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WSJ article on Mickey Mantle Cards - text of article included
dbtunr
Posts: 614 ✭✭✭
http://www.wsj.com/articles/yo...antle-cards-1475618712
You Should’ve Kept Your Mickey Mantle Cards
How one Topps 1952 baseball card became a better investment than gold, stocks and real estate
By Michael Salfino
In 1960, Topps Co. cleared space in its cramped Brooklyn warehouse by renting a barge, loading it with boxes of baseball cards that had sold poorly and dumping them in the Atlantic Ocean.
Nearly 60 years later, that renegade housecleaning maneuver has inadvertently created one of the hottest niche investments of the past decade: the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card.
The card, Mantle’s first for Topps, was number 311 in a series the company issued to retailers mostly candy stores late in the 1952 season, after the card market for that year had already petered out. The series was ignored by consumers and retailers returned them to the company by the caseload. The card’s designer, Sy Berger, several years later couldn’t sell these surplus cards, including the Mantle, for even 10 for a penny. So they were dumped.
“It took three garbage trucks - I would say 300 to 500 cases,” said Berger to Sports Collectors Digest before his 2014 death. “I found a friend of mine who had a garbage scow and we loaded the three trucks-worth on the barge. I was out there with it. Opposite Atlantic Highlands, a few miles out.”
With most of the ‘52 Mantle inventory condemned to the bottom of the ocean, the few that now circulate are the center of a boom market that still hasn’t peaked despite a huge spike in value over the past decade.
The card’s soaring value will get a big test next month in an online auction of a ‘52 Mantle, graded at 8.5 on a scale of 10. Some investors speculate that the price could reach $1 million or more by the time bidding ends November 17.
The card in investment grade condition is incredibly rare. According to Professional Sports Authenticator, only 44 of the 1952 Mantles exist in near-mint-to-mint or better condition. As a result, the value of the card graded an 8 has jumped from an average of $63,859 in 2006 to $494,000 today, according to VintageCardPrices.com, which establishes card value by tracking actual sale prices on eBay and at auctions.
That’s a 674% increase in 10 years, compared with gold (85.2%), New York City median housing prices (40%) and the S&P Index (58.5%) during the same period.
In a trading card market that has its ups and downs, Mantle cards are a shining bright spot and not just the rare 1952 card. Mantle’s other investment-grade condition cards issued by Topps, owned today by Michael Eisner’s Tornante Co., have increased 245% in the same period.
The 1956 Mantle (up 300%) is much more common but still prized because that was his Triple Crown year. The 1962 Mantle (316%) is his final MVP season and tough to get in investment-grade condition because of its design. The 1966 is up 211%, for no apparent reason other than aesthetics.
“Mantle’s Topps cards are the focal point of every advanced collector’s portfolio and it’s been that way for as long as the hobby has existed,” says Brian Drent, president of the Mile High Card Company, a Denver-based auction house for baseball cards and sports memorabilia. But prices weren’t tracked as carefully before 2006 as they have been since.
The Hall of Fame Yankee slugger, viewed by his fans during his playing days as a real-life Superman in baseball’s Metropolis, retired nearly 50 years ago. His on-field exploits aside, he has some advantages over others when it comes to long-term value.
“Yankees have always held a fascination with collectors. From [Babe] Ruth and [Lou] Gehrig on,” said collector Jim Elliott, a New Jersey-based music industry consultant and former radio personality in New York City and Washington, D.C. “The hold that Mantle had on people now in their 60s is amazing. People cried when he died” in 1995.
Yet his power as a collectible extends far beyond those old enough to have seen him play.
“The demographic sweet spot is 40 to 60 years old,” said Rob Rosen, vice president of Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which is conducting next month’s auction. “These are collectors motivated more by a fascination with the history of the game than nostalgia for their own childhood experiences.”
Rosen says his clients view and display their Mantle cards like fine art. “And when my clients place iconic sports memorabilia like this even next to Picassos, men actually are far more impressed by the Mantle card.”
Matt Corin, a San Francisco-based card seller via his company, The Postgame Show, recounts a story from a baseball card convention two years ago when an “avid Mantle fan” told him he was cashing in his stock portfolio to buy the most highly prized Mantle card, the 1952 Topps. He was there with his wife “who did not seem nearly as enamored” with the iconic Yankees slugger. As she nervously looked on, he plunked down slightly over $200,000 for the piece of colored cardboard graded an 8. Today that same card would be expected to bring in about $500,000 at auction, according to VintageCardPrices sales data.
