Collectibles On SI

Is Mickey Mantle still King of the Hobby? The Results are In!

Jason Schwartz

July 13, 1985; New York City, NY, USA; Mickey Mantle and other former Yankees acknowledge the cheers of the fans during Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium in New York City on July 13, 1985. The day was dedicated to Joe DiMaggio, and his 50 years of association with the Yankees. Mandatory Credit: Ed Hill-USA TODAY NETWORK
July 13, 1985; New York City, NY, USA; Mickey Mantle and other former Yankees acknowledge the cheers of the fans during Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium in New York City on July 13, 1985. The day was dedicated to Joe DiMaggio, and his 50 years of association with the Yankees. Mandatory Credit: Ed Hill-USA TODAY NETWORK / NorthJersey.com-USA TODAY NETWOR

For several generations of collectors—Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers (especially Boomers!)—there was always a single, simple truth: Mickey Mantle was King of the Hobby. Case closed. Period. Full stop.

I remember my first card show in 1980. I was a 10-year-old kid and seeing for the first time ever cards of the all-time greats, players I'd only read about: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb. Flipping through a binder of 1960s cardboard, I noticed the Mickey Mantle cards were priced double those of Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Naively, I asked the dealer why that was.

"Because he's Mantle, kid."

Because he's Mantle

For the generation of collectors who saw Mantle in his prime, he was beyond legendary. He was mythical. He was baseball's version of God. He had prodigious power, superhuman speed, matinee idol good looks, and—to top it all off—he was a Yankee. There's a reason, after all, that Bob Costas still carries a 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle All-Star card in his wallet.

As for the collectors whose love of the game began a decade ahead of mine, they saw a different Mick, one in decline but not without majesty. Plus, there were the records—18 World Series homers, three MVP awards, a Triple Crown—and perhaps even more importantly, the stories they'd heard from those a little older.

And then there were my contemporaries. We chased Mantle too but for a different reason, though perhaps a circular (if not hollow) one. It was simply this. His cards were the most valuable. Either way, we took the baton handed to us by our elders and carried it with gusto.

Hobby Heresy?

Today, however, as I survey the Hobby landscape, I see signs the Mick's reign may be coming to an end. Among the collectors much younger than me, if they're chasing vintage at all, much of their hero worship is directed toward Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Willie Mays.

Hank Aaron baseball cards, 1955-1979
Hank Aaron baseball cards, 1955-1979 / Jason A. Schwartz

Where Robinson, Aaron, and Clemente are concerned, they see greater men than Mantle. In Mays certainly, and others maybe, they see a greater ballplayer. Plus, how many young collectors can even afford Mantle anymore?! (Okay, this guy. But who else?)

Whether my recent observations amount to Hobby heresy or simply hearsay is something I decided to put to the test by polling collectors on the X social media platform.

As expected, Mick led the pack by a healthy margin, reflecting what we've long presumed to be the current state of the Hobby. But what about the future? This next poll attempted to answer that very question.

In fact, this second poll showed no real difference, If anything, Mantle rated slightly higher among younger collectors than collectors at large. In other words, the Mick's status as King of the Hobby appears rock solid. Whatever other plans Millennials and Gen Z might have for upending the sacred cows of the Boomer past, dethroning their baseball idol is not one of them.

More than seven decades after his major league debut, Mickey Mantle remains the ultimate cardboard icon, Jackie had greater impact, Willie was the better all-around player, Hank hit more home runs, and Roberto was the far better man, so how is this even possible? Today, tomorrow, and perhaps even forever, the secret to Mick's enduring stranglehold on the Hobby remains quite simple: "Because he's Mantle, kid."

Published |Modified
Jason Schwartz
JASON SCHWARTZ

Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.

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