Starting to collect a Topps Mantle set from 1952-1969

jswieton

Throughout my years of collecting I have always been fascinated by Mickey Mantle's cards. I have never owned one, for some reason(probably do to the cost). Now that I am older and have a pretty good job I feel the time has come to attempt my life long dream; to collect every single Topps Mantle cards produced over the span of his career. I will only collect cards that are PSA 6 or better. I will start with Topps 1969 and work my way down. I figure that this will take me about 10 years to accomplish. I will try to collect in descending order by year, unless I can find an unbelievable deal that can't be past I will collect cards in order. My question is, does anyone have a checklist that includes all of his cards produced by either Topps or Bowman from the years of 1969-1952 including allstars and other inserts during those years? As I obtain these cards I will post scans. Wish me patience and luck. Thanks

hofautos

Here's the complete checklist for those years...you can filter the topps (lol)

1952 Berk Ross
1952 Bowman
1952 Star Cal Large
1952 Tip Top
1952 Topps
1953 Bowman Color
1953 Stahl Meyer
1953 Topps
1953 Topps Advertising Panels
1953-54 Briggs
1953-55 Dormand
1954 Bowman
1954 Dan-Dee
1954 New York Journal American
1954 Red Heart
1954 Stahl Meyer
1955 Armour Coins
1955 Big League Inc. Statues
1955 Bowman
1955 Bowman Advertising Strips
1955 Dairy Queen Statues
1955 Stahl Meyer
1955-62 Don Wingfield
1956 Jay Publishing World Series Pack
1956 Mantle Holiday Inn Postcard
1956 Topps
1956 Yankees Jay Publishing
1956 Yankees Team Issue
1956 Yellow Basepath Pins
1957 Topps
1957 Yankee Team Issue
1957 Yankees Jay Publishing
1957-58 Dairylea Decals
1958 Jay Publishing Sluggers
1958 Topps
1958 Yankees Jay Publishing
1958 Yoo-Hoo Match Book Covers
1959 Bazooka
1959 Home Run Derby
1959 Jay Publishing All-Stars
1959 Oklahoma Today Major Leaguers
1959 Topps
1959 Topps Advertising Panels
1959 Topps Venezuelan
1959 Yankees Team Issue
1959 Yankees Yoo Hoo Bottle Caps
1959 Yankees Yoo-Hoo
1960 Armour Coins
1960 Bazooka
1960 Key Chain Inserts
1960 Nu-Card Hi-Lites
1960 Post *
1960 Rawling's Glove Tags
1960 Topps
1960 Topps Tattoos
1960 Topps Venezuelan
1960 Yankees Jay Publishing
1960 Yankees Team Issue
1961 Bazooka
1961 Nu-Card Scoops
1961 Post
1961 Rawlings
1961 Topps
1961 Topps Dice Game
1961 Yankees Jay Publishing
1961 Yankees Team Issue
1962 Auravision Records
1962 Baseball Pens
1962 Bazooka
1962 Exhibit Stat Back
1962 Jello
1962 Post
1962 Post Canadian
1962 Salada Coins
1962 Shirriff Plastic Coins
1962 Topps
1962 Topps Advertising Panels
1962 Topps Venezuelan
1962 Yankees Jay Publishing
1962 Yankees Team Issue
1962 Yankees Yoo-Hoo Bottle Caps
1963 Baseball Magazine M118
1963 Bazooka
1963 Exhibit Stat Back
1963 Jello
1963 Post
1963 Salada Coins
1963 Topps
1963 Yankee Emblems
1963 Yankees Jay Publishing
1964 Auravision Records
1964 Bazooka
1964 Bazooka Stamps
1964 Challenge The Yankees
1964 Meadow Gold Dairy
1964 Topps
1964 Topps Advertising Panels
1964 Topps Giants
1964 Topps Stand-Ups
1964 Topps Venezuelan
1964 Yankees Jay Publishing
1964-66 Rawlings
1964-66 Rawlings Photos
1965 Bazooka
1965 Challenge The Yankees
1965 O-Pee-Chee
1965 Old London Coins
1965 Topps
1965 Yankees Jay Publishing
1966 Bazooka
1966 O-Pee-Chee
1966 Topps
1966 Topps Venezuelan
1966 Yankees Team Issue
1967 Bazooka
1967 Coke Caps Yankees and Mets
1967 Dexter Press
1967 O-Pee-Chee
1967 Topps
1967 Topps Punch-Outs
1967 Topps Test Foil
1967 Topps Venezuelan
1967 Topps Who am I
1968 1968 American Oil Sweepstakes *
1968 Bazooka Panels
1968 Laughlin World Series
1968 Topps
1968 Topps Action Stickers
1968 Topps Giant Stand Ups
1968 Topps Plaks
1968 Topps Plaks Checklists
1968 Topps Posters
1968 Topps Venezuelan
1969 Topps
1969 Topps Stamps
1969 Topps Super
1969 Topps Team Posters
1969 Transogram Statues
1969 Yankees Malanga
Insert Set
1961 Topps Stamps
1962 Topps Bucks
1962 Topps Stamps
1963 Topps Peel-Offs
1964 Topps Coins
1964 Topps Tattoos Inserts
1965 Topps Embossed
1965 Topps Transfers Inserts
1966 Topps Rub-Offs
1967 O-Pee-Chee Paper Inserts
1967 Topps Posters Inserts
1968 Bazooka
1968 Topps Game
1969 Topps Decals

