The Top 10 Vintage Cubs Baseball Cards of All-time
by Ross Uitts
If you’re like a lot of baseball fans, then you’re also a fan of vintage baseball cards. Some of us collected as kids and have a nostalgic soft spot for them. Others just like the way they look and the history they represent. Whatever the reason, there’s no question they have their place in the game.
I thought it would be fun to put together a list of the best vintage Cubs baseball cards of all-time. And it was fun, but man it was much tougher than I thought it would be.
A list of the best baseball cards overall is much easier to create. The T206 Honus Wagner. The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. The 1933 Goudey Babe Ruths. They’re just so obvious. But when you try and narrow it down to the best cards of just one particular team, the level of subjectivity increases.
The final criteria I settled on to create this list of top Cubs cards were:
1) If the Cubs retired a player’s jersey number, then I’d find one of his cards to make this list.
2) But the card truly has to be vintage. Most in the hobby will define vintage as any card dating 1980 or earlier. Sadly that leaves out the Sandberg (1984) and Maddux (1987) rookie cards even though the Cubs retired their numbers.
3) If the player is a Hall of Famer who spent significant time with the Cubs, then he’d have a shot to make the list.
So let’s take a look at what I came up with, and you can decide if you agree or disagree.
1954 Topps #94 Ernie Banks Rookie Card He was “Mr. Cub,” so how could his rookie not be included? Along with the Hank Aaron and Al Kaline rookies, it’s a key to the 1954 Topps set and Banks’ most recognizable card overall. Topps and Bowman created some fantastic Ernie Banks baseball cards throughout the 50s and 60s, but I think this one was their best. The dual-imagery of Banks is top-notch and makes for a beautiful baseball card. |
|
1887 N172 Old Judge Cap Anson (Uniform) |
|
1909-11 T206 Frank Chance (Yellow Background) I’m cheating a little bit here, but I blame the T206 set’s multiple permutations of Mordecai Brown. Produced by American Tobacco from 1909-1911, this set is nicknamed “The Monster” for good reason: there are thousands of possible front/back combinations making it nearly impossible to complete in its entirety. And some players, like Chance, appear more than once. I couldn’t pick a favorite between the three so I included each of them. At first base, Chance helped anchor the legendary double-play combination of “Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance” that was immortalized by Franklin Pierce Adams’ 1910 poem “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon.” Chance also led the team to an average of 96 wins per season as its manager during the 1905-1912 season stretch. He’d win four pennants and two World Series and finish with a .664 winning percentage as the Cubs’ manager—the highest winning percentage in franchise history. |
|
1933 Goudey #211 Hack Wilson Wilson may have been short in stature, but that didn’t stop him from tearing the cover off the ball. His 1930 season was one for the ages, after he put up 56 home runs and knocked in an otherworldly 191 RBI, a mark that still stands today as the game’s single-season record. The 1933 Goudey set is iconic in the hobby—the Ruth, Gehrig and Lavoie cards routinely sell for over six figures in high grade—and Wilson’s rookie card is a key to it. A mint condition (graded PSA 9) Wilson rookie sold for $14,400 earlier this year. |
|
1909-11 T206 Mordecai Brown (Portrait) Brown’s story is amazing as you’d think the farm accident he suffered that led to his mangled hand wouldn’t have allowed him to pitch at all. Instead, it helped him toss one of the most effective curveballs of the day on his way to helping the Cubs win two World Series championships in 1907 and 1908. Brown also appears three different times in the set and again, I couldn’t pick a favorite so here’s all three of them. |
|
1933 Goudey #202 Gabby Hartnett He may have been quiet in nature, but Charles Leo “Gabby” Hartnett let his bat and glove do the talking for him. Often remembered for hitting the “Homer in the Gloamin,'” a blast that helped the Cubs win the 1938 pennant as night settled in over Wrigley Field, Hartnett is a Chicago Cubs icon. And his 933 Goudey #202 is a must-have card for Cubs fans. |
|
1961 Topps #141 Billy Williams Rookie Card Williams wasted no time leaving his mark on the game when he won the 1961 NL Rookie of the Year Award. The great thing about the 1961 Topps set was that the printing quality was better than usual so finding these cards in high-grade condition is a bit easier. As an up-and-comer in the Big Leagues, Williams received the “Rookie Star” symbol in the upper right corner of his rookie card. |
|
1966 Topps #254 Fergie Jenkins Rookie Card Jenkins won 20 or more games for the Cubs six years in a row from the 1967 through 1972 seasons. Unfortunately, he fell short of eclipsing the 300 win mark for his career (284 total), but he did add a Cy Young award to his list of accomplishments. His 1966 Topps rookie card is one of those instances where a player’s rookie card doesn’t depict him wearing the jersey of the team for which he’s most famous. Like the 1958 Topps Roger Maris (Cleveland jersey) and even the 1962 Topps Lou Brock (Cubs jersey), for example. Still a must-have for Cubs fans. |
|
1961 Topps #35 Ron Santo Rookie Card Another Cubs legend, Ron Santo, made his rookie card debut in the 1961 Topps set as well. Not as expensive or as desirable as the Williams rookie, Santo’s card is still one of the keys to the entire set. I believe 1961 was the second year in which Topps released its “All-Star Rookie” cards, and as you can see, Santo’s has that distinction with the trophy symbol in the lower left. |
|
1977 Topps #473 Andre Dawson Rookie Card Growing up as a kid in the late 80s, I clearly remember “The Hawk” as being a favorite of many kids in my neighborhood. “Awesome Dawson” could flat out play ball, bringing both a noisy bat and glove to the field. Along with Bruce Sutter’s rookie card, it’s a key to the 1977 Topps set. And if you can find his 1977 rookie card in high grade, you’ve got quite a nice piece of cardboard to remember him by. |
So that’s my list of the best vintage Cubs cards of all-time. Again, it wasn’t easy and maybe you agree or disagree with my final list. But, to me, that’s what makes this hobby so great—we each have our own likes and dislikes and each card means something special to each of us.
For more about classic baseball cards, be sure to visit oldsportscards.com.
Comments