The Mount Rushmore of Baseball Cards - Survey

SportsModerator

Hi everyone,

In the upcoming issue of SMR, Joe Orlando discusses a great question in his monthly editorial, Taking My Hacks: What four baseball cards would make up your Mount Rushmore?

Some slots were tough to fill, but in this editorial he provides his top four choices. Now it's your chance to chime in!

Vote at www.PSAcard.com/rushmore



Thanks for your participation,
The PSA Team

begsu1013

honus
jordan
52 mantle
m101 ruth

but maybe he should consider a rushmore for each sport...

edit: and one for non-sport.

SportsModerator

Just a quick note: We do have plans to do this for each sport individually. For the first installment, we just decided to make Baseball the focus.

Thanks for your input!

Griffins

T206 Wagner
'33 Lajoie
'52 Mantle
'89 UD Griffey

Each from a different era, each iconic to a different generation of collectors, all the defining card of that era, and the hobby.

Stone193

From the heart, not the wallet.

The three CF'ers in NYC when I was a kid:

Mays
Mantle
Snider

The 4th? TBD.

Constantine

T206 Wagner
'33 Ruth
'52 Mantle
'89 UD Griffey

I will pitch for the '89 UD Griffey because that single card captures a whole generation of collectors.

addicted2ebay

T206 wagner
51B mantle
52T mantle
89UD Griffey

Griffins

<< <i>T206 wagner
51B mantle
52T mantle
89UD Griffey >>



2 Mantles? That's like having 2 Lincoln's on Mt. Rushmore.

addicted2ebay

<< <i>

<< <i>T206 wagner
51B mantle
52T mantle
89UD Griffey >>



2 Mantles? That's like having 2 Lincoln's on Mt. Rushmore. >>



Lol

BIGBEN7

T206 Wagner
T206 Cobb
15 CJ Joe Jackson
52 Mantle

grote15

<< <i>T206 Wagner
'33 Ruth
'52 Mantle
'89 UD Griffey

I will pitch for the '89 UD Griffey because that single card captures a whole generation of collectors. >>



This would be my vote as well.

dberk12

This is my post-war Mt. Rushmore:

'52 Topps Mick
'54 Topps Aaron
'55 Topps Clemente
'68 Topps N.Ryan

jmaciu

<< <i>

<< <i>T206 Wagner
'33 Ruth
'52 Mantle
'89 UD Griffey

I will pitch for the '89 UD Griffey because that single card captures a whole generation of collectors. >>



This would be my vote as well. >>



I would also agree with this one.

lwehlers

I think that albert pujols 2001 bowman chrome auto refractor rookie needs to be added to the list. In my opinion he started the bowman chrome era of autograph and serial number rookies.

skrezyna23

<< <i>

<< <i>T206 Wagner
'33 Ruth
'52 Mantle
'89 UD Griffey

I will pitch for the '89 UD Griffey because that single card captures a whole generation of collectors. >>



This would be my vote as well. >>



+1 Looks good to me.

JoeBanzai

Ruth, Williams, Mays, Mantle

wrestlingcardking

Wagner
Mantle
Aaron
Ryan

SidePocket

59 Bob Gibson
61 Roger Maris
60 Mantle
63 Koufax

grote15

<< <i>59 Bob Gibson
61 Roger Maris
60 Mantle
63 Koufax >>



That's a pretty tight span to represent the entire baseball card era, lol..

3BoyzTrading

Wagner, Topps Mantle, Nolan Ryan and Ken Griffey Jr.

PSASAP

I like Griffins list too. The Wagner card is the George Washington "founding father" card, the Ruth card is important because he almost singlehandedly elevated the game to levels of popularity never seen before. The Mantle card is the signature card of Topps, the most dominant name in the hobby for almost three decades, and the Griffey card ushered in the era of super premium cards, which the modern card market is based upon.

