New cards added to Mickey Mantle Set

Alfiewt

How does everyone feel about the new cards added to the Mickey Mantle Player Set. I like the addition of the Topps cards, but I don't understand the addition of the Stahl Meyer and 1959 Home Run Derby cards. There are no graded Mickey Mantle Home Run Derby cards, and I think the highest graded Stahl Meyer card is a PSA 1. If they are going to add these cards why not add all of the Mantle cards that PSA grades. I thought it was good how most of the player sets just included the regular issue cards and cards most widly collected. I think the Registry would be better served to have two Mantle sets, one with just the regular cards, and another that includes all of the other cards.

Mantlefan

I am quite disappointed by this latest maneuver. To see my set...ranked 7th...go from 93% complete to 78% is not right. Were any of the Mantle guys contacted about this...I sure wasn't. Most of the nine added cards are ridiculous:

1952 Berk Ross...only 2 PSA 8's

1953, 54 or 55 Stahl-Meyer Franks...only 5 cards graded..none over "2"

1954 NY Journal American...only 12 cards graded.....6 "8"'s

1959 Home Run Derby...No Graded cards

assorted HR and RBI leader cards of the 60's...you need a magnifying glass to see the Mick!

This was certainly unnecessary....why leave out Mantle Exhibit cards, SSPC cards, 1961 Nu-card scoops [there are 30-40 cards of each graded thusfar], Topps Dice cards, 1967 Who Am I? cards etc.... Heck, I've got a 1956 Coca Cola Mickey Mantle white letter variation tattoo stamp graded PSA 1 which should be in there too. As bad as I feel though, I feel worse for the 100% guys who built fabulous collections, only to now be told that their sets are only 83% complete! [with no chance of 100% completion] The only winners here, as usual, are PSA which will get a bunch of new Mantle submissions, and the dealers who will get higher prices for their Berk Ross and Journal American Mickeys. But that's just my opinion...I could be wrong [gonna miss you Dennis].

Mantlefan

Also..why isn't the 1954 NY Journal American card required for the Willie Mays set?? While we're at it, for completeness please include the 1969 Topps Game card of Mickey...there are 173 of them in PSA 7 or better. And how about the lucky guy holding the 1 of 1 PSA 8 1976 Shakey's Pizza Mantle. Is he sitting on a gold mine or what?

riccaboni

Is there any information on what exactly the 1953, 54 or 55 Stahl-Meyer Franks, 1954 NY Journal American, and
1959 Home Run Derby sets were? I'm familiar in a sense with the Berk-Ross sets but not with these, any information via post or a link would be appreciated .

Ian

mikeschmidt

That does seem to be a silly move overall.

Make a basic set -- with all the "regular" and firmly-established Mickey cards, and then make a comprhenesive set with all of the rare, regional and unsual issues. There is no need to make it silly -- I mean, why don't you just add the Yankees Team cards in now?

Why not put in the 1961 Topps Dice Game Mickey Mantle --- or the vast and populous hoard of Venezuelan Topps cards?

Realistically, I would guess that Marshall was driving the addition of the AL HR Leaders cards -- but I don't think he would have requested the others. Not sure on this strategic (and poor-minded) move.

brucemo

There are lots of cards that shouldn't be included, because they were made after Mantle was done playing. You shouldn't have to find the hundreds of modern cards that were produced, and continue to be produced.

I would think that someone who is doing Mantle would like to have as many cards as possible in the set, and if some of them are rare, that's just that much more fun.

The Honus Wagner is required for completion of the T-206 set, after all.

bruce

mikeschmidt

Bruce -- come on; Can you tell me of any T-206 set that was ever sold complete, with a Wagner card? To the best of my memory, it hasn't happened in the last five years, if ever.

