2022 PSA submissions- Hop aboard a Mickey Mantle Express! GRADES ARE IN and PSA SCANS ARE UP!

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I told myself that I would not submit again until regular submission was available and the wait is over. Express is maybe too much for these but not much more than Regular and the value is probably right on the line, anyway. So, I put together a fun submission in the hopes of starting off 2022 strong: two items for my Mickey Mantle master set. In addition to being in pretty nice shape they are also signed by the man himself. The Equitable Life is ballpoint, solid and PSA/DNA certified already and the Rawlings Premium Photo is a toughie to begin with, the ballpoint signature is very clean for being on a glossy photo, well placed and came JSA certified via Robert Edwards Auctions.

And they both look authentic to me. 😉

1963-73 Equitable Life Sports Hall of Fame Mickey Mantle

1964-66 Rawlings Premium Photos Mickey Mantle (with Black Undershirt

I have high hopes for these; wish me luck!!!

threeofsix

Good Luck!!!

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@threeofsix said:
Good Luck!!!

Thanks! Fun stuff - I hope we see some return to normalcy in the world this year. Sending something to PSA was some familiar fun.

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Arrived safely today at Newport Beach.

erba

Those look great. Beautiful signatures!

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Update: I’m sort of amazed how much better the ‘system’ works as compared to the way things went pre-shutdown.

1) My package was logged in the same day it arrived; no more darkness from when it arrives to enters the system.

2) There was an issue with my order that still needs some sorting out; I received an email and a phone call to rectify the issue within two days of arrival. That is a massive step up in customer service, in my experience.

3) The PSA contacts I dealt with, Jasmin and Amanda, listened to my input, understood what I needed and took action on my behalf. I’m now pretty hopeful that everything works out and I really appreciated their efforts.

Good stuff, @PSAcard

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Order is back on track; minor glitch handled well and quickly!!!

Research and ID…

ndleo

My Regular sub moved quickly as well. I like the changes so far.

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@erba said:
Those look great. Beautiful signatures!

Thank you! Yes, I agree that both are sharp and really clean signatures. I’m semi amazed by the Rawlings - the paper didn’t rip with ballpoint and that the ink took so well on it; these premiums feature a pretty heavy gloss.

And again, thank you for the kind words!

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@ndleo said:
My Regular sub moved quickly as well. I like the changes so far.

Glad to hear! I have not seen many posts from you of late - though I could be in the wrong threads.

Hope all is well, @ndleo !!!

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Grading!

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My order just hit assembly and I actually have some behind the scenes footage of the process:

😁

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QA CHECK 1

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QA CHECK 2

threeofsix

Ready or not….

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…here I come, you can’t hide,
Gonna find you and take it slowly.
Ready or not (uh-huh), here I come, you can’t hide,
Gonna find you and make you want me…

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The grades are in but hasn’t had a shipping number assigned.

The results:

Rawlings: Good 2/Mint 9
Equitable Life: Good+ 2.5/Mint 9

Looks like the very tough grading continues (see high resolution scans above) but at least they’re now slabbed and should be home by the weekend.

Pretty impressive turnaround time given the dual service.

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To clarify, it is the item grades that I thought were very tough, not the signature grades. I was hopeful for closer to VG/EX-EX territory on them, particularly the Rawlings which was incredibly clean (and I have subbed a rather large percentage of those on the pop report so I have some frame of reference 😂).

As for the signatures, who’s not going to be happy with the word ‘Mint’ used to describe them?

And to reiterate because I should, I’m delighted with the service, the protection afforded to these beauties of which I am lucky to be steward and will definitely share my own images upon their safe return and can’t wait to add them to my Mantle Master Registry set.

When the Secure Scans are up, I’ll circle back and share them too.

Quite pumped for the return…

threeofsix

Excellent!!! I’m betting they’ll look great encased!!! Enjoy!

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One of the scans is already ready…

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…and now so is the other.

bswhiten

Very nice items and autos Tim! Congrats

lawyer05

very nice

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These came home earlier in the week…

…delighted to have them home and thanks to PSA once again for the excellent service.

NOTE: Literally while these items were there, PSA changed the cost of grading for PSA/DNA to reflect the extra labor involved - yet did not upcharge an order that they clearly could have if they had wanted to do so. I thought that was noteworthy and also wanted to say thank you.

BPorter26

I enjoy following your thread , beautiful Mick’s. How do you find this stuff?

voxels123

Beautiful.

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@BPorter26 said:
I enjoy following your thread , beautiful Mick’s. How do you find this stuff?

Most items come from auction house wins including eBay; if you like a player, just go to their registry and check their master set as presented by others. You’ll see some stunning, below the radar material. Then pick the ones you like and chase them down.

I do love Mickey’s cards…

…but the ‘other stuff’ is just as awesome to me, too…

…and of course:

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@voxels123 said:
Beautiful.

Thank you. That is very nice of you to say.

judgebuck

Tim,

Stunning assortment of Mantles. I especially love the 1960 Post Cereal, the 1955-57 Jay Publishing photos, and the obscure items.

And, I love seeing that 1969 Topps white letter from time to time. I know it is only graded a 4, but it is a stunning card. I can't quit staring at it every time I see it.

David

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@judgebuck said:
Tim,

Stunning assortment of Mantles. I especially love the 1960 Post Cereal, the 1955-57 Jay Publishing photos, and the obscure items.

And, I love seeing that 1969 Topps white letter from time to time. I know it is only graded a 4, but it is a stunning card. I can't quit staring at it every time I see it.

David

I always appreciate the kind words, David! It - the ‘69 WL - is one of my favorites, also, and it’s got some high end qualities to its credit, most notably the killer centering present in both front and back.

Here’s the card raw…

…and here’s the card well done…

…really well done. 😉

jay0791

I am a lovin all those Micks.
The 1969 WL is a card I need for my 1969 Yankees team set. Yours has great centering.
Kinda pricey and I know I can throw out high grades for my budget.

lwehlers

mr. mantle really did a great job of taking time to signing those. thanks for showing.