the steroid boys came along, Killebrew was number 2 all time in HR per at Bat with over 500 HR behind only the Babe. Jim Thome is the only clean player to improve on Harmon's numbers in that category.

    Let's bring fielding into the comparison then; Frank Thomas was also mostly a DH and 1B, Bagwell played only 1B. Killebrew played 3rd, 1st and LF.

    >
    George Foster hit 52 HRs and lead the league one year. Is he better than Thomas or Bagwell? Even Killebrew never hit 50+ in a season.

    Foster had three great years and a bunch of nice ones, let's try not to bring in every player who ever had a couple three great years please.

    Killebrew hit 49 twice and 48 once, so that's pretty close. He also hit more home runs during the 1960's than Mays, Mantle, Aaron and every other Major League hitter.

    As pointed out, stats can lead you to all kinds of places.

    Good and not so good.

    Comparing Killebrew to Olerud (a fine player) IS RIDICULOUS! That's what I was objecting to. Killebrew is every bit as good (or better than) Bagwell and Thomas.

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • miwlvrnmiwlvrn Posts: 4,222 ✭✭✭✭✭

    As a related tangent to the OP, I submit that the 2000-2009 decade is clearly the best decade for non-baseball. I'm not even sure how far down the list you have to get before a single baseball RC can break into the top list of RC's for other sports.

    To name the first few:
    Lionel Messi
    Cristiano Ronaldo
    Tom Brady
    Sidney Crosby
    Alexander Ovechkin
    Lebron James
    Stephen Curry

    There are several more within their respective sports too, with many first-ballot HOF'ers in hockey, basketball and soccer, plus good RC's in other lesser collected sports too such as Michael Phelps for example, or some good tennis ones too.

    I definitely vote for 1950's on baseball, and I like 50's for other sports too. 1950's Soccer, hockey, basketball and football all have some of the best.

  • Historicalwood71Historicalwood71 Posts: 518 ✭✭✭

    2010 thru 20 will be big in the future. Trout, Acuna, Freeman, Vlad Jr, tatis,etc list goes on

  • KendallCatKendallCat Posts: 2,966 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Killebrew was an absolute beast when it comes to power numbers. 8 years with 40+ Hr’s and lead the league 6 times with 570 plus total. Clemente was a great hitter with average power numbers, but like Bench when you say best player at their position all time 8 out of 10 pick him in regards to being a GOAT.

  • mrmoparmrmopar Posts: 1,030 ✭✭✭✭
    edited July 20, 2021 7:46PM

    I know Kershaw would fall into this category, (BB RCs that will be HOFer). Not sure off the top of my head who else, so maybe he is not the best player to even represent BB from that decade. (As soon as I posted, Ichiro/Pujols came to mind). Too new and I stopped opening packs right around 1999 nor did I really follow newer players all that closely. He probably won't be mentioned in the same conversations as Koufax, but their careers have a lot of similarities. Hard to believe Koufax was done by the time he was 30 and his first 5-6 years were essentially not worthy of mention, then he clicked and was dominating.
    Kersh is 33 and many would say he is on the decline fast, but he had a great run of domination as well.

    What could have been if both were able to avoid injury.

    @miwlvrn said:
    As a related tangent to the OP, I submit that the 2000-2009 decade is clearly the best decade for non-baseball. I'm not even sure how far down the list you have to get before a single baseball RC can break into the top list of RC's for other sports.

    To name the first few:
    Lionel Messi
    Cristiano Ronaldo
    Tom Brady
    Sidney Crosby
    Alexander Ovechkin
    Lebron James
    Stephen Curry

    There are several more within their respective sports too, with many first-ballot HOF'ers in hockey, basketball and soccer, plus good RC's in other lesser collected sports too such as Michael Phelps for example, or some good tennis ones too.

    I definitely vote for 1950's on baseball, and I like 50's for other sports too. 1950's Soccer, hockey, basketball and football all have some of the best.

    I collect Steve Garvey, Dodgers and signed cards. Collector since 1978.
  • CakesCakes Posts: 3,450 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 21, 2021 11:43AM

    80's is hard to beat. You have arguable the greatest OF, SP, and lead off hitter in Bonds, Clemens, and Henderson. And then you still have Maddux, Randy Johnson, Kid Griffey, Ripken, etc...

    Rickey Henderson and Ken Griffey Junior Rookies - Are the two most iconic/expensive 80's cards!

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  • CakesCakes Posts: 3,450 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Blackie said:
    As of right now........the 60's. but i see the 70's going up and for gosh sakes PETE ROSE should be in......just saying.........well thats another for the 1960's. 80's are growing..........I mean if PEDs is ok then betting not on your own team is ok right?

    At least Pete only bet on his team to win but the way he lied to our faces for 10 plus years was pretty disgusting. Either way Pete should be in but he will NEVER get in.

    Successful coin BST transactions with Gerard and segoja.

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  • CakesCakes Posts: 3,450 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @miwlvrn said:
    As a related tangent to the OP, I submit that the 2000-2009 decade is clearly the best decade for non-baseball. I'm not even sure how far down the list you have to get before a single baseball RC can break into the top list of RC's for other sports.

    To name the first few:
    Lionel Messi
    Cristiano Ronaldo
    Tom Brady
    Sidney Crosby
    Alexander Ovechkin
    Lebron James
    Stephen Curry

    There are several more within their respective sports too, with many first-ballot HOF'ers in hockey, basketball and soccer, plus good RC's in other lesser collected sports too such as Michael Phelps for example, or some good tennis ones too.

    I definitely vote for 1950's on baseball, and I like 50's for other sports too. 1950's Soccer, hockey, basketball and football all have some of the best.

    After the playoffs Durant should be in there too. He had pretty much single handily beaten that Milwaukee Team and if he hadn't been a 1/2 inch over the 3 point line he would have added another ring.

    Successful coin BST transactions with Gerard and segoja.

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  • pab1969pab1969 Posts: 1,073 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Tabe said:
    Seems obvious to me that it's the 1950s. Mays, Mantle, Aaron. They're just in a higher class than any group coming after them.

    Agree, Don't forget Gibson, Clemente, Koufax, Maris, Brooks and Frank Robinson. I could go on with semi-stars too but I think it is clearly the 50's.

  • miwlvrnmiwlvrn Posts: 4,222 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 21, 2021 6:59PM

    @pab1969 said:

    @Tabe said:
    Seems obvious to me that it's the 1950s. Mays, Mantle, Aaron. They're just in a higher class than any group coming after them.

    Agree, Don't forget Gibson, Clemente, Koufax, Maris, Brooks and Frank Robinson. I could go on with semi-stars too but I think it is clearly the 50's.

    Kaline and Banks are certainly in the elite '50's group too, not just semi-stars ;)

  • AFLfanAFLfan Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Has anyone mentioned Eddie Mathews? 1952 Topps

    Todd Tobias - Grateful Collector - I focus on autographed American Football League sets, Fleer & Topps, 1960-1969, and lacrosse cards.
  • CakesCakes Posts: 3,450 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @AFLfan said:
    Has anyone mentioned Eddie Mathews? 1952 Topps

    He is one of the forgotten greats who is a member of the 500 HR club. It's unfortunate but since the Yankees dominated for so many years in that era so many other great players seem to have been forgotten. Similar to the way most have forgotten the NBA greats from the Jordan era.

    Side note would you rather have Eddie Mathews or Chipper Jones?

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