Rank your Top 10 Baseball Icons in the Topps era...1952 to present?

mintonlypls

I would think collectors' perception of a player would have a significant correlation to the price of his cards...the other factors influencing price being scarcity of a player's cards as well as the aesthetics of the presentation (card design playing a role here). Here are mine in order. It will be interesting to see the rankings as well as inclusion or exclusion of players.

1. Mickey Mantle
2. Hank Aaron
3. Sandy Koufax
4. Willie Mays
5. Roberto Clemente
6. Nolan Ryan
7. Reggie Jackson
8. Bob Gibson
9. Stan Musial
10.Pete Rose

Also...I noticed in my list that it was dominated by players who I watched growing up (watching less baseball now since free agency and steroid use) and by National Leaguers being from a National League city.

I would define an icon as a player who is/was influential (Bob Gibson's ERA of 1.12 in 1968 resulted in the mound being lowered the following season)...widely known...and stands the test of time through career achievements (records unapproachable)... to put Pete Rose's career base hit total into perspective...if a player has 200 hits a season for 21 consecutive seasons...that player would still be 56 hits short and 200 hits in one season is not easily achieved. Or Nolan Ryan' s strikeout record...a pitcher fanning 300 batters in a season for 19 consecutive seasons would fall 14 strikeouts short of 5714 KKs. And this feat of 300 strikeouts in a season has been accomplished ONLY 33 times in baseball history...and Nolan Ryan has 6 of those!

mb2005

If the list is for icons, meaning widely known and influential players, I would have to put Derek Jeter on the list, as he is the most iconic player from the last 20 years. Cal Ripken would have to be on there for me also...



1. Mickey Mantle

2. Willie Mays

3. Hank Aaron

4. Derek Jeter

5. Nolan Ryan

6. Cal Ripken Jr

7. Stan Musial

8. Ernie Banks

9. Roberto Clemente

10. Pete Rose or Barry Bonds, whoever you dislike the least

slum22

I am interested to see what others think. I'll have to give my list some thought, but off the top of my head some other notables that didn't make your list include: Eddie Matthews, Ernie Banks, Al Kaline, Killebrew, F and B Robinson and George Brett among others.

miwlvrn

I would include Al Kaline as deserving as well, though I am a lifelong Michigan resident & Tigers fan.

TheMick6

Are we talking just baseball icons or hobby icons, mantle makes the list either way but there are cards that influenced and drove the hobby for periods of time but wouldn't make a top
Ten icon list otherwise. One example would be the 84 Donruss Mattingly. That was THE card to have for close to a 3-4 year period. I'll work on two list one for each.

Dboneesq

I would say that someone who had the highest HOF voting percentage in history (until broken by Jr. this year) should be included in a top ten icon list - Tom Seaver.

JHS5120

1. Mickey Mantle
2. Roberto Clemente
3. Nolan Ryan
4. Pete Rose
5. Hank Aaron
6. Sandy Koufax
7. Mark McGwire
8. Cal Ripken Jr.
9. Derek Jeter
10. Willie Mays

estang

Assuming this is baseball icons tied to cards, I'll go with:



1) Mickey Mantle

2) Nolan Ryan

3) Roberto Clemente

4) Pete Rose

5) Hank Aaron

6) Sandy Koufax

7) Barry Bonds

8) Willie Mays

9) Roger Clemens

10) Derek Jeter

rexvos

1. Mantle
2. Clemente
3. Mays
4. Aaron
5. Ryan
6. Koufax
7. Rose
8. Jackson
9. Strawberry??
10. Jeter

wilkiebaby11

This is my list... not the lsit that I think is for the population:

1. Roberto Clemente

2. Jackie Robinson

3. Willie Mays

4. Ted Williams

5. Mickey Mantle

6. Hank Aaron

7. Ken Griffey

8. Nolan Ryan

9. Tom Seaver

10. Ichiro

bobsbbcards

1. Hank Aaron
2. Willie Mays
3. Pete Rose
4. Barry Bonds
5. Nolan Ryan
6. Tom Seaver
7. Mickey Mantle
8. Reggie Jackson
9. Roger Clemens
10. Greg Maddux

I'm too young to have watched Koufax or Mantle, so there you go.