Low Grade '52 Topps or High end '53 Topps...Mantle that is..

akuracy503

Which is a better buy assuming a '52 topps mantle psa 2 no major creases, centering 60/40, 70/30.
not the prettiest psa 2 or the ugliest...just average.
$5-6k range

or a '53 topps high grade mantle 7-7.5, obviously sharp. $3-5k

Which holds better value for the long run, as a collector the offset of grades vs. card is equal.

Was thinking i'll put aside some money for awhile and set myself up for this type of purchase.
It'll only take $20 a month for 250 months, will I get the same price in 250 months?

akuracy503

I know such a topic has been beaten to death but what else is there to talk about when you discuss top shelf items in the hobby..usually mantle for the modern era.

Opinions are appreciated.

fattymacs

Go with the high-end card, most people prefer quality and there will always be a market for a PSA 7 (SGC 84) Mantle card.

RipublicaninMass

Ditto what fatty said and to add "There will always be MORE low grade Mantles around to buy".


This is an intersting topic when looking at 1933 Goudeys. Doesnt it seem like there is an endless supply of these cards? Every auction has lots upon lots of them. Although they are beautiful works of art, it seems like they can be bought at any point in time.

fattymacs

As a kid (late 70's - early 80's) I would only see a scant few 33 Goudeys at larger shows or large dealers. I absolutely loved those cards, but they were well out of my reach. I started buying some recently(starting w/ HOFers) in low grade (1-3) . I'm not interested in future worth, I like to look at them.

TomGshotput

The prevailing thought of which is a better buy is already built into the price. The reason these cards a few thousand now, is mostly because most people think they will cost a few thousand years from now. If enough people think one or the other will increase in value, they would cost more; if enough people think they won't increase in value, they would cost less

For myself, I like a good painting much more than an average photograph, so to me, the 53 is the much better choice; other have a preference toward the scarcity of high numbered 52

MantleMarisFordBerra

Ya know, usually the prevailing logic is to go with the higher grade. However, this in my opinion is the exception to the rule. Why? BECAUSE IT'S THE '52T MANTLE!! That card is the single greatest icon in our hobby, as long as people collect cards that will be the one to own. Having said that, a nice '53T Mick is nothing to sneeze at. But in my mind, the chance to own the #1 card in the hobby would be the deciding factor. Best of luck & be sure to post scans when you can!

akuracy503

Tom,

Good analogy...let me throw this wrench into the mix...vs a 1951 Bowman Mantle...(undervalued?)

Which of the 3 takes the best buy trophy home...?

I guess what I'm getting at is that most of us who'd like to purchase a high dollar card do not wish to lose money down the road...to me it's not a big deal to see appreciation however would consider this no different than putting away money into a savings account...

What are the chances that someone will lose money on the above 3 cards, when I say lose money >10% of original purchase price (if you purchased at Avg. VCP as of today)

schr1st

My choices in order:

51 Bowman
53 Topps
52 Topps

JackWESQ

Dear akuracy503,

For me, it's not even a tough decision. I go with the 1953 Topps, to wit (and that's not even a PSA 7 or 7.5 pictured ... though it is an incredible looking PSA 6.5).

/s/ JackWESQ

P.S. That PSA 6.5 sold for $2,657.00 back on July 24, 2008.

jimq112

Quality Mantle cards never go out of style and never run out of buyers. I would go with the one with the best eye appeal, regardless of grade. You're not going to be in rare air, so you don't have to worry about a pop1 becoming a pop10.

51 bowman
52 bowman
52 topps
53 topps

Show us what you get!

Beardown

Six of one and a half dozen of the other. All the above are great cards in there own right but for me I go 1952 topps based solely on "wow" factor and that it just NEVER depreciates (not that the others do either) just that it always has and always will be THE post war card and cornerstone to ANY collection. Even non-collectors can appreciate the significance of that card. I'd compare it to a #1 Superman comic book to someone who doesn't collect comics...everyone wants to see it and appreciates what it is regardless of condition. Just my thoughts and can speak from experiance being in this position 3 years ago and made the "right choice" for me.

akuracy503

Thanks for the replys guys.
I am going to shoot for whichever I can get at mid-low end VCP pricing first in a high grade, so far it's been very difficult as I think there are still many willing buyers and so few fair prices in auctions.

