Analysis of High-Grade 1955 Bowman Mickey Mantle #202 PSA-graded cards
mikeschmidt
Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭
Well, as promised before, I said I would post the "Marc Schoenen Mini-Analysis of the 1955 Bowman #202 Mickey Mantle" baseball cards, in top condition.
Background: This card has a population of six in PSA 9 MINT condition and three in PSA 10 GEM MINT condition. This analysis will specifically look at three of the six PSA 9 MINT examples and one of the PSA 10 GEM MINT examples. There have presently been 690 examples graded by PSA.
This analysis will not deal with: Marshall Fogel's PSA 10 GEM MINT example; It is unknown to me which of the six PSA 9 examples that John Branca owns. One could surmise where some of the other examples are -- I have some indications, but will not name any names as I do not have precise confirmation on any of them.
The first PSA 9 MINT example is detailed below.
This card featuring Mickey Mantle is arguably the weakest of the four examples displayed in this case study. This card does show exceptional centering -- it is very close to 50/50 all the way around on the front, and finding a card with such nice centering on a 1955 Bowman card is indeed very tough. The color is very nice. There may be a few dots or imperfections that would need to be clarified in person to make a better analysis. The first is a white speck that appears midway in the brown border, about 1/4 of the way down from the top left border. Looks like a little speck -- and I cannot confirm if it is there, and, if so, if it is a white print spot. There is a similar one near the bottom left border -- could be a print spot -- could be something else. There does seem to be some excess ink on this card -- follow the inner screen straight down from the inner screen's bottom right border. There is a few stray dots/lines of black that all affect the border. Kind of messy looking, I would admit. As for the corners -- well, they are okay. There is no blatant wear on any of the corners -- but I'm not convinced I would get paper cuts from any of them, either. The bottom left corner looks the best -- and, in a recurring theme, the right borders do not look especially sharp. I would say that the border on this card is pretty bad. On the top and bottom of the card, there is definitely a fair amount of white mixed in which the dark-brown wood grain borders. The bottom border does seem to have a series of minute border chips, most notably underneath the "Color TV" logo, along the border. The right border of the card does have some very noticeable whiteness. This whiteness is very near the black ink spots and a somewhat soft corner. The bottom right-hand portion of this card is by far the weakest portion of the whole card. There are a few other small border chips around, too.
The second PSA 9 MINT example is detailed below. This scan includes both the front and reverse of this card. This is clearly one of the "older" PSA 9's. I am reasonably confident that the example detailed in the third scan was graded in the Spring of 2002.
This card is rich in color. Corners overall seem sharp. The bottom right corner seems to have a hint of wear on it. In fact -- of the four examples in this mini-analysis, none of them have a super-sharp and nice lower right-hand corner, it seems. There may also be the slightest hints of wear on the upper left corner. The other two corners are both superb. Centering on this card is very strong -- it appears to be better than 55/45 all the way around. With vintage issues, especially the 1955 Bowman, that is more than most people could reasonably ask for. The centering helps make this card. There are no noticeable print spots or color imperfections. The back of the card is nearly pristine. There seem to be very few 1955 Bowman cards that have such amazing centering on both the front and the back of cards. There are hundreds of high-grade examples from this set that are essentially marred by 90/10 or miscut reverses -- even if centering on the front is great. Now there are some border imperfections on this example. There is a tiny little break underneath the "C" in "Color TV" along the bottom of the card. Along the right side of the card, there is noticeable border imperfection. There are a few separate spots, in a row, where the border just has a significant amount of white showing. It is by far the most annoying distraction on this card -- and very noticeable on these dark-brown wood borders.
The third PSA 9 MINT example is detailed below:
This example displays the best borders of the four cards considered in this analysis. There are no significant or noticeable border chips that affect the display of this card. With the dark-bordered 1955 Bowmans, this is typically the most noticeable distraction, and one that often downgrades a card significantly. In fact, this card seems to have better borders than the PSA 10 GEM MINT card detailed below. This card has approximately 60/40 centering from left to right and better than 45/55 centering from top to bottom. This card displays two superior and strong corners -- the top and bottom left. The right corners show the faintest hints of white -- though there is more white apparent on the top right corner. The corners are essentially flat and sharp otherwise. This card also has a minute green print dot on the bottom left to the left of the "Color TV controls".
