Autographed Mickey Mantle...now what?
randybrown103
Posts: 7 ✭
I have a autographed 1968 Topps #280 Mickey Mantle. After reading up on signatures and what they can do to card values I'm a little worried about sending it to auction. It's not graded "yet". Should I have it graded by BGS or PSA? I need input please! Sorry pics aren't as good as I'd like.
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yes. psa bc of registry & value.
Do both, have the card graded and the autograph authenticated. PSA/DNA. The Re$ult$ will love you for it.
Can you post an image of your card? I'm sure you'll get plenty of feedback on both card grade and auto authenticity.
done
Love the dotted "I" right on the chin.
The auto has to be authenticated before any reputable Auction house would touch it or attempt to sell it. Now the question is should the OP get the auto graded as well (number grade). Looks really nice.
Beautiful card. As others have said if you’re looking to sell yes get the card & auto graded by PSA. That will net you the most cash when you sell. And I too love the dot on Mick’s chin, almost looks like he has a soul patch lol. 😂
Nice card.
I don’t think the signature is authentic; I would not send it in.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Upon further review, I don’t think the card is legit either.
I am just trying to save you some money.
Be careful with that one.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
I'm not an expert on Mick's sig. so I'm not going to give an uneducated guess on the authenticity of this auto.
I do know that it is forged a LOT. I agree with Tim, on this point...
I wouldn't send it in unless I knew for absolute certain it was authentic. Like I physically watched him sign it.
JMO, good luck on whatever you decide.
Jeff
Collecting:
post world war II HOF rookie
76 topps gem mint 10 commons 9 stars
Arenado purple refractors(Rockies) Red (Cardinals)
successful deals with Keevan, Grote15, 1954, mbogoman
As I understand the most forged autographs in Baseball are or were Mantle and DiMaggio ,however they are also easy to authenticate due to the volume seen. My guess is anyone who works for DNA is an expert on those 2 if nothing else.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
IMO, if Mickey had signed it, there wouldn't be any ink on his chin. Not with all the ample space under his face to position his name in, to avoid writing on his face, as was the general rule with MMs.
I agree. I'd venture 75/25 a forgery, but I would send it in anyway, just to be sure. DNA might deem that it is authentic, but possibly not signed under ideal conditions. Rushed, standing, palm supported signatures can exhibit atypical inconsistencies from their seated, table supported counterparts.
Although there are atypical characteristics of this MM, they're subtle, are not so far off the norm to completely disqualify it from being authentic, thus my odds of 75/25 (1 out of 4 chances of being authentic). Leave it up to PSA/DNA to make the call on this one.
That is not an authentic 1968 Topps card. My guess is that the signature is not authentic either.
before we even get to the sig, does the back of the card look off to anyone else?
could be the lighting in the room or camera. just looks off to me.
if thats the case, then no real need to move forward, imo.
with about 3 mins worth of looking…
first reprint found on ebay:
ops back:
authentic back:
@randybrown103
be curious how and when op acquired this card?
With this being the posts # 1 to 4?
There’s a decent chance…
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Sorry guys I have a company to run in my spare time. A friend of a friend's husband died, may he rest in peace, and in an effort to help her pay her rent I was buying some items from her. We started talking and she brought out his collection of cards. I was totally honest with her and she appreciated that. Even longer story short, she asked me to look into the whole collection. The hair on my arms stood up when I found this card. I told her about it and because she is not computer literate she agreed to a 70/30 split, with me getting 70%. Of course I will give her more but for now she's happy with that. And here I am.
I was just teasing you about the disappearance part; it is a semi common occurrence around here.
I stand by the advice I gave you. Grading is expensive and than card and sig makes me nervous.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Look familiar?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/363316117326?hash=item549753ff4e:g:A5AAAOSwnAJeiMja
Being sold on ebay as a reprint/facsimile for $3.50
As I always say, although I have no interest in the fakes, like this one, it's the quaint back-stories like this that I take an interest in. Although they're typically the same, "From my dead uncle's footlocker", "Selling this for a friend of a friend", "This came from Babe Ruth's caddy", etc., etc., or any of the myriad of BS based on these basic formulae, the subtle nuances can be entertaining and sometimes surprisingly humorous!