It seems a majority of these high end mantles are owned by high end sellers i.e. redzo**, 707 etc and most are marked up beyond high VCP, which makes it frustrating to actually participate in an auction that has real current market value bidding.

Tabe

This is a no-brainer for me as well - I would go with the '53 Topps. Quality vintage - particularly, quality MANTLE vintage - never goes out of style.

To answer the other question, my choices would be:

1) '53 Topps
2) '52 Topps
3) '51 Bowman

That is, unless all the PSA grades were equal. If they're all 7s, I'm taking the '52

Tabe

WinPitcher

52 Topps Mantles are not scarce, they are a DP card.

I'd prefer the 53 in high grade as IMO it is grossly undervalued.


Steve

TomGshotput

The Bowman is at least an action shot. The other two are just pictures of men

1953 Topps does have perhaps the best checklist in baseball card history, so if I had that money to spend on cards, I would go for the entire set along with a Mantle in $1 000

Being seen as "THE card" is exactly why I would never touch a 52 Mantle. As others have pointed out in the past, so much of the cost is simply because it is expensive. The price has been driven up by the extremely wealthy looking for a status symbol, competing with that makes the least amount of sense? (although even if double printed, when commons from the set can sell for $200 or $300 in mid-grade I have a hard time believing there isn't a certain amount of scarcity)

How about a 53 Bowman? That would seem to be the best choice for all the reasons I would care about. Very good picture, can find nice copies for under $1 000, one of the rarer mainstream sets from the 50s, yet can put together the entire set (with the other Mantle included) for a reasonable cost to go along with it

BunchOBull

I think storm said it best, in slow economic times, highend cards appreciate better than lowend...even if that lowend card is a '52 Mantle.

WinPitcher

Tom of course there is a certain amount of scarcity (especially for sp commons) but as far as Mantles go you can find one
or more every day of the week. Heck 707 prolly has 10 or more of them.


Steve

akuracy503

Steve,

That is exactly the problem, the dealers such as 707 or redzone own 80% of the mantles on ebay with high markups, for my liking this scenario automatically excludes those items as true market auction items.

So when I look through the available cards there are only a handful not owned by a dealer with a high markup, only a few are listed in true auction format.

I've even looked at the auction houses and everything is currently looking dry, I hope in the coming months we'll see more stuff on the market.

There are more willing buyers than there are fair market price items being offered right now...even with bad economic times i'm seeing almost zero to limited decrease in prices, VCP realized.

This scenario is from my point of view of the current market.

Redzone and 707 can single handidly control market prices by owning the majority of the stuff out there and staying firm on prices above VCP...eventually someone will bite with the limited selection.

akuracy503

I guess that makes a good business concept...own as much as the population and have more control over market pricing.

akuracy503

Maybe the prices of these '52mantles have more to do with eye appeal but not sure how some dealers ask $10k for a psa 1.5 or psa 2....VCP has them much lower, average being about half that.

From what I can tell in VCP archives there really isnt THAT many traded in the market both ebay and auction houses that VCP tracks.

Definitely a long waiting game, i'm sure i'm not the only one in the market for the same.

TomGshotput

<< <i>Redzone and 707 can single handidly control market prices by owning the majority of the stuff out there and staying firm on prices above VCP...eventually someone will bite with the limited selection >>



Similar model is used for car dealerships, furniture stores, electronic stores. If you check the classifieds every day, eventually you will find a better deal. Check ebay and the auction houses and you will find one for a much better deal than those guys. Only difference is that you will never find yourself in a situation where you need to buy a baseball card to get to work, sleep at night, or watch online porn. There is absolutely no reason not to wait for the right deal to come along

Steve,
scarcity is always relative. How many 1952 Topps high number cards survived compared to 1953 short prints? If supply and demand is working as expected, it would have to be the 1952 cards. But we all know distortions occur all the time