Estil

So what PSA grade you going to go for? I imagine for Mantles you don't want to take chances with raw, right?

NM: I didn't see the answer at first. When I get ready to do 1960s sets in the 2010s once I'm done with the 70s sets (I'll do 1966-69 first), I too will get PSA 6's for all HOFers and checklists; the rest in raw EXMT. This will help keep the sets within somewhat reasonable affordablity and it's not like for that time period, 6's look that much different than 7's, right? I'll probably save the Mantles and big rookies for each year for last though. Good luck with your quest!

bsidegrve

Good luck!
But wouldn't you wanna add the 1951 Bowman to that list, that card plus the 52' Topps alone will cost around $25,000 in (PSA 6)! I can't even begin to imagine what the entire Mantle collection would cost!!!

Estil

Well, he could start with the cheaper later year ones and work his way back, right?

jswieton

Wow, after seeing that checklist I now see how difficult of a task this will be. I don't think I'm going to be able to go in cronilogical order. Some of the more rare pieces I will have to get when they are available on ebay. I would like to keep the condition of the cards pretty close. I am going to do my best to keep them all around a PSA 6. I know for his early years that may get expensive, but I will do my best. Within a 10 year time frame I need to put together a budget and figure how much I want to spend every year. This way I won't get killed when I start making some plays for his early stuff. Thanks for the help. Has anyone attempted this before? if so how much $ did it take. I would love to see some scans too if you have them. This should be fun if the cost doesn't kill me first

stevek

<< <i>Here's the complete checklist for those years...you can filter the topps (lol)

