The Five Essential Baseball Cards of Hank Aaron
There may be no more impressive baseball resume than that of Hank Aaron. Among the highlights are 25 All-Star appearances, 755 home runs, and nearly 4,000 hits, not to mention one of the greatest moments in the history of sports.
According to Trading Card Database, Aaron has more than 7,000 different baseball cards, and it's a safe bet that nearly all of them are awesome. Of course, that's not to say that nearly all are equal. Whether you're looking to add your first playing era "Hammer" or already rank among the leaders in the PSA registry, here are five cards of "Hammerin' Hank" that stand out above the rest, the Five Essential Baseball Cards of Hank Aaron.
1954 Topps Hank Aaron
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The 1954 Topps Hank Aaron is quite simply a beautiful piece of cardboard. Oh, and it also happens to be his rookie card! Long in the shadow of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, value aside, who's to say this isn't the greatest Topps card of the 1950s, if not the greatest Topps card of all time?
1956 Topps Hank Aaron
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Hank Aaron has dozens of outstanding baseball cards from the 1950s, and collectors really can't go wrong with any of them. Still, his 1956 Topps card stands out for two reasons. First, the 1956 set is pretty much outstanding in every way. Second, the card features an accidental cameo that pairs Aaron with the game's greatest all-around player. You guessed it, that player sliding into home is none other than Willie Mays, painted Braves cap notwithstanding.
1958 Topps World Series Batting Foes
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Sticking with the theme of legendary cameos, here is Aaron with the great Mickey Mantle. In a bit of "cardboard clairvoyance," the card commemorates the Yankees-Braves World Series matchup of the prior year but also "predicted" the matchup for the current year. Fittingly, the Hammer won one of the two match-ups, and the Mick won the other.
1974 Topps Hank Aaron
With apologies to the 1960s, the next card on the Essentials list is Aaron's 1974 Topps card, which led off the set's checklist at number one. The card may have caused some confusion for the most eager of pack buyers as the card came out a few weeks before Aaron truly became "Home Run King." Still, having finished the 1973 season only one round-tripper behind the Babe, Topps regarded the record a fait accompli and in the process created the first ever Topps NOW card, at least for kids who pulled the card on April 9.
1980-2003 Perez-Steele Hall of Fame Postcard (SIGNED)
Readers of this "Five Essentials" column may not have the cardboard clairvoyance of the 1958 Topps World Series Batting Foes card, but they can almost certainly predict the final card on just about every Essentials list. As usual, the honor goes to a signed postcard from the 1980-2003 Perez-Steele collection...and if you really have your pick of the litter, blue Sharpie makes for a wonderful color match. Sadly, many of these autographs are fake, so insist on authentication and/or a trusted seller.
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.