| All-Time Great Cards |
1973 Topps #50 Roberto Clemente
1973 Topps #240 Julius Erving
Here are my picks for the best all-time cards for each of the 4 major sports (Baseball, Basketball, Football, & Hockey) & also my pick for best non-sports
card. These may not necessarily be the most expensive cards, but one's that I feel are the tops in each sport.
card. These may not necessarily be the most expensive cards, but one's that I feel are the tops in each sport.
Nowbatting19's Pick: All-Time Best BASEBALL Card
1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle. It was a close call between this card or one of the Goudey Babe Ruth cards, but being that this featured a young Mickey Mantle on Topps first
major issue, plus the fact that it is a scarce High number, I have to go with this card. Ruth was THE MAN in his time, but so was Mantle, and I would guess that most collectors have
at least one Mantle card in their collection, while many do not have a vintage Babe Ruth card. Mantle is adored, not only by kid's in the '50's and '60's, but even by generations of
fans who never got to see him play (myself included; I was born in 1963). A lot of collectors would say the best all-time card is the famous T206 Honus Wagner (considered the "Holy
Grail" of baseball cards), but most can only dream of owning one. This one, while still expensive can be found somewhat affordable in low grades. This is my pick for best all-time
baseball card because of the significance of Mantle, in the all-time classic Topps set, and it's scarcity as a high number. Note: This is not Mickey Mantle's Rookie Card, as he
appeared in the 1951 Bowman set, but this is by far the most difficult and beautiful mainsteam Mantle card ever produced. Not a cheap card, expect to pay somewhere around
$15,000 for a NM example.
major issue, plus the fact that it is a scarce High number, I have to go with this card. Ruth was THE MAN in his time, but so was Mantle, and I would guess that most collectors have
at least one Mantle card in their collection, while many do not have a vintage Babe Ruth card. Mantle is adored, not only by kid's in the '50's and '60's, but even by generations of
fans who never got to see him play (myself included; I was born in 1963). A lot of collectors would say the best all-time card is the famous T206 Honus Wagner (considered the "Holy
Grail" of baseball cards), but most can only dream of owning one. This one, while still expensive can be found somewhat affordable in low grades. This is my pick for best all-time
baseball card because of the significance of Mantle, in the all-time classic Topps set, and it's scarcity as a high number. Note: This is not Mickey Mantle's Rookie Card, as he
appeared in the 1951 Bowman set, but this is by far the most difficult and beautiful mainsteam Mantle card ever produced. Not a cheap card, expect to pay somewhere around
$15,000 for a NM example.
1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle
Nowbatting19's Pick: All-Time Best BASKETBALL Card
1980-81 Topps Larry Bird RC/ Julius Erving/ Magic Johnson RC
1980-81 Topps Larry Bird/ Magic Johnson RC. This to me is the best basketball card ever! It features the Rookie cards of two of the game's best players, both of whom resurrected
the NBA to it's highest level. And sandwiched in-between the fabulous rookies is the original "Air," Julius Erving, "Dr. J." For some reason these cards are not popular; Michael
Jordan's 1986-87 Fleer Rookie Card is at least twice the price of this classic. Was Jordan twice as good as any of these guys? I don't think so. Very undervalued card!
the NBA to it's highest level. And sandwiched in-between the fabulous rookies is the original "Air," Julius Erving, "Dr. J." For some reason these cards are not popular; Michael
Jordan's 1986-87 Fleer Rookie Card is at least twice the price of this classic. Was Jordan twice as good as any of these guys? I don't think so. Very undervalued card!
Tim's Pick: All-Time Best FOOTBALL Card
1955 Topps All-American #37 Jim Thorpe. Well there can be much debate about the greatest football card of all-time. My pick would be this card of Jim Thorpe. Jim Thorpe was an
American, also he happened to be Indian which was pretty much the same thing as being black or even Chinese back then. In other words it was tough to succeed at pretty much
anything if you were not white. Jim Thorpe, was multi-talented, and excelled in several sports (like Jackie Robinson was to do later). Jim Thorpe had his Gold Medals taken away from
him in the Olympics after it was learned he had played semi-pro baseball. The medals were eventually returned to Thorpe's family long after he had passed away. This is just a great
looking card from a classic set and my pick for best all-time football card.