The PSA 10 GEM MINT example is detailed below. This is an example that has been somewhat available for sale in the past year or two. It is presently unknown whether or not this card may still be available -- or if it has been sold to a private collector:
This example has great colors and very strong borders. There is one noticeable border imperfection that in my mind is significant given that there is a $20 - $30,000 difference between a PSA 9 and a PSA 10 of this card. On the lower left border of the card (follow the "C" of "Color TV" down to the bottom border and move to the left about half a centimeter). At that point there is a white border chip. Overall the top and bottom borders have a trace more white showing than the third PSA 9 (trace amounts of white showing is different, aesthetically, than a border chip or the borders on the first two PSA 9 examples). Thus, I personally believe the borders of this card are not as strong as the third PSA 9 example. The corners seem to be pretty strong overall. It does seem as if there may be the slightest hint of softness or a touch on the lower right hand corner. I have only been provided scans of this card -- but the lower right-hand corner does not seem to have the same level of sharpness as the other three corners. This is clearly the best card of the four -- though it definitely has one or two items that keep the card from being perfect.
I have tried to be as fair and objective as possible in this analysis. I welcome any thoughts from fellow board members. As Mickey Mantle is probably the highest-priced modern baseball superstar, and as grading consistency is frequently mentioned, I hope that by presenting this piece, it will help bring about some discussion, thoughts and questions.
Happy collecting all!
Marc S.
Background: This card has a population of six in PSA 9 MINT condition and three in PSA 10 GEM MINT condition. This analysis will specifically look at three of the six PSA 9 MINT examples and one of the PSA 10 GEM MINT examples. There have presently been 690 examples graded by PSA.
This analysis will not deal with: Marshall Fogel's PSA 10 GEM MINT example; It is unknown to me which of the six PSA 9 examples that John Branca owns. One could surmise where some of the other examples are -- I have some indications, but will not name any names as I do not have precise confirmation on any of them.
The first PSA 9 MINT example is detailed below.
This card featuring Mickey Mantle is arguably the weakest of the four examples displayed in this case study. This card does show exceptional centering -- it is very close to 50/50 all the way around on the front, and finding a card with such nice centering on a 1955 Bowman card is indeed very tough. The color is very nice. There may be a few dots or imperfections that would need to be clarified in person to make a better analysis. The first is a white speck that appears midway in the brown border, about 1/4 of the way down from the top left border. Looks like a little speck -- and I cannot confirm if it is there, and, if so, if it is a white print spot. There is a similar one near the bottom left border -- could be a print spot -- could be something else. There does seem to be some excess ink on this card -- follow the inner screen straight down from the inner screen's bottom right border. There is a few stray dots/lines of black that all affect the border. Kind of messy looking, I would admit. As for the corners -- well, they are okay. There is no blatant wear on any of the corners -- but I'm not convinced I would get paper cuts from any of them, either. The bottom left corner looks the best -- and, in a recurring theme, the right borders do not look especially sharp. I would say that the border on this card is pretty bad. On the top and bottom of the card, there is definitely a fair amount of white mixed in which the dark-brown wood grain borders. The bottom border does seem to have a series of minute border chips, most notably underneath the "Color TV" logo, along the border. The right border of the card does have some very noticeable whiteness. This whiteness is very near the black ink spots and a somewhat soft corner. The bottom right-hand portion of this card is by far the weakest portion of the whole card. There are a few other small border chips around, too.
The second PSA 9 MINT example is detailed below. This scan includes both the front and reverse of this card. This is clearly one of the "older" PSA 9's. I am reasonably confident that the example detailed in the third scan was graded in the Spring of 2002.
