The history of this '52 Mantle
jrinck
Posts: 1,321 ✭✭
Currently up for sale is this 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 1:
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 1
Through exhaustive research, I have uncovered its history. Here is the story:
December 25, 1952, young Collin Frank opens up his Christmas gifts. Afterwards he heads over to his stocking and pulls out a few knick-knacks, one of which is a 5 cent pack of Topps baseball cards. Collin opens the pack and finds nobody who he's heard about. He throws the cards into the stocking and takes it, along with all of his other presents up to his room.
February, 1953. Collin reads an article about the upcoming season, and makes particular note of Mickey Mantle, who is predicted to have a good year. Collin remembers the pack of baseball cards from his stocking and goes into his room to find them. The last thing he remembers is dumping the cards in his closet after his mother asked for the stocking back. Rummaging through the closet he finds the Mantle card. Other than a chip on the left edge it's still in pretty good shape. Collin fears that his friends might steal the card during trading, so he takes one of his father's pens and pencils his initials on the lower edge.
April, 1953. Collin takes his box of cards, many of which are the new 1953s, out to trade with his buddies. His buddy, Jack, offers to trade him his 1953 Mantle for Collin's 1952. Collin is ready to make the trade when Jack notices the "CF" on the front. He nixes the deal. Good thing, too, as just seconds later, a small drop of mustard spills over from Bobby's hot dog and lands smack on top the upper-left area of Collin's Mantle. Collin smears it off, and gives Bobby a whallop on the arm. Bobby has a 1953 Mantle of his own and offers to give it to Collin. Collin takes it, and when Bobby asks for the 1952 in return, Collin smacks Bobby again. That's the end of the trading day.
June, 1954. Collin hasn't touched a baseball card since last year, and has kept his cards in a shoebox on the top shelf of his closet. One day his mother, tired of reminding him to clean his room, does it for him, and in the process throws the cards onto the front lawn so that Collin will see them when he gets home from school. Collin rides up the driveway from his house and immediately notices his cards strewn across the lawn. Looking around he also happens to notice that he just rode over his 1952 Mantle, creasing it heavily in the process. He picks it up, along with the other cards, and storms into the house. He yells at his mother and shows her the Mantle. She, instead of feeling sympathy, grabs it and squeezes it in her hand and throws the crumpled card in the corner. Collin picks it up and storms out of the house. He runs away from home and isn't heard from for twenty years.
September, 1974. Collin is awoken by a large man pushing him off the edge of the freight car. Collin drops to the ground. He looks up and finds out he's in the Reading, PA storeyard for the Reading Railroad. He grabs his knapsack and starts walking down the track. As he heads towards the center of town he cannot resist the urge to eat, and since he has no money he walks into V&S Sandwich shop and holds the place up, pretending to have a gun in his dilapitated coat. The cops arrive quickly and arrest him.
July, 1986. Collin is released. He could have been released earlier but prison life was far easier than a life on the streets. As he is discharged he is given a manilla envelope containing his only wordly possesions--a 1933 nickel and a severley battered 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. The cops give him $50 and send him on his way. On the way into town he stops at a Turkey Hill to buy a sandwhich and soda. As he is being rung up he, on a whim, asks for a quick pick on the lottery. Current jackpot: 23 million dollars. Collin, with nowhere else to go, decides to wait outside the market until the draw. At 7:45 the numbers come in, and Collin instantly has a new life.
March, 2003. Collin Frank retires as one of the most successful Wall Street Bankers the world has ever known. His net worth of over three billion dollars has afforded him a life of luxury. Unfortunately, just days after his retirement party, 56 year old Collin Frank dies from a heart attack. His family, whom he disowned, comes to bury him and make peace with his passing. At the mortuary the director hands his mother, now 85 years old, the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. It was in Collin's wallet. It seems as though the card followed him throughout his life, through the highs and lows, and now it had no owner. Collin's mother debated whether to bury it with him, but as she remembered the card quite well, she decided to keep it. The funeral director, a collector of sportscards, tells her what she has and persuades her to encapsulate it for protection. He recommends PSA. Once the card is returned to her she keeps it above her mantle until she dies in July of 2004.
July 2004. Unable to pay funeral expenses, the remaining members of the Frank family sell much of mother's belongings. Not knowing the family history of the Mantle, they consign it to a reputable seller on Ebay. Current price: $1,325, and waiting for another adventure.
0
Comments
Website
<< <i>reputable seller on Ebay >>
Must be a different card then. Mastro (the J Peterman of the collecting world) catalogs would be a lot more interesting if they read like that. We all know that a lot of the stories are bunk, but at least make it interesting. Good post.
I saw this auction last night and after initially thinking how bad the card looked, I actually began to look at it as a nice card that a young boy actually played with, loved, enjoyed and had FUN with
If I didn't already have one in PSA 3, I would seriously consider bidding on this one
Steve
great story though...
Thanks for the kind comments. I'm don't really know the story around this card, but I have to think that I'm not too far off. And besides, to me, it's a great card and I'd be proud to own it. The boss gets back tomorrow, though. Either I should bid before she gets home or pansy-out and wait for permission.
loth
"Tis better to do something and ask for forgiveness later, than to ask first and get the wrong answer"
Steve