Like this back story you created above. Remember, most go overboard when explaining, the first flare you sent up that it's pure BS. "She appreciated this and that and the other", "Of course I will give her.. yatta, yatta, yatta... this is where BS artists trip over their own feet. In the awkwardly long and uncalled for explanations as well as details.
On a 1-10 scale where 1 is half-baked at best and 10 is the pinnacle of BS artistry, you're about a 2, but you're probably young, it's early yet, and who knows, in time you may improve where you can sell your BS to anyone more than a Mongoloid.
^ CUDA on the case. 😂
its the taking 70% from his dead buddys widow part that i liked the best.
It's the inclusion of that type of unnecessary lingo that spikes the BS meters. Minute detailing of anything and everything about the piece OTHER than the piece itself.
Is there a Berlitz school of scamming somewhere, maybe online, that these bunko artists attend? Because the delivery and execution is the same as it's been for decades; it's the same old talking points over and over. The same malarkey.
I collect autographs as well as cards and before non-authenticated service autographs were more the rule rather than the exception, I used to walk the floors at ephemera, movie/fantasy memorabilia, and card shows looking for pieces to add to my collection.
I'd sometimes stop at a table and look at a binder with 95% fakes and maybe ask, "What's the story behind this one", pointing to a blatant forgery. The dealer might say, "You interested in that one, I can make you a great deal on it", and I'd say, "Oh hell no. It's no good. We both know that. It was signed by the same hand that did this, and this, and that". They'd look at me shocked, not knowing what to say, and I'd say, "I'm not interested in the forgeries, I just enjoy listening to the crafting of the stories that go with them. I collect that. The BS. I have a huge collection of it".
Next time they'd see me coming at the next show, they're try to sneak the signed stuff off the table before I saw it. I guess even these sorts can be embarrassed, although you wouldn't think that people pushing fake crap could be.
I'm partial to "may he rest in peace" as the high point of the flimflam, meani that he peaked too early, the amateur.
i agree wholeheartedly. something felt off to me immediately as well. i just wasnt as blunt. in the past i was but then was called out one time for being too blunt. its crazy that in this day in time you can have someone lie straight to your face, then call them a boldfaced liar and then somehow youre the jerk. but moving back to this type stuff, youd be surprised how many folks approach (any) forum under the presumption that “they dont know what they have/if real” and post something like this solely for the purpose of attempting to snag someone looking for a deal thats too good to be true. they are ultimately banking on that person to “take advantage of them” and then end up offloading a fake to them. of course there are many different versions but in the end its always the same result. and yes, they often feel an elaborate backstory is needed to hook the john.
op, you may very well be completely truthful in this situation, but if your backstory is true, might i suggest you let someone else handle this widows collection? a friend of a friend would do that instead of trying to take a 70% cut off of a woman thats simply trying to collect rent to keep a roof over her head. the inability to catch this or do a simple search yourself to find the exact forged reprint on ebay yourself is a pretty clear indicator that youre not the correct person to be helping this poor lady. yes, im a jerk. but i dont take advantage of people.
eta: some real backdrop for op: i spent years tracking down the entire signed mantle run. it was no easy task. it took years of searching and wading thru a ton of bs to finally complete. so far i think im the only one to have completed the task with another well informed collector who is hot on my heels. and i hope he gets there. with that being said, i take instances like this extremely, extremely personally.
IMO, realistically, the chance of his being completely truthful in this situation is the same as Blutarski's GPA
>
mo,
you have to keep in mind that there are masterminds out there that need “fences” that come up w the schemes to simply use the “avg collector” to move their stuff for them. op could very well be a serious collector in other arenas (nascar, star wars, stubs) and obviously knows the name mickey mantle but not know thing about cards/autographs.
op gets $500. gives her $200 for a $3 card and shes risked nothing. no ebay backlash, no paypal chargeback and hasnt even given out her name or address.