Next month’s auction will serve as the next marker for an investment that so far has only shot up.
“The last time an 8.5 sold was three years ago (for $275,000),” said Heritage’s Rosen. “Mantle cards are a piece of American iconography as well as one of the most reliable investments in the collectibles’ universe.”
Unfortunately, however, they are not waterproof.
You Should’ve Kept Your Mickey Mantle Cards
How one Topps 1952 baseball card became a better investment than gold, stocks and real estate
By Michael Salfino
In 1960, Topps Co. cleared space in its cramped Brooklyn warehouse by renting a barge, loading it with boxes of baseball cards that had sold poorly and dumping them in the Atlantic Ocean.
Nearly 60 years later, that renegade housecleaning maneuver has inadvertently created one of the hottest niche investments of the past decade: the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card.
The card, Mantle’s first for Topps, was number 311 in a series the company issued to retailers mostly candy stores late in the 1952 season, after the card market for that year had already petered out. The series was ignored by consumers and retailers returned them to the company by the caseload. The card’s designer, Sy Berger, several years later couldn’t sell these surplus cards, including the Mantle, for even 10 for a penny. So they were dumped.
“It took three garbage trucks - I would say 300 to 500 cases,” said Berger to Sports Collectors Digest before his 2014 death. “I found a friend of mine who had a garbage scow and we loaded the three trucks-worth on the barge. I was out there with it. Opposite Atlantic Highlands, a few miles out.”
With most of the ‘52 Mantle inventory condemned to the bottom of the ocean, the few that now circulate are the center of a boom market that still hasn’t peaked despite a huge spike in value over the past decade.
The card’s soaring value will get a big test next month in an online auction of a ‘52 Mantle, graded at 8.5 on a scale of 10. Some investors speculate that the price could reach $1 million or more by the time bidding ends November 17.
The card in investment grade condition is incredibly rare. According to Professional Sports Authenticator, only 44 of the 1952 Mantles exist in near-mint-to-mint or better condition. As a result, the value of the card graded an 8 has jumped from an average of $63,859 in 2006 to $494,000 today, according to VintageCardPrices.com, which establishes card value by tracking actual sale prices on eBay and at auctions.
That’s a 674% increase in 10 years, compared with gold (85.2%), New York City median housing prices (40%) and the S&P Index (58.5%) during the same period.
In a trading card market that has its ups and downs, Mantle cards are a shining bright spot and not just the rare 1952 card. Mantle’s other investment-grade condition cards issued by Topps, owned today by Michael Eisner’s Tornante Co., have increased 245% in the same period.
The 1956 Mantle (up 300%) is much more common but still prized because that was his Triple Crown year. The 1962 Mantle (316%) is his final MVP season and tough to get in investment-grade condition because of its design. The 1966 is up 211%, for no apparent reason other than aesthetics.
“Mantle’s Topps cards are the focal point of every advanced collector’s portfolio and it’s been that way for as long as the hobby has existed,” says Brian Drent, president of the Mile High Card Company, a Denver-based auction house for baseball cards and sports memorabilia. But prices weren’t tracked as carefully before 2006 as they have been since.
The Hall of Fame Yankee slugger, viewed by his fans during his playing days as a real-life Superman in baseball’s Metropolis, retired nearly 50 years ago. His on-field exploits aside, he has some advantages over others when it comes to long-term value.
“Yankees have always held a fascination with collectors. From [Babe] Ruth and [Lou] Gehrig on,” said collector Jim Elliott, a New Jersey-based music industry consultant and former radio personality in New York City and Washington, D.C. “The hold that Mantle had on people now in their 60s is amazing. People cried when he died” in 1995.
Yet his power as a collectible extends far beyond those old enough to have seen him play.
“The demographic sweet spot is 40 to 60 years old,” said Rob Rosen, vice president of Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which is conducting next month’s auction. “These are collectors motivated more by a fascination with the history of the game than nostalgia for their own childhood experiences.”
Rosen says his clients view and display their Mantle cards like fine art. “And when my clients place iconic sports memorabilia like this even next to Picassos, men actually are far more impressed by the Mantle card.”
Matt Corin, a San Francisco-based card seller via his company, The Postgame Show, recounts a story from a baseball card convention two years ago when an “avid Mantle fan” told him he was cashing in his stock portfolio to buy the most highly prized Mantle card, the 1952 Topps. He was there with his wife “who did not seem nearly as enamored” with the iconic Yankees slugger. As she nervously looked on, he plunked down slightly over $200,000 for the piece of colored cardboard graded an 8. Today that same card would be expected to bring in about $500,000 at auction, according to VintageCardPrices sales data.