This card is rich in color. Corners overall seem sharp. The bottom right corner seems to have a hint of wear on it. In fact -- of the four examples in this mini-analysis, none of them have a super-sharp and nice lower right-hand corner, it seems. There may also be the slightest hints of wear on the upper left corner. The other two corners are both superb. Centering on this card is very strong -- it appears to be better than 55/45 all the way around. With vintage issues, especially the 1955 Bowman, that is more than most people could reasonably ask for. The centering helps make this card. There are no noticeable print spots or color imperfections. The back of the card is nearly pristine. There seem to be very few 1955 Bowman cards that have such amazing centering on both the front and the back of cards. There are hundreds of high-grade examples from this set that are essentially marred by 90/10 or miscut reverses -- even if centering on the front is great. Now there are some border imperfections on this example. There is a tiny little break underneath the "C" in "Color TV" along the bottom of the card. Along the right side of the card, there is noticeable border imperfection. There are a few separate spots, in a row, where the border just has a significant amount of white showing. It is by far the most annoying distraction on this card -- and very noticeable on these dark-brown wood borders.
The third PSA 9 MINT example is detailed below:
This example displays the best borders of the four cards considered in this analysis. There are no significant or noticeable border chips that affect the display of this card. With the dark-bordered 1955 Bowmans, this is typically the most noticeable distraction, and one that often downgrades a card significantly. In fact, this card seems to have better borders than the PSA 10 GEM MINT card detailed below. This card has approximately 60/40 centering from left to right and better than 45/55 centering from top to bottom. This card displays two superior and strong corners -- the top and bottom left. The right corners show the faintest hints of white -- though there is more white apparent on the top right corner. The corners are essentially flat and sharp otherwise. This card also has a minute green print dot on the bottom left to the left of the "Color TV controls".
The PSA 10 GEM MINT example is detailed below. This is an example that has been somewhat available for sale in the past year or two. It is presently unknown whether or not this card may still be available -- or if it has been sold to a private collector:
This example has great colors and very strong borders. There is one noticeable border imperfection that in my mind is significant given that there is a $20 - $30,000 difference between a PSA 9 and a PSA 10 of this card. On the lower left border of the card (follow the "C" of "Color TV" down to the bottom border and move to the left about half a centimeter). At that point there is a white border chip. Overall the top and bottom borders have a trace more white showing than the third PSA 9 (trace amounts of white showing is different, aesthetically, than a border chip or the borders on the first two PSA 9 examples). Thus, I personally believe the borders of this card are not as strong as the third PSA 9 example. The corners seem to be pretty strong overall. It does seem as if there may be the slightest hint of softness or a touch on the lower right hand corner. I have only been provided scans of this card -- but the lower right-hand corner does not seem to have the same level of sharpness as the other three corners. This is clearly the best card of the four -- though it definitely has one or two items that keep the card from being perfect.
I have tried to be as fair and objective as possible in this analysis. I welcome any thoughts from fellow board members. As Mickey Mantle is probably the highest-priced modern baseball superstar, and as grading consistency is frequently mentioned, I hope that by presenting this piece, it will help bring about some discussion, thoughts and questions.
Happy collecting all!
Marc S.
I am actively buying MIKE SCHMIDT gem mint baseball cards. Also looking for any 19th century cabinets of Philadephia Nationals. Please PM with additional details.
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Comments
Can/are you providing scans for our enjoyment?
BOTR
Sorry -- they showed up in my preview. Not sure why they're not showing up now.
Okay -- too many people were looking at them, and I locked up the bandwith on my image hosting account. Let me see if I can upgrade it so you can get the images again.
MS
You are the expert here for sure. But I like the 2 Psa 9 of the 3 psa 9's. The print dot on the
third Psa 9 was a killer for me. The Psa 10 looks great.
Thanks for the detailed review. That was a lot of fun!
aconte
I'm looking foward to the in-depth analysis of the other 319 cards in the set
Website: http://www.qualitycards.com
Isn't it amazing how we love little pieces of cardboard! Thanks again Schmitty!