1952 Berk Ross
1952 Bowman
1952 Star Cal Large
1952 Tip Top
1952 Topps
1953 Bowman Color
1953 Stahl Meyer
1953 Topps
1953 Topps Advertising Panels
1953-54 Briggs
1953-55 Dormand
1954 Bowman
1954 Dan-Dee
1954 New York Journal American
1954 Red Heart
1954 Stahl Meyer
1955 Armour Coins
1955 Big League Inc. Statues
1955 Bowman
1955 Bowman Advertising Strips
1955 Dairy Queen Statues
1955 Stahl Meyer
1955-62 Don Wingfield
1956 Jay Publishing World Series Pack
1956 Mantle Holiday Inn Postcard
1956 Topps
1956 Yankees Jay Publishing
1956 Yankees Team Issue
1956 Yellow Basepath Pins
1957 Topps
1957 Yankee Team Issue
1957 Yankees Jay Publishing
1957-58 Dairylea Decals
1958 Jay Publishing Sluggers
1958 Topps
1958 Yankees Jay Publishing
1958 Yoo-Hoo Match Book Covers
1959 Bazooka
1959 Home Run Derby
1959 Jay Publishing All-Stars
1959 Oklahoma Today Major Leaguers
1959 Topps
1959 Topps Advertising Panels
1959 Topps Venezuelan
1959 Yankees Team Issue
1959 Yankees Yoo Hoo Bottle Caps
1959 Yankees Yoo-Hoo
1960 Armour Coins
1960 Bazooka
1960 Key Chain Inserts
1960 Nu-Card Hi-Lites
1960 Post *
1960 Rawling's Glove Tags
1960 Topps
1960 Topps Tattoos
1960 Topps Venezuelan
1960 Yankees Jay Publishing
1960 Yankees Team Issue
1961 Bazooka
1961 Nu-Card Scoops
1961 Post
1961 Rawlings
1961 Topps
1961 Topps Dice Game
1961 Yankees Jay Publishing
1961 Yankees Team Issue
1962 Auravision Records
1962 Baseball Pens
1962 Bazooka
1962 Exhibit Stat Back
1962 Jello
1962 Post
1962 Post Canadian
1962 Salada Coins
1962 Shirriff Plastic Coins
1962 Topps
1962 Topps Advertising Panels
1962 Topps Venezuelan
1962 Yankees Jay Publishing
1962 Yankees Team Issue
1962 Yankees Yoo-Hoo Bottle Caps
1963 Baseball Magazine M118
1963 Bazooka
1963 Exhibit Stat Back
1963 Jello
1963 Post
1963 Salada Coins
1963 Topps
1963 Yankee Emblems
1963 Yankees Jay Publishing
1964 Auravision Records
1964 Bazooka
1964 Bazooka Stamps
1964 Challenge The Yankees
1964 Meadow Gold Dairy
1964 Topps
1964 Topps Advertising Panels
1964 Topps Giants
1964 Topps Stand-Ups
1964 Topps Venezuelan
1964 Yankees Jay Publishing
1964-66 Rawlings
1964-66 Rawlings Photos
1965 Bazooka
1965 Challenge The Yankees
1965 O-Pee-Chee
1965 Old London Coins
1965 Topps
1965 Yankees Jay Publishing
1966 Bazooka
1966 O-Pee-Chee
1966 Topps
1966 Topps Venezuelan
1966 Yankees Team Issue
1967 Bazooka
1967 Coke Caps Yankees and Mets
1967 Dexter Press
1967 O-Pee-Chee
1967 Topps
1967 Topps Punch-Outs
1967 Topps Test Foil
1967 Topps Venezuelan
1967 Topps Who am I
1968 1968 American Oil Sweepstakes *
1968 Bazooka Panels
1968 Laughlin World Series
1968 Topps
1968 Topps Action Stickers
1968 Topps Giant Stand Ups
1968 Topps Plaks
1968 Topps Plaks Checklists
1968 Topps Posters
1968 Topps Venezuelan
1969 Topps
1969 Topps Stamps
1969 Topps Super
1969 Topps Team Posters
1969 Transogram Statues
1969 Yankees Malanga
Insert Set
1961 Topps Stamps
1962 Topps Bucks
1962 Topps Stamps
1963 Topps Peel-Offs
1964 Topps Coins
1964 Topps Tattoos Inserts
1965 Topps Embossed
1965 Topps Transfers Inserts
1966 Topps Rub-Offs
1967 O-Pee-Chee Paper Inserts
1967 Topps Posters Inserts
1968 Bazooka
1968 Topps Game
1969 Topps Decals >>




Maybe better make that 20 years?

PoppaJ

<< <i>Wow, after seeing that checklist I now see how difficult of a task this will be. I don't think I'm going to be able to go in cronilogical order. Some of the more rare pieces I will have to get when they are available on ebay. I would like to keep the condition of the cards pretty close. I am going to do my best to keep them all around a PSA 6. I know for his early years that may get expensive, but I will do my best. Within a 10 year time frame I need to put together a budget and figure how much I want to spend every year. This way I won't get killed when I start making some plays for his early stuff. Thanks for the help. Has anyone attempted this before? if so how much $ did it take. I would love to see some scans too if you have them. This should be fun if the cost doesn't kill me first >>



You might want to consider only collecting a basic set of Mantle cards like the one in the PSA Registry, which is only 21 cards total.

Just those 21 cards will cost you around $33,000 ($25,000 for just the 51B and 52T) if you purchased them in PSA 6.

Be very careful when and if you decide to buy raw Mantles, for obvious reasons.

Good luck no matter what you choose to do.

PoppaJ

bman90278

Great advice PoppaJ. I don't think I would buy any raw Mantles unless you get them from a reputable dealer, but why wouldn't those cards be in a holder anyway?

I wish you good luck on your Mickey Mantle card collection.

lsutigers1973

If you are buying them off eBay, you also will not want to just start with 1969 and work your way down. Would you pass on a different year at a great price just becasue you are only looking for a 1969? I decided to start this same task about 2 years ago but ended up buying the 1963 Topps first becasue I found one at a good price. I ended up with a run of 1963-69 when I gave up. I now own exactly zero Mantles, unless you count about 100 different 2007-08 Mantle HR history cards.

originalisbest

A fun quest. I enjoy collecting Mantles, but doubt I'll get a '52 T UNLESS I can find a beater with just the right "look". And such are out there, but it'll cost... one day maybe!