Collecting baseball cards has been a US national pastime since the days of the American Civil War. The first trade cards to feature baseball teams were created in 1868 by a sporting goods store based in New York.
Peck and Snyder started something which remains remarkably popular to this day and has plenty of history behind it.
While you may take good care of your baseball cards, the Baseball Card Hall of Fame is the best place to find out which baseball cards stand above all the others.
In this guide, we will detail all you need to know about the Baseball Card Hall of Fame, of which there are two.
What You Will Find In The Baseball Card Hall Of Fame
The Baseball Card Hall of Fame is essentially a collection of the most famed baseball cards which is added to yearly.
There are two Baseball Card Hall of Fames in fact, one is done by baseball card collectors while the other is done by eBay (see also “Best Camera For Sports Card Pictures On Ebay“).
In 2018, the genesis for the idea of the hobbyist’s version of the Baseball Card Hall of Fame on YouTube came from Ray Fonio, also known as ‘RayFromPhilly’ on the video platform.
Voting was done by video response in the Hall of Fame’s first three years. In 2019, Fonio began a ballot and created a three-man committee with Victor Roman Sr and a further YouTuber, Mike Steveline from This Baseball Card Life.
The voting is essentially an annual event where baseball card collectors vote and then watch as the inducted cards are unveiled.
In 2019, the eBay Baseball Card Hall of Fame was introduced which included ten all-time great baseball cards that consistently have a high value.
Each player featured on the cards is also already inducted into the Hall of Fame, aside from Pete Rose who was banned from the sport but whose cards still command a high value.
How Both Of The Baseball Card Hall Of Fames Work
For Ronio’s Hall of Fame, there is a three-man committee and voting is done strictly by baseball card collectors. Each baseball card collector involved in the Hall of Fame is granted a single vote to avoid ballot box stuffing.
This form of awarding baseball cards also gives an egalitarian sense of fairness. Furthermore, each collector is allowed to nominate ten cards from a total of 40 for inclusion in the Hall of Fame.
There are three guidelines which must be followed for each baseball card to even be considered for induction into the Hall of Fame. Firstly, the card has to be considered popular within baseball collecting which can seem subjective.
Another criterion is that the artistic design of the card is considered iconic, and the card should have a ‘monetary weight’. The card itself does not need to feature a Hall of Famer as it is the card itself being inducted rather than the player.
The other Baseball Card Hall of Fame by eBay fails to fully involve fans. You can still expect great players like Mariano Rivera to be involved.
His inclusion also meant a range of exclusive merchandise with the proceeds going to Rivera’s charitable foundation.
The players’ cards still form an iconic element of baseball culture but fans have little say in which cards get inducted into eBay’s version of the Baseball Card Hall of Fame.
The 2022 Baseball Card Hall Of Fame Inductees, As Voted For By Fans
There were ten baseball cards inducted into Ronio’s Baseball Card Hall of Fame in 2022.
With the tenth most votes was the 1952 Topps Eddie Mathews rookie card, followed by the Ted Williams 1954 Bowman card (see also “1981 Topps Joe Montana Rookie Card & It’s Worth“).
The Roberto Clemente 1973 Topps card was inducted with the eighth most votes followed by the iconic 1969 Topps Johnny Bench card.
With a full action pose and a beautiful card in its own right, the 1950 Bowman card of Jackie Robinson got the sixth most votes.
Another artistic baseball card to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was the 1909-11 T205 of Christy Mathewson. The baseball card with the fourth most votes was a landscape one, the 1960 Topps card of Carl Yastrzemski.
Opening up the top three baseball cards to be inducted was a plain black and white shot of Joe DiMaggio from Play Ball in 1939. Another great player to be inducted on a card was Lou Gehrig from Goudey in 1934.
At the top of the votes with 54.4% was the 1914 Cracker Jack card of Ty Cobb.
Final Thoughts
Baseball card collecting is a passion of Ronio’s Hall of Fame and demonstrates how the hobby can become an event. The community of baseball card collectors is involved and there is a collaboration into which cards are inducted.
This gives baseball card collectors a voice and shows how the cards have been ranked by those who know what they are talking about.
Frequently Asked Questions
The first ten baseball cards to be inducted into Ronio’s Hall of Fame include the likes of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, the 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle, the T206 Honus Wagner, and the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth.
Further unsurprising entries included the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card, the 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson, and the Nolan Ryan rookie card from 1968.
Rounding out that first set were the 1951 Bowman Willie Mays, the 1954 Topps Hank Arron, and the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson.
The Topps #311 baseball card of Mickey Mantle which was released in 1952 is known as the most expensive baseball card.
It was included in Ronio’s first induction of baseball cards and a record price was paid for it. The $12.6m paid on August 28, 2022, broke all previous records.
He bought me my first baseball mitt, and taught me everything I know about baseball. When he came over one day with my first ever baseball card, I was absolutely elated. We started collecting them together, and getting excited whenever we went somewhere that sold them.
Here, I hope you find all of the information that you need to build your own amazing baseball card collection with friends, family and loved ones, and you too can find happiness in getting all of your favorite cards!
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