Baseball cards are weird

[dougdirt]

Most influential?

I'd give that to a few other cards.

Such as?

The 89 Griffey changed the hobby. Before then, only Topps Tiffany were premium caliber cards and hardly anyone had those. Upper Deck changed the game by going to a premium card and it coincided perfectly that Griffey was in that set. It made it the must have card/set and introduced people to something that cards could have been instead of cheap non-glossy papers.

[757690]

Most influential?

I'd give that to a few other cards.

Gotta agree with Doug on this one.

Until 1989, Topps was the only card company kids and investors cared about. Other companies like Bowman, Fleer and Donruss entered the market, but with very limited success, mostly because they were inferior products.

Then Upper Deck came and blew everyone away. The cards were highest quality cards ever produced, by miles. The photography was outstanding, the colors rich, the design clean and smart, even the card stock was superior.

But the topper was that they made this card, Ken Griffey jr's rookie card, the first card of the set. Everyone wanted that card. Before then, rookie cards in the year they were produced, rarely went for more than 25-50 cents. The year earlier, Gregg Jeffries rookie cards were going for over $1, which shocked the baseball world. But in 1989, Jr.'s Upper Deck rookie card was selling for more than $10, and flying off the shelves. This was before he had even played in the majors. He was 19 and just drafted a year and a half earlier. No one really knew how great he would become.

This card took the shine off of Topps, made Upper Deck the premium and most desired cards, and made it necessary for investors to buy rookie cards as soon as they came out, and not wait for them to actually play and perform in the majors.

This card turned the baseball card world upside down, and changed it forever.

[powersackers]

It's now all about the "hits". Rare serial numbered, relics or autos. In 2011 I "hit" a James Paxton chrome rookie refractor numbered out of 5 redemption card. Sold on ebay immediately for over $200 and he had not even thrown a MLB pitch. I bought a used PS Vita with the $$$. Paid like $4.99 for the pack.

[Danny Serafini]

I'm working on a complete Topps Reds set 1952-present. Have everything from 1971 on, but now it gets expensive, of course. Anyone else do anything like this?

I'm complete back through 1974. There's a couple years I'm pretty close on, but they're getting pricy (for instance I only need the Bench for 1968 and 1969, but that ain't cheap). Lots of gaps in the early years though.

I used to try and collect everything as a kid, but once things expanded past Topps/Donruss/Fleer I realized that wasn't practical, so I focused on just Reds and building that collection as big as possible.

[bob jones]

Do you have Dave Serafini

[Dom Heffner]

Such as?

The 89 Griffey changed the hobby. Before then, only Topps Tiffany were premium caliber cards and hardly anyone had those. Upper Deck changed the game by going to a premium card and it coincided perfectly that Griffey was in that set. It made it the must have card/set and introduced people to something that cards could have been instead of cheap non-glossy papers.

Well if defining changing the hobby means it simply upgraded the quality of cards, okay.

Quality has not resulted in value, that's for sure. Cards today are awesome looking, expensive, and worthless.

You can type in "Most influential baseball cards of all time" and most guys don't have the Griffey card at #1.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Great story Charles, but are you sure you wouldn't rather have this one?

I do. :O) I've got all of Brooks' cards (I only do topps), Rose's, Bench's, Davey's and Morgan's.

[savafan]

This card:

[bigredmechanism]

I used to collect a lot of basketball cards as well as baseball.

8 year old me loved these kind:

[Johnny Footstool]

Got this at a card show in Wichita in 1987. It was my most prized card.

[757690]

Well if defining changing the hobby means it simply upgraded the quality of cards, okay.

Quality has not resulted in value, that's for sure. Cards today are awesome looking, expensive, and worthless.

You can type in "Most influential baseball cards of all time" and most guys don't have the Griffey card at #1.

I think you are conflating "influential" with "important" or "valuable."

[757690]

I got this card in a pack when I was a kid and was very confused. I asked my brother and he said it very valuable, since it was an error.

The Padres were set to move to Washington DC inbetween the 1973 and 1974 season, so Topps made the Padres into the Washington "National League" team. When the team stayed put in San Diego, Topps switched them back to the Padres, but a few Washington "National League" cards made it through into packs.

[Dom Heffner]

I think you are conflating "influential" with "important" or "valuable."

No, I'm not.

Or rather- I acknowlegded that if by influence you mean nicer made cards....then I guess so.

[dougdirt]

No, I'm not.

Or rather- I acknowlegded that if by influence you mean nicer made cards....then I guess so.

What other card changed the industry like the Griffey UD did? I can think of a few different sets that changed things moving forward, but not so much a card. The 89 UD set changed things, but the reason the game was changed is because of Griffey. The 89 whateverotherbrand Griffey cards aren't nearly as popular or valuable.

[757690]

No, I'm not.

Or rather- I acknowlegded that if by influence you mean nicer made cards....then I guess so.

Babe Ruth was a just a better player than everyone else too.

Microsoft just made a nice operating system.

HBO just made better shows than the networks...