Stan Musial - Underappreciated ???

jaybyrd

Just happened to see Mohiba's tag that mentioned Stan Musial may be one of the most underappreciated baseball greats. As this relates to collecting his cards is this because he was absent from many of the Topps set of the 50's? This guys lifetime stats are amazing!!

WinPitcher

Stan the Man under appreciated? no way try bidding on his 52 bowman like i have been doin as I need to upgrade my vg/ex to ex/mnt and see............

jaybyrd

I actually won a 52 Bowman in a six a few months back - went for $75 under SMR. That is a great looking card.

WinPitcher

u got lucky.......

1420sports

Many, including myself, think he is underrated. His numbers are amazing, but rarely does his name come up on "Who is the greatest lists" ...

With the exception of the 1952 Bowman which is one of favorites of all time, he really doesn't have that many that are that appealing in my opinion.

scottsusor

Ya know, I've never heard why Stan Musial chose not to sign with Topps until late in his career. Anybody know why?

Scott

jaybyrd

Don't know why he wasn't included, but I do know he agreed to be in the '58 set because Topps agreed to donate money to a specified charity.

highend

i never saw him play but from what my grandfather and father have told me about him he was "almost" as good of hitter than ted williams. they lived in NY during the "golden age" and saw them all.

IMO the 53 bowman musial is one of the top 5 cards ever made. i have one that would probably grade a PSA 5, despite the condition the image is so vibrant and larger than life. musial 58 topps allstar (his topps rookie) is probably as underappreciated as the man himself.

CW

Add me to the list of those that own & cherish a '52 Bowman
Musial in a PSA 6 holder. Got mine for $250 back around
Christmas. The '53 Bowman is also a classic card, and I agree
that Stan the Man is underappreciated (outside of St. Louis) as
well as Frank Robinson.

GATOR5

Heres the 53

mohiba

I guess I ought to clarify my tag a little. Stan, the player, is constantly fogotten about, for example he just barely made it on the All-Century team. The guy year in and year out just wore the national league out. Looking at it objectively, if thats possible, has to be ranked in the top 5 greatest hitters of all time. I too was not on this earth when he played, but would have loved to see him in his prime. What a great era for baseball; Williams, Musial, Mantle, Mays, way too many to name. Thanks for the thread jaybird, always good for The Man to get some pub.

Please edit for spelling and grammar.

Machodoc

I think it is important for the younger people on this Board to know that Stan was not only the best NL hitter of his era, he was, and is - emphasis on is a class act as a human being. I have met Stan at several shows over the past few years, the most recent being the infamous Pasttime Productions November 2002 show in NYC. I don't know how his health is right now, but I have met and talked with him at least 6 times and he is not just a warm person, he is generous with his stories and time. Besides, how can you not like someone who invariably adds inscriptions to an autograph w/o asking?

A couple of years ago I was working with Stan and his agent for a custom "statbat", and I called his office one morning to clarify one last item. The phone rang and a raspy voice on the other end answered. I was amazed and very grateful to spend a few minutes talking with "The Man" on what was surely a very small matter given the scope of other things he had to deal with that day.

Stan Musial is simply the greatest, and God bless him!

helionaut

In the forties, Stan was probably the biggest name in the sport, rivalling DiMaggio as the NL's version of the perennial MVP, but the warm and friendly NL version, not the aloof Yankee AL one. In the fifties, when Mantle and Mays came along and the NY triad took over the sport, Stan was still producing as well as anybody. But you're right, Stan is never mentioned in discussions of the best players ever. He didn't make the 500 HR club, and he never hit .400. He never had that one memorable play like Mays's catch in the 1954 WS, or Thompson's 1951 home run, that gets rerun over and over, and he retired over 40 years ago, so in the popular imagination, I think people have a hard time forming a solid picture of him. In the hobby, his '53 Bowman is considered a classic, and it is, but I think the demand for it is more a function of the overall lack of cards. If he had the same number of cards as Ted Williams, the demand would be diluted.

I love the fact that for years, Stan had his number in the phone book, and if you called him, he'd often answer and he'd take time to talk to you. He's probably the main reason I've been a closet Cardinals fan all these years, as a backup for when the Phillies stunk.

On a depressing note, I was at a show a couple weeks ago and overheard a dealer talking to someone about his "investment strategy" of buying up Musial autos. He's getting old now, and, I swear he said this,"When he cashes in, so will I." Needless to say, I won't be buying anything from that scumbag.

Davino

I love Stan The Man, I have a '53 PSA 7 that should really be an 8!:

onegaucho

I just picked up his 49 Bowman card in PSA 7 for a bit less than SMR which was surprising.

I still love my 1959 Topps Thrills #470 of him getting 3000 hits.

Anyone know of anyone with the ticket or stub from that game?!

schr1st

I picked this one up from SportsCards Plus a month or so ago. I had been looking for a nice PSA 4 or 5 1953 Bowman Musial to get signed, but was happy to jump on this one when I saw it. You can certainly add me to the list of people who feel that he is greatly underappreciated.

RedHeart54

Up with his '53 Bowman, his '48 Leaf rookie is my favorite card. A couple of years ago, it was bringing over $7000 in PSA 8. Though it's now in the $4000+ range, it's still one of the toughest to find in PSA 8 (and let alone a well centered 8). My best Musial card story is a '59 Greatest Thrills to which I paid $50 and was subsequently graded a PSA 9.

I guess the fact that he played in St.Louis, which was the western-most team until the Dodgers came to L.A., contributes to the "underappreciated" label. It's too bad he didn't have time for 25 more homeruns which would have given him 500.

jimtb

I think Stan is overlooked because he didn't play in New York or Boston. Now the Joe D, Ted Williams and Mantle are gone, he is the last great player left from that era. The guy is tremendous at card shows. I saw him pull out a harmonica and play "Take Me out To The Ball Game". A true gentleman with amazing stats that deserves a lot more recognition.
Jim