Let’s cleanse (or exorcise?) this thread with a positive image of the real McCoy…
agreed:
and see how mickey avoided signing anywhere on his face in either example? 😉
In all fairness it does happen, albeit rarely, on some of the “busier” card designs. 52b, 59t come to mind.
of course, but i assume most of those were actually early playing days at the ball park. not at the mass sit down shows or on later year cards. also a lot less room on those 51/52bs. 😉
It does happen, typically on issues that have a facsimile autograph in the design, as part of the portraiture's artwork. In these cases, Mantle either signs right over the "factory" signature or just above it, thus necessitating that a part of the track will cross his face.
That's one heck of an awesome accomplishment. I would estimate that there's probably few enough complete sets of legitimately signed Mantle cards that those existing sets could be counted on one hand.
I agree with Mo— Blurry accomplished one of the most impressive feats in baseball cards, in my opinion.
I am not even sure that if a collector cares about eye appeal the set could be completed again, due to two factors: the sheer cost of a signed 51b and 52t, and the extreme rarity of nice looking examples of the remaining cards in the run. For example, due to the prohibitive cost of the 52T signed, I had to abandon the notion of ever completing it and settle for one Mantle run with whichever ones I could find signed; the others being unsigned copies. I tried selling everything I could to reel in one of the signed 52s and even a 175k bid fell pathetically short. Luckily we collectors are of limber mind and I did some mental gymnastics and contortions to convince myself that I can be happy with some signed and the two big ones unsigned and call that my collection. So far, that logic remains swallowed and seems to be sitting okay LOL! With the cost of a nice signed Mantle card of any year and the low pops, it seems like they will largely be "one off" special, coveted pieces in many collections. Heck, even the last nice signed 62T at Memory Lane hit like 20k.
I'm sorry to hear about Jenny's husband.
oh no. you didnt come this far! its a marathon, not a race. maybe its a year, maybe its 20. could be 24hrs before the astroid hits and cards are worthless. doesnt matter. im still keeping the faith for both of us!
WHHHHHAT?!?!?
well it was the highest. just noticed theres now one higher. had to be it, right?
You make a great point, bro, I like the positive vibe, thanks; who knows, if I bust my ass and get some luck, in 20 years I'll still only be 64, so maybe I complete the set then. Meantime I get a ton of enjoyment from the cards I have now so it's all good.
Regarding the 62 I mentioned, this is the Memory Lane example that sold for 20k+ all in. Certainly a solid piece, yet wasn't one that had my heart racing due to overall aesthetics. For comparison mine is the ball point centered copy below it. I really pay zero attention to the way PSA grades these, as the sharpie auto was given a 10, yet the "M's" are not formed ideally, as compared to the ball point they gave an 8. It's all personal preference like with anything and how these hit the eye of the beholder.
id take yours everyday of the week. and not just because of the ballpoint! your card is night & day a better looking example. per psa auto grading, im in the same boat. rather have a better looking card w an “a” auto vs an “a” card with 10 auto. not that one can really be too picky but also rather have a ballpoint auto vs a sharpie. its fun but as weve previously discussed, the auto element throws in so many “what to do head games” simply because the pool of overall candidates is just so shallow.
So true-- that is what got me hooked on them; I love the spot it puts a collector in, knowing how few there are, and how there are the variables in play of the card, the auto's look, the auto's placement, what each collector likes. It makes it lots of fun to collect and to talk with other collectors about what they dig. Bottom line, just no wrong way to go with signed vintage, it's all smiles. And thanks for the props on the 62!
Of note is that prior to the existence of PSA, PSA/DNA, a signed 51B, 52T, or 53T or B card was a Monkey's Paw! A spruce goose. More of a marketplace liability than an asset. The card collecting purists didn't want one because the signature "defaced" the card, and the autograph hounds didn't want one because they didn't want to $500 or more for a $25 to $50 Mantle autograph because of the card value. A corundum, making the sale of such a card daunting.
I remember one dealer that would set up at most of the local large events, that had a Ted Williams sharpie signed 1954B card. Beautiful card. Easily a solid 6 or 7 by PSA's current standards. It had a legitimate, perfectly placed, dark blue sharpie signature. He was asking just about straight price guide for it and it remained in his show inventory for years. Of course, Ted was still very much alive and still signing, but the value of the item that signature was on was the deal killer. Card collectors wanted a clean one, auto hounds didn't want to pay the price for a 54B.
Enter PSA/DNA and a whole new mindset was born.