Next month’s auction will serve as the next marker for an investment that so far has only shot up.
“The last time an 8.5 sold was three years ago (for $275,000),” said Heritage’s Rosen. “Mantle cards are a piece of American iconography as well as one of the most reliable investments in the collectibles’ universe.”
Unfortunately, however, they are not waterproof.
0
Comments
Instagram: mattyc_collection
Off to a very fast start here!
Use your mouse and highlight the article. Then hit CTRL C to copy and then CTRL V to paste into a message. See if that will work.
I did that but there must be some embedded HTML code in the article that the filter rejects
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Expanding from the article, I found that the Bowman Mantles are even tougher to find in really nice state than the Topps cards, and of course include beautiful images, including the illustrious 1951 rookie card.
Instagram: mattyc_collection
Attempts to pick jaw off of floor and go back to doing some actual work.
Whew, that article makes me glad this project got done before it went to print, LOL.
Expanding from the article, I found that the Bowman Mantles are even tougher to find in really nice state than the Topps cards, and of course include beautiful images, including the illustrious 1951 rookie card.
Matt
First time I have seen all of your Mantle cards in one place - that is an amazing collection in high grade. The 52 Mantle in 4.5 is IMO the nicest locking Mantle card under a PSA 5/5.5 in the hobby. Saw it in person at the Louisville Slugger museum last year and it is an awesome piece. Too bad the security there was top notch and did not fall for the distract and grab tactic
I am more than halfway there with 1952-1960 done plus 1968. I messed up not grabbing 1967-1969 when they were dirt cheap, and could have grabbed all 3 in PSA 8 for $1500-1700 total - now not so much. Thanks again for sharing.
Great to see mention of Mick's cards in major news outlets.
Again, sick cards!
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
Appreciate your sharing the article and not sure why the need for the snippy comment. I assume you posted the article to share with the board to create dialogue about Mantle cards which is exactly what happened. Why would you be opposed to people sharing their interest and collections about Mantle cards? It is not like you posted an article on Mantle and it got hijacked into a Clemente or Gehrig or Wagner discussion. People posted on here about the subject of your article which was Mantle.
Again thank you for sharing the article, but don't understand the need to try to be the editor on what types of responses should be allowed in your thread. Hope you were not serious that because there was more interest in the subject matter from your article versus the actual article that you were taking your ball and going home.
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
Appreciate your sharing the article and not sure why the need for the snippy comment. I assume you posted the article to share with the board to create dialogue about Mantle cards which is exactly what happened. Why would you be opposed to people sharing their interest and collections about Mantle cards? It is not like you posted an article on Mantle and it got hijacked into a Clemente or Gehrig or Wagner discussion. People posted on here about the subject of your article which was Mantle.
Again thank you for sharing the article, but don't understand the need to try to be the editor on what types of responses should be allowed in your thread. Hope you were not serious that because there was more interest in the subject matter from your article versus the actual article that you were taking your ball and going home.
+1
If not for the article there is a good chance we wouldn't have seen the amazing Mantle collection.
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
Appreciate your sharing the article and not sure why the need for the snippy comment. I assume you posted the article to share with the board to create dialogue about Mantle cards which is exactly what happened. Why would you be opposed to people sharing their interest and collections about Mantle cards? It is not like you posted an article on Mantle and it got hijacked into a Clemente or Gehrig or Wagner discussion. People posted on here about the subject of your article which was Mantle.
Again thank you for sharing the article, but don't understand the need to try to be the editor on what types of responses should be allowed in your thread. Hope you were not serious that because there was more interest in the subject matter from your article versus the actual article that you were taking your ball and going home.
+1
If not for the article there is a good chance we wouldn't have seen the amazing Mantle collection. I personally enjoy most of the OP's posts in the different venues but he does get a little dramatic at times.
As an investor, I was hoping folks would talk about the investment prospects of Mantle cards and cards in general. Doesn't an article like this indicate a top? Shouldn't the guy with the amazing collection sell it now? Who's going to buy it in 10 years or 20 years? Folks who remember Mantle are getting on in years. Maybe that is irrelevant as a Honus Wagner card just sold for $3M+. Is Mantle a classic that can stand the test of time and still be valuable 50 years from now?
