Whose cards will be more valuable in the future Mantle vs Jordan? (Warning: Rage bait)

[General_Says_Tso]

Seeing as the pricing on sports cards continue to rise now challenging some 2021 prices. One of the questions I always enjoy talking about is amongst the goats in the hobby, whose cards will maintain the most value in the future. The popularity amongst different sports can change during different eras. Football has gained a lot of popularity given the strong television ratings over baseball and basketball. Do you think this has any influence on the goats in the sports hobby? If money was no option which goat, would you choose?

 

[zyceoa]

I'd choose Jordan, cause you can actually debate him being the GOAT. Mantle isn't even the best baseball player who had his MLB debut in 1951.

 

[banjar]

Haha, that's not too enraging a question.

I'd say Jordan.

The Mick will always be a legend, but he's not in the discussion for greatest baseball player ever. And since he retired 58 years ago, before long there won't be many left who saw him play.

 

[mrmopar]

Its hard to really compare two completely different eras of collectibles anymore. Mantle stuff was mostly in the era of survivors, like the PSA10 52 Topps, just a drop in the ocean of those that were printed. Cards have become highly valuable for their age and condition. He also spanned that generation where he had a handful of autographed cards made. Although he signed a ton, those certified cards carry a hefty premium.

Jordan came up in an era of massive overproduction. The Star sets are oddities. I am not sure if there are good estimates of how many were made or not, but basketball was in a weird spot at that time. The good news (or perhaps bad news) is that this was when everyone was keeping everything in pristine condition as well. There are not a lot of cards from the 80s and beyond that will ever be considered condition scarcities.

Jordan also starred in an era of highly popular inserts and his signatures are more plentiful than Mantle AND he could still continue to sign more and more, but he doesn't seem to have flooded the world with his autos either, like Mantle did.

I think they both have their merits and both will continue to bring high prices and likely hold those values well into the future.

 

[Philip J. Fry]

Jordan, easily.

 

[Topnotchsy]

Right now, basketball is an international sport in a way that baseball just is not.

I don't know whether that will remain that way in the future, but it feels like the Jordan brand (how well known he is, how iconic he is etc) is so much bigger than Mantle that I can't see it changing.

 

[jmc855]

Jordan. No contest.