American, also he happened to be Indian which was pretty much the same thing as being black or even Chinese back then. In other words it was tough to succeed at pretty much
anything if you were not white. Jim Thorpe, was multi-talented, and excelled in several sports (like Jackie Robinson was to do later). Jim Thorpe had his Gold Medals taken away from
him in the Olympics after it was learned he had played semi-pro baseball. The medals were eventually returned to Thorpe's family long after he had passed away. This is just a great
looking card from a classic set and my pick for best all-time football card.
1955 Topps All-American #37 Jim Thorpe
Nowbatting19's Pick, All-Time Best HOCKEY Card
1979-80 O-Pee-Chee/ Topps #18 Wayne Gretzky RC. I think this one may be a no-brainer considering Gretzky is considered by most to be the greatest hockey player of
all-time. There are two Gretzky rookie cards; the O-Pee-Chee version (see picture to the left) which was issued in Canada, and the Topps version issued here in the U.S. Both are
identical on the front, while the OPC has a different card stock (white) and the O-Pee-Chee trademark on back. The Topps has a grey back with the Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.
copyright. Both are difficult to find in higher grades due to centering problems and the fact that the blue borders chip easily and show the tiniest bit of wear. The O-Pee-Chee
cards are notorious for "rough cuts" that occurred at the factory. The O-Pee-Chee is also the more expensive of the two; about $500 for a NM copy, while the Topps is around
$250. Beware of counterfeit O-Pee-Chee cards, there are several excellent fakes out there. To be on the safe side, it might be wise to purchase one that has been authenticated
by a REPUTABLE grading service. For that amount of money it is better to be safe than sorry.
all-time. There are two Gretzky rookie cards; the O-Pee-Chee version (see picture to the left) which was issued in Canada, and the Topps version issued here in the U.S. Both are
identical on the front, while the OPC has a different card stock (white) and the O-Pee-Chee trademark on back. The Topps has a grey back with the Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.
copyright. Both are difficult to find in higher grades due to centering problems and the fact that the blue borders chip easily and show the tiniest bit of wear. The O-Pee-Chee
cards are notorious for "rough cuts" that occurred at the factory. The O-Pee-Chee is also the more expensive of the two; about $500 for a NM copy, while the Topps is around
$250. Beware of counterfeit O-Pee-Chee cards, there are several excellent fakes out there. To be on the safe side, it might be wise to purchase one that has been authenticated
by a REPUTABLE grading service. For that amount of money it is better to be safe than sorry.
1979-80 Topps #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card
Nowbatting19's Pick, All-Time Best BOXING Card
Tough call. I would have picked the 1948 Leaf Boxing Rocky Graziano, but that card is so rare (only a couple are known to exist) that most collectors can just forgeddabowdit.
Another boxing card that would rate very high is the 1951 Topps Ringside #32 Rocky Marciano card; one of just a couple Marciano cards every produced. But for my pick of
the best all-time boxing card I am going to go with this 1948 Leaf Boxing (makers of "Knock-Out Bubble Gum") #1 Jack Dempsey. There are several Dempsey issues and
most are key cards. The reason I chose this one is that is depicts a determined Dempsey, who was a national hero on the scale of Babe Ruth, ready to slug it out to achieve
the American Dream. Guys like Dempsey, who came out of the Depression Era, knew what hard work was all about. Sadly, most Americans today do not really know what hard
work really is. Sitting in an office in front of a computer or spending all day on a damn cell phone is NOT, I repeat, NOT hard work! Dempsey symbolizes that tough American
work ethic that America used to have. Now we exploit cheap labor and wonder why there are so many unemployed or why there are so many illegal immigrants here. The real
reason is that we are just damn LAZY or else we feel our time is so valuable we need to pay for someone to watch our kids, wash our cars, walk our dogs, and hack our front
yards. I should get off the soap box here but this country IS going down the toilet. When I look at this card I see what this country used to about; hard working, blue collar
Americans slugging it out to make America great. This is my pick for best all-time boxing card.