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
Thank you for sharing the article, but no need to get all defensive. I don't know MattyC personally, but he appears to be "one of the good guys". In no way was he trying to hijack your post. He has a museum-quality collection (like legit; it's been in a museum). Many high end collectors don't frequent message boards, and those who do, don't post their collections. I was incredibly happy to see it all in one place.
Side note: On Net54, there was a guy who had his Mantle run autographed, and all PSA/DNA'd. He caused a stir, got banned, and took all of his posts down. It might have been the most impressive collection I have ever seen. And now nobody collectors like me won't get to view it again.
It will be interesting if one of the above mentioned items comes up for sale again what it might bring given the current Mantle market
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
This is exactly the point I have been making for years on this forum.
The more publicity his cards get the more risk there is that speculators will move into the market who only have one motive in mind and that is profit. Many of the high profile sales in recent years have landed in serious baseball card collectors hands. In most cases clearly the buyer would like to see the card appreciate but their sole motive wasn't profit. As long as there is new wealth being created I don't see his cards losing steam.
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
Appreciate your sharing the article and not sure why the need for the snippy comment. I assume you posted the article to share with the board to create dialogue about Mantle cards which is exactly what happened. Why would you be opposed to people sharing their interest and collections about Mantle cards? It is not like you posted an article on Mantle and it got hijacked into a Clemente or Gehrig or Wagner discussion. People posted on here about the subject of your article which was Mantle.
Again thank you for sharing the article, but don't understand the need to try to be the editor on what types of responses should be allowed in your thread. Hope you were not serious that because there was more interest in the subject matter from your article versus the actual article that you were taking your ball and going home.
LOL, short answer is because dbtunr is prone to post thusly. That tone is his usual MO, fortunately, he's about as noticeable as a pebble in the road.
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Some people collect cards for fun, not investments.
This is a point that is often overlooked when examining the potential bottom falling out of the card market. It is nice to see cards that we collect for fun appreciate in value. However, if it doesn't work out from a financial perspective and the market crashes we still have the card. If you love collecting cards that should be good enough.
My point as it relates to this thread is why would DM23HOF sell these cards? He obviously carefully selected each one as he assembled his Mantle run. This finished project probably makes him happy on a daily basis. The current market value shouldn't change this at all.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona.
-George F. Will
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
Appreciate your sharing the article and not sure why the need for the snippy comment. I assume you posted the article to share with the board to create dialogue about Mantle cards which is exactly what happened. Why would you be opposed to people sharing their interest and collections about Mantle cards? It is not like you posted an article on Mantle and it got hijacked into a Clemente or Gehrig or Wagner discussion. People posted on here about the subject of your article which was Mantle.
Again thank you for sharing the article, but don't understand the need to try to be the editor on what types of responses should be allowed in your thread. Hope you were not serious that because there was more interest in the subject matter from your article versus the actual article that you were taking your ball and going home.
+1
If not for the article there is a good chance we wouldn't have seen the amazing Mantle collection. I personally enjoy most of the OP's posts in the different venues but he does get a little dramatic at times.
As an investor, I was hoping folks would talk about the investment prospects of Mantle cards and cards in general. Doesn't an article like this indicate a top? Shouldn't the guy with the amazing collection sell it now? Who's going to buy it in 10 years or 20 years? Folks who remember Mantle are getting on in years. Maybe that is irrelevant as a Honus Wagner card just sold for $3M+. Is Mantle a classic that can stand the test of time and still be valuable 50 years from now?
As a collector I am also working on a Mantle run and halfway there. I was inspired by collectors like Matt (DM23) and Belz and their photos of their Mantle runs. With so many things to collect and not possessing unlimited funds(don't we wish!) I have to make decisions on what to collect based on wants, budget, and priorities. I was able to acquire some very nice Ruth, Gehrig, Koufax... cards recently, but in order to finish my Mantle run I will be parting with some of them along with some extra Mantle cards so I can complete my run.
Mantle is unique and a unicorn in the hobby. He was a white player from the modest yet played in the largest market(New York) with the most storied baseball team of all time. He was good looking to men and women, had power and speed, set records in the WS, and injuries always made him be a "what if" player despite hitting 500+ home runs and being a HOF player. No other player had such broad appeal to so many different groups.