Collecting a player set is one thing -- but it is a whole different ballgame when some cards have less than five examples known (e.g., 1967 Topps Test Stand-Up) that were only distributed to/by Woody Gelman and his buddies.

qualitycards

I don't think its such a bad idea to have more cards listed. If they are rough to obtain then the majority won't have it and your standing in the registry will go unchanged. But say you have a Berk Ross in a PSA-7 and you are on the Mantle registry, prior to this week, you had a nice vintage card of the Mick that you couldn't add to the set, so your set is incomplete...jay

Mantlefan

Jay

I think you have to draw a line somewhere on what's in a registry set, and I think the present Mantle set is quite complete and representative of the mainstream cards of the Mick. To include issues where there are no PSA graded cards [1959 Home Run Derby] or 3 PSA 1 cards [Stahl-Meyer Franks] is not right. Right now, a 100% completed Mantle set is technically impossible. Just as getting a set on the registry requires several people to request it, it should take more than one person to change the requirements of the set. Any other Mantle set owners have an opinion here?

waitilltheytrytosell

For the primary Mickey Mantle set they should have all regular issue Topps and Bowman cards from 1951 to 1969. All his All-Star cards, leader cards, checklists, combos, etc. They shouldn't list anything after that like 1975 MVP. They shouldn't list any inserts or odd-ball Topps sets like stamps, decals, Giants, and game cards. All the other odd-ball cards can go into a secondary Mantle set for his odd-ball issues. In the odd-ball set you can then have a listing for anything and everything weird. This is the way they should do it for each player they list like a Mantle, Mays, Aaron, etc. Regular issue cards are what most people are going to concentrate on. If somebody wants to go after a 100% odd-ball Mantle set, more power to them.

Alfiewt

The problem with having some of the oddball cards in the player sets, is that some people have no interest in them. They feel their set is complete without all the oddball cards, but the registry doesn't reflect this. The sets should reflect what the goals are of the collectors. It would be very easy for PSA to have two different sets for player, one of just regular issue cards, and another that includes all of the oddball cards. Then both types of collectors would have a set that represents their goals.

Davalillo

I am for including the rarer regional cards in the registry. I do not have any of the Stahl Meyer cards but I do have the Berk Ross and NY Journal American graded. So what if everyone drops their completion percentage. The cards are out there and are part of a complete Mantle collection.
If its not done this way where should the line be drawn. Certainly not just Topps and Bowman as cards such as 54 Red Heart and 54 DanDee would be excluded.

Alfiewt

I sent my suggestion about adding a second Mantle set that includes all of the oddball cards to BJ. I got this responce today.

Alfred,

I'm going to send out a little survey to all the Mantle registrants
with some options. Once we get the feedback, we'll make a decision about
what to do. Joe is not adverse to adding another set. I'll get the
survey out tomorrow and will be back in touch as soon as I have some
results. Thank you.

BJ


I hope a second set is added that has all of the oddball cards. I think if anyone has any of the oddball cards they should be able to register them. I just don't think collectors that have no interest in the oddball cards should have to have there sets look incomplete on the registry when it is complete to them. so there should be two sets.

Davailillo,

Do you have any other Mantle cards not listed on the registry? I think any Mantle collection that has a lot of the oddball cards would be truely amazing.

waitilltheytrytosell

The only thing I would like to add to my suggestion above is to have two separate Mantle odd-ball sets.
So you would have a total of 3 Mantle sets you can register.

1) - Regular Issue - All Regular Issue Topps and Bowmans from 1951 to 1969. This includes all the leaders, thrills, All-Stars, combos, etc.

2) - Odd-Ball Issues - All vintage Mantle cards not included above. "Vintage" is based on his last regular issue card. For Mantle this means anything from 1969 and earlier. All of the odd-ball Topps inserts like stamps and decals and other small odd sets go here, as well as things like Berk Ross, Dan Dee, and anything else that fits in a PSA holder.

3) - Collector Issue - or Modern Issues - This includes all the cards that were made of him after 1969, and all the junk they are still making of him today.

New items can always go into sets 2 and 3 as they are discovered, graded, or issued.

You just use the same format for each player when you add them to the registry.

This seems to "fit" the way most people collect.

delldude

I agree...three different sets for the Mick while being able to use the vintage cards in set 1 for set 2 as well.

BJ

I sent out an email this morning to all Mantle set registrants. I've heard back from about half so far. I'll post results as soon as I hear back from a majority.