CollectorAtWork

T206 Wagner
T210 Joe Jackson
Baltimore News Ruth
1952 Topps Mantle

Warriors8

1916 M101 sporting news babe Ruth
1952 mantle
T206 Wagner
1955 Clemente

swartz1

Jackie robinson

RookieHOFers

T206 Wagner
Sporting News Ruth
52 T Mantle
89 UD Griffey

yankeesman

T206 Wagner
52 Mantle
Cracker Jack Joe Jackson
84 Donruss Mattingly - for middle aged guys like me in their mid 40s - sparked the "new age" of collector

Nathaniel1960

If you are going to include a modern card, you can't go wrong with this one:

DanBessette

<< <i>1916 M101 sporting news babe Ruth
1952 mantle
T206 Wagner
1955 Clemente >>



To me the first 3 are locks. Think you can't go wrong with RC of Clemente or Aaron or Mays in that last spot. No shared rookie card should be eligible for Rushmore, with my condolences to Bench and Ryan.

bishop

<< <i>If you are going to include a modern card, you can't go wrong with this one:

>>




Unless it is this one on the bottom here

Dnice

Famous T206 Wagner
33 Goudy (yellow background #53)
52 Mantle
89 Griffey

I think all these cards represent the hobby very well.

Wager (obvious choice)
Ruth (The founding father of Baseball)
Mantle (First Topps year and Most Famous sought out post-war card)
Griffey (Upperdeck with its new shiny premium cards that took the hobby to the next level)

olb31

Im not sure what would be considered Lou gehrig's rookie is or what his best card is, but which ever it is I pick that one.

begsu1013

might be too taboo, but:

89 fleer billy ripken FF error.

this card caused quite a stir / craze for a lengthy time period...

and is still talked about to this very day.

pre-war, post-war, modern rushmores eventually?

flatfoot816

I have not seen any football cards nominated--and Thank God no Hockey!!

Wagner is a must because it defines the public's perception of our hobby as the most expensive card

Mantle is a must because it is the most coveted card within most collector's means and as said--is the face of Topps

Griffey, Jr is also a great choice as Anthony suggested

For my 4th I would nominate the iconic 1965 Topps FB rookie of Broadway Joe Namath. Namath is THE FB card to have--and his guarantee in Super Bowl III put the NFL on the map. Everyone, not just collectors, would identify with his choice--

LarkinCollector

<< <i>I have not seen any football cards nominated--and Thank God no Hockey!! >>


There's a reason
Just a quick note: We do have plans to do this for each sport individually. For the first installment, we just decided to make Baseball the focus.

FirstBeard

<< <i>Famous T206 Wagner
33 Goudy (yellow background #53)
52 Mantle
89 Griffey

I think all these cards represent the hobby very well.

Wager (obvious choice)
Ruth (The founding father of Baseball)
Mantle (First Topps year and Most Famous sought out post-war card)
Griffey (Upperdeck with its new shiny premium cards that took the hobby to the next level) >>



I think this is best list and logic. All of these have the right combination of being legitimately important HOF players and are important/iconic cards in the hobby.

craig44

So hard to choose. Would be nice to have a pre war and post war Rushmore.
T206 Wagner
52 mantle
68 ryan
89 ud griffey

MyDaughtersNameIsMattingly

1984 Topps Mattingly #8

1984 Topps Tiffany Mattingly #8

1984 OPC Mattingly #8

1984 Nestle Mattingly #8

jay0791

Since this is the Mount Rushmore of cards and not necessarily players....

I'm a big yankee/Mattingly fan but he is not a HOFer or is his card significant other than one of the best of the 80's.

Wagner, Ruth, 52 Mantle are obvious choices.

The griffey is a good 4th choice as it did usher in modern premium cards, he is going to be a HOFer and everyone wants to have one.

A close 2nd is 82 TT Ripken.

Warriors8

When we are talking the mount rushmore of baseball cards in terms of magnitude and value, the Griffey isn't one of them. A PSA 10 89 upper deck griffey goes for about $300.

SultanOfSwat

<< <i>T206 Wagner
T210 Joe Jackson
Baltimore News Ruth
1952 Topps Mantle >>



The only thing I might tweak would be a Cracker Jack Shoeless Joe Jackson instead of the T210. Tough decision there for me.

dtkk49a

My four cards would be.