Great post! I think its great that we share our knowledge on this board with eachother.
Thanks,
Carlo
Nice post, quite interesting, similar analysis of other low-pop superstars would also be great.
I would believe you did not see the actual cards themselves, or as I assume just go by the scans ? The variables in scans can add to the difficulty in making a through study. If a scan is produced with a cheaper less dpi type, it will not give as good or clear a picture as another higher grade scanner.
The scans should ideally all be the same size and all be produced from a comparable model/type scanner. Certain imperfections may not appear, or some false ones may appear, if different scanners or cameras are used. Scans can be altered or enhanced fairly easily also. The background choice one uses for the slab can also produce various results like white/gray lines or shadows, etc.
Regardless of any scan's limitations, your comparisons were interesting and informative, knowing your personal likes, can we see an analysis of the 73 Schmidt RC in the future ? ( there's a 9 on ebay currently which has some possibly weak centering )
Vintage Baseball Cards
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Lloyd_Taylor_Vintage_Cards -- on Ebay
All I can say is: "U da man, oh yea, U da man!!!"
NICE JOB! I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO MORE POSTS OF YOURS LIKE THIS!
BOTR
Great post.
spacktrack
The Mantle card is the reason I started this set. One day on impulse I bought a decent Aaron, then later found a nice Mays and then a nice Banks soon after, and so decided to make it a long-term project. Then at a show one day I found the Mantle. The Mantle I have looks like someone carried it in his back pocket for a day or three. Three major creases, no corners to speak of, it's a solid F-. (I hesitate to call anything Poor unless it's been through the wash or is missing large chunks of paper, though this is close). But the photo is positively holographic. There are creases across the card on each side of the body, and they are surface wrinkles, but the face and body were spared major damage and they just glow. It's almost like a little 3-D diorama that you can reach into and touch. Really, comparing it to the pictures now, the focus of my card puts them all to shame, at least as they appear on my monitor. Nothing else is comparable, even the centering is 70/30 at best, but I like my card. It's the only Mantle I own from his playing days, and one of the cornerstones of my collection.
2005 Origins Old Judge Brown #/20 and Black 1/1s, 2000 Ultimate Victory Gold #/25
2004 UD Legends Bake McBride autos & parallels, and 1974 Topps #601 PSA 9
Rare Grady Sizemore parallels, printing plates, autographs
Nothing on ebay
As you are well aware....SportCardsPlus has 1 of the 3 1955 Bowman PSA 10 Mantles in their auction.
AUCTION LINK
Was this the one you featured in the 1st post of the thread?
What is your take on this bad boy?
John B.
Very nice card - this is (either directly or indirectly) being consigned from Tom Candiotti's collection. I unfortunately do not have scans of Marshall's PSA 10 or the third PSA 10 to make any sort of comparative feedback.
However - I feel that this card is a strong 9, and not really a 10. [please let me note here that I feel that over half of the 1955 Bowman PSA 10's Ive seen are overgraded, in my opinion....]. The bottom edge shows the typical signs of a dull blade that so commonly afflicts this issue. Most specifically, under the "C" of "Color TV", down to the left, there is a small break in the edge of white that extends into the card. To me - that is significant enough to warrant that this card should only be 9 worthy instead of 10 worthy - the differences in price, too (e.g. $7k compared to $20+k or whatever this will sell for), makes me believe all the more that this card is slightly overgraded.
The provenance of this card before Candiotti was at some point from David Hall's collection. I do want to reiterate positively that this is in all likelihood much nicer than most of the 1955 Bowman Mickey mantle cards on this planet.
This card is often found off-center, and many of the PSA 9s have a common edge fault along the right side (when the card is viewed horizontally). This is a very beautiful Mickey mantle 1955 Bowman card. In my opinion - it is one of the strongest 9s out there. Without the benefit of seeing the other 10s - I'm hesitant to believe that this is truly 10 worthy - I certainly have seen many 9s from this set (not Mantle) that seem to be superior to this example, all things considered.
MS