Player: Rickey Henderson
Set: 1980 Topps
Card Number: 482
Why is This Card a Must Have?: One of the few sure first Hall of Famers in my generation. He is arguably the finest lead off hitter ever to play the game. He has almost 500 more stolen bases than the next highest player. When Rickey retired he held the top spot in three major statistical categories, stolen bases, runs and walks. That makes his a first ballot 100% Hall of Famer. You may not have liked him as a person, but he deserves nothing short of being on 100% of the ballots. He only holds the record for stolen bases and runs now as Barry Bonds has surpassed him in walks. He holds the second highest total for most stolen bases in a season (130, highest total since the 1800s), when when you think about that number is insane. Other than he and Vince Coleman, the next highest total since he stole that many was Marquis Grisson with 78. He was a must have in fantasy baseball leagues in the late 80s and early 90s. To top it all off he has more than 3000 hits and almost 300 home runs. This card has always been one of my favorites, just because the player was so amazing to watch play. I have not only this set, but 2 of these cards.
On a Scale of 1 to 10, How Must Have Is This Card?: A 10, if you are a baseball card collector, you can’t afford not to have this card in your collection. He may have been a to 10 player of all time. Very rarely do you see a player with the mix of blazing fast speed and home run power. This card can be had via eBay for roughly $12.
I remember when people were paying $200 for this card.
I’ll never forget when I got my first Rickey rookie, paying WAY more than it can now be found for. Unlike most Rickey collectors, I still only have one of these, as nothing can replace the original. Thanks for the post!