1966 Bobby Orr RC
1986 Jordan RC
1952 Mantle RC
1986 Jerry Rice RC

Dnice

When we are talking the mount rushmore of baseball cards in terms of magnitude and value, the Griffey isn't one of them. A PSA 10 89 upper deck griffey goes for about $300.

That's incorrect. It shouldn't matter if a card is $300 or Two Million. The card is widely regarded as changing the card industry forever and is extremely recognizable and respected in this hobby. If this was a list intended to be the most VALUABLE cards, then you would have a point.

The four cards I listed are the best and I don't think anyone else's list can top those nor can give me a reason not to include any of those. Not only do those fours cards fit the bill for the topic of this thread but its also important to not only include vintage cards. The Griffey 89 is great because it also shows a big span of years between vintage and now modern cards as it still holds up well and so I feel it rounds the list of baseball cards in general.

You gotta have the Wagner. You gotta include the Babe. You gotta have the Mick and you gotta include the Griffey. It which represents the modern cards in general - If not and you only have vintage, then that means that this hobby is dead as far as modern baseball cards go which is certainly not the case.

PSASAP

When we are talking the mount rushmore of baseball cards in terms of magnitude and value, the Griffey isn't one of them. A PSA 10 89 upper deck griffey goes for about $300.

Value, while important, is not the only criteria for this list, hobby impact is equally important. After all, Mount Rushmore isn't made up of the highest salaried presidents.

Warriors8

Griffey isn't close to being in Joe Orlando's top 20 sportscards list.
The Mount Rushmore cards should be in the top 20 or close to it.

Dnice

Griffey isn't close to being in Joe Orlando's top 20 sportscards list.

Again, you are stuck on value. My list is representing the hobby as a whole.

bishop

How does one get to be a representative of the hobby as a whole, or even in part ?

grote15

<< <i>Griffey isn't close to being in Joe Orlando's top 20 sportscards list.

Again, you are stuck on value. My list is representing the hobby as a whole. >>



+1

Myopic to believe otherwise.

jeffcbay

I think most of us can agree with the T206 Wagner and the 1952 Topps Mantle...

The problem with the 1968 Nolan Ryan being on the Mount Rushmore of baseball cards is, that would mean Jerry Koosman would also be on the Mount Rushmore of baseball cards. We can't be having that... lol.

If we could possibly compare the real presidents on Mount Rushmore to the baseball cards, I would say:

The T206 Honus Wagner is the George Washington of baseball cards, because this card could be considered the "Founding Father" of all baseball cards.

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is the Thomas Jefferson of baseball cards, because Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, and 1952 Topps represents the beginning of the standard of major baseball card sets, and Mantle is the icon of that set.

The 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson is the Abraham Lincoln of baseball cards, because Lincoln was responsible for the end of slavery in the United States, and Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball.

The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. is the Theodore Roosevelt of baseball cards, because Roosevelt was chosen for his contributions to business, and the '89 UD Griffey represents the rapid expansion of the baseball card industry.

Just my opinion. Great thread!

dtkk49a

Don't you think all four sports should be represented in a "Rushmore" setting? That's why I chose the cards that I did. You can choose Wagner or Ruth, but how many average collectors collect Ruth or any of the pre war HOF'ers? Its the Mantle cards, the Jordans, the Orr cards that are more identifiable and actively sought after and collected.

LarkinCollector

<< <i>Don't you think all four sports should be represented in a "Rushmore" setting? That's why I chose the cards that I did. You can choose Wagner or Ruth, but how many average collectors collect Ruth or any of the pre war HOF'ers? Its the Mantle cards, the Jordans, the Orr cards that are more identifiable and actively sought after and collected. >>



Just a quick note: We do have plans to do this for each sport individually. For the first installment, we just decided to make Baseball the focus.

Warriors8

<< <i>How does one get to be a representative of the hobby as a whole, or even in part ? >>


Yes how?
on the PSA website they have 3 on the mt rushmore: 1916 M101 ruth, 52 mantle and t206 wagner.
They have a vote for the last spot between 55 clemente, 54 aaron, 48 jackie robinson, and cracker jack shoeless.
I say 55 clemente, a PSA 9 just sold for $310k.
No offense but I know many people would laugh at seeing griffey on the mt rushmore.