As an investor I would say he is the safest bet as far as a player. Some will argue that in 20 years most people alive will not have seen him play. I would counter that pretty much nobody alive today saw Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Wagner... but their cards are extremely popular and scarce. Will players of our generation like Ryan, Bench, Brett, Rose, Jackson... ascend to the same heights? I believe they will increase in value as collectors have more disposable income to pick up these cards, and since they could not afford them as kids they can now go grab them since they have a few extra bucks. I remember wanting a Brett rookie or a Schmidt rookie but unable to afford it when I was younger, and today I am fortunate enough to be able to have them.
I enjoyed seeing the photos because it inspired me a while back to do a Mantle run, and hopefully my journey does the same for another collector - maybe with Mantle, maybe with Clemente, maybe with Ryan. I was given the advice to have fun with the hobby, collect what you enjoy no matter if it is worth a fortune or just your favorite player, and keep with our budget. Thanks for sharing - figured I would show an update of where I am at with mine as of today
Current collection
New additions
Upgrade to 1956 Mantle
Mantle rookie - cmon PSA 8.5 sale next month
What are these sets worth roughly? 4 figures? 5 figures? 6 figures? more? Would you buy the same exact cards at today's prices if you did not have that card or are prices just too high?
Side note: On Net54, there was a guy who had his Mantle run autographed, and all PSA/DNA'd. He caused a stir, got banned, and took all of his posts down. It might have been the most impressive collection I have ever seen. And now nobody collectors like me won't get to view it again.
It's posted elsewhere and Bob's auto'd Mantle run is incredible, along with pretty much everything else he collects.
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
WoW ! Imagine that .... the nerve of a guy posting images of the cards that the article is about.
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
WoW ! Imagine that .... the nerve of a guy posting images of the cards that the article is about.
FYI - I wasn't pissed at the guy who posted the pictures. Obviously that is relevant. I was pissed that every comment was on the pictures rather than the article.
Whatever. If you want articles, follow Joe O on Twitter.
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
Appreciate your sharing the article and not sure why the need for the snippy comment. I assume you posted the article to share with the board to create dialogue about Mantle cards which is exactly what happened. Why would you be opposed to people sharing their interest and collections about Mantle cards? It is not like you posted an article on Mantle and it got hijacked into a Clemente or Gehrig or Wagner discussion. People posted on here about the subject of your article which was Mantle.
Again thank you for sharing the article, but don't understand the need to try to be the editor on what types of responses should be allowed in your thread. Hope you were not serious that because there was more interest in the subject matter from your article versus the actual article that you were taking your ball and going home.
+1
Sharing photis of actual cards is what these forums are all about. Your comment was uncalled for as the photos were a natural extension, and a quite welcome one, to the topic at hand.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
do you guys with the Mantle sets have them in a registry set?
What are these sets worth roughly? 4 figures? 5 figures? 6 figures? more? Would you buy the same exact cards at today's prices if you did not have that card or are prices just too high?
Price mainly depends on the 52 and 53 cards which we the two toughest ones to find. The 56 is next and in an 8 runs $10k+. 1957 and 1958 run about $5500-7000 in PSA 8, 59 about $4-5k. 1960 Mantle has surged to $4500-5500 from $3k in just the last year. 1962 is a tough one to find due to the brown border. Most of the rest are not too bad to find nor too bad price wise.
I think to do a full run with all cards PSA 8, except for 1952 and 53 due to cost, and figuring the 1952 and 1953 cards at about $50-60k for some decent examples in low to mid grade you are looking at about $95-110k if my math is correct.
in his cards, I would much rather own a 39 playball rookie card of the last of the legendary .400 hitters, Ted Williams.
The Mantle collection that was posted is amazing, I would definitely sell if they were mine, but Mickey Mantle and his cards are very iconic to a lot of people
so the bottom line is collect what you like and hopefully they will also appreciate in value.
Side note: On Net54, there was a guy who had his Mantle run autographed, and all PSA/DNA'd. He caused a stir, got banned, and took all of his posts down. It might have been the most impressive collection I have ever seen. And now nobody collectors like me won't get to view it again.
Didn't N54 moderator, Leon, possess a stolen card from the NYPL library?
And yeah. I woulda took my cards and went home too if some Net54 moderator (with a very checkered path himself) accused me of stealing a $250 card.
And if I am not mistaken, his regular Mantle run was #4 or 5 , however he still needed the 52 Bowman to actually complete the signed run.
I could very well be mistaken though.
Al Richter
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Some people collect cards for fun, not investments.
This is a point that is often overlooked when examining the potential bottom falling out of the card market. It is nice to see cards that we collect for fun appreciate in value. However, if it doesn't work out from a financial perspective and the market crashes we still have the card. If you love collecting cards that should be good enough.
My point as it relates to this thread is why would DM23HOF sell these cards? He obviously carefully selected each one as he assembled his Mantle run. This finished project probably makes him happy on a daily basis. The current market value shouldn't change this at all.
Couldn't agree with you more. I have many cards that I can't envision selling. It would be too hard to replace them. I can replace the money I would get for them much easier.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
WoW ! Imagine that .... the nerve of a guy posting images of the cards that the article is about.
FYI - I wasn't pissed at the guy who posted the pictures. Obviously that is relevant. I was pissed that every comment was on the pictures rather than the article.
Whatever. If you want articles, follow Joe O on Twitter.
Really? Still doing the holding your breath and stamping your feet bit because people posted comments about Matt's collection versus an article most on here could have written. The article was good but nothing any collector does not already know - Mantle cards have gone up and continue to go up, collectors like Mantle cards, some collect for fun and some collect for financial gain. Again appreciated sharing the article, but to tell people what they should be able to post or not post in your thread makes zero sense.
While your sharing the article was helpful the follow up actions and snarky comments about following Joe Onon Twitter appear to be cancelling out your efforts. Just some helpful advice.
Didn't N54 moderator, Leon, possess a stolen card from the NYPL library?
And yeah. I woulda took my cards and went home too if some Net54 moderator (with a very checkered path himself) accused me of stealing a $250 card.
And if I am not mistaken, his regular Mantle run was #4 or 5 , however he still needed the 52 Bowman to actually complete the signed run.
I could very well be mistaken though.
I don't think youre mistaken...
begsu.
As far as investment prospects of Mantle cards, I think personally his cards are way overvalued. But I know I'm a minority because I don't have much interest
in his cards, I would much rather own a 39 playball rookie card of the last of the legendary .400 hitters, Ted Williams.
The Mantle collection that was posted is amazing, I would definitely sell if they were mine, but Mickey Mantle and his cards are very iconic to a lot of people
so the bottom line is collect what you like and hopefully they will also appreciate in value.
I agree his cards are overpriced but they have stood the test of time. Forty years later and they continue to rise at an insane rate. His name and cards are iconic and they will keep going up and up and they will continue to take the entire card market up also.
For full disclosure I only own one Mantle card, that my Dad gave me years ago. I would never sell it.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
This reminded me of the SMR feature from a decade ago on Marshall Fogel. His collection was on display in Denver while something else very prominent was being exhibited in the city. I don't remember details obviously, but I recall reading how amused he was that his collection was pulling quite a few more visitors than the other exhibit.
It's definitely true; when the WSJ runs a feature about baseball cards, non-collectors take notice. Of course, as Al pointed out, that can be good, or bad. It certainly was good in 1971, when the adult card hobby was taking shape. Feature articles were sprouting up on the hobby in many newspapers. CBS ran a segment by their distinguished sports commentator, Heywood Hale Broun, in the summer of 1972. The transcript made it into a hobby paper at the time, and someone kindly uploaded that hobby paper on Net54 Prewar Forum several weeks ago. I never knew about it at the time. It was so cool.
Anyway, it's nice the hobby is getting some good press, for a change.
Thanks for loading up images of your meticulously selected Mickey Mantle mainstream runs, guys. They all have such a nice fresh appearance, and as Marshall Fogel pointed out in another article on MINT Mickey Mantle cards that he himself wrote in the mid-90s, they should be regarded as true art. I've got the two part-article in one of my files, as it was a good one, reviewing as he did the entire 21-gum salute rendered by Topps and Bowman, as well as a few other choice cards. I wish I could quote his words.
Yeah, it's too bad most people and children threw out their Mickey Mantle cards many years ago. Then too, had they not, they'd still be loved, but not as valuable, etc. ---Indiana Jones (Brian Powell)
Didn't N54 moderator, Leon, possess a stolen card from the NYPL library?
And yeah. I woulda took my cards and went home too if some Net54 moderator (with a very checkered path himself) accused me of stealing a $250 card.
And if I am not mistaken, his regular Mantle run was #4 or 5 , however he still needed the 52 Bowman to actually complete the signed run.
I could very well be mistaken though.
I don't think youre mistaken...
begsu.
I didnt know you posted on this board as well!! You have one mighty impressive collection, sir!!
amazing that all the comments are on some guys collection rather than the article. Last time I post an article here
WoW ! Imagine that .... the nerve of a guy posting images of the cards that the article