Another boxing card that would rate very high is the 1951 Topps Ringside #32 Rocky Marciano card; one of just a couple Marciano cards every produced. But for my pick of
the best all-time boxing card I am going to go with this 1948 Leaf Boxing (makers of "Knock-Out Bubble Gum") #1 Jack Dempsey. There are several Dempsey issues and
most are key cards. The reason I chose this one is that is depicts a determined Dempsey, who was a national hero on the scale of Babe Ruth, ready to slug it out to achieve
the American Dream. Guys like Dempsey, who came out of the Depression Era, knew what hard work was all about. Sadly, most Americans today do not really know what hard
work really is. Sitting in an office in front of a computer or spending all day on a damn cell phone is NOT, I repeat, NOT hard work! Dempsey symbolizes that tough American
work ethic that America used to have. Now we exploit cheap labor and wonder why there are so many unemployed or why there are so many illegal immigrants here. The real
reason is that we are just damn LAZY or else we feel our time is so valuable we need to pay for someone to watch our kids, wash our cars, walk our dogs, and hack our front
yards. I should get off the soap box here but this country IS going down the toilet. When I look at this card I see what this country used to about; hard working, blue collar
Americans slugging it out to make America great. This is my pick for best all-time boxing card.
1948 Leaf Boxing #1 Jack Dempsey
Nowbatting19's Pick, All-Time Best NON-SPORT Card
1962 Topps Mars Attacks! #19 Burning Flesh 1962 Topps Mars Attacks! #20 Crushed To Death
There have been many great non-sports cards over the years. Among some of the most popular are the 1938 Gum Inc. Horrors Of War cards which depict graphic images of the
carnage of war. Kids must have loved them. Topps, one of the major producers of gum cards, not only made it big with sports cards but also non-sports cards. Among the most
popular are these 1962 Mars Attacks! cards. A small set of 55 cards was issued in 1962 with a "Bubbles, Inc." copyright on the card backs, but these are Topps cards nonetheless.
The set was extremely popular with the kids, just not with the parents. Cards with such titles as "Burning Flesh," "Crushed To Death," along with colorful and graphic (at the time)
depictions of humans and their pets getting zapped by the Martians was horrific to the parents of 1962. So Topps pulled the plug on the issue early and these cards are scarce today.
Among the tougher cards are cards #1 THE INVASION BEGINS, #36 DESTROYING A DOG (take THAT you animal lovers!), and the unnumbered Checklist. A movie was produced
several years ago (also called "MARS ATTACKS!") starring Jack Nicholson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Michael J. Fox (just to name a few) and directed by Tim Burton. It
was based on the 1962 Topps Mars Attacks! cards but the story was very different. If the movie would have stuck to the cards it might have turned out to be a good movie, but instead
it was a bomb (in a bad way). The 1962 Mars Attacks! cards are my pick for best all-time non-sports cards.
carnage of war. Kids must have loved them. Topps, one of the major producers of gum cards, not only made it big with sports cards but also non-sports cards. Among the most
popular are these 1962 Mars Attacks! cards. A small set of 55 cards was issued in 1962 with a "Bubbles, Inc." copyright on the card backs, but these are Topps cards nonetheless.
The set was extremely popular with the kids, just not with the parents. Cards with such titles as "Burning Flesh," "Crushed To Death," along with colorful and graphic (at the time)
depictions of humans and their pets getting zapped by the Martians was horrific to the parents of 1962. So Topps pulled the plug on the issue early and these cards are scarce today.
Among the tougher cards are cards #1 THE INVASION BEGINS, #36 DESTROYING A DOG (take THAT you animal lovers!), and the unnumbered Checklist. A movie was produced
several years ago (also called "MARS ATTACKS!") starring Jack Nicholson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Michael J. Fox (just to name a few) and directed by Tim Burton. It
was based on the 1962 Topps Mars Attacks! cards but the story was very different. If the movie would have stuck to the cards it might have turned out to be a good movie, but instead
it was a bomb (in a bad way). The 1962 Mars Attacks! cards are my pick for best all-time non-sports cards.
1914 Cracker Jack #88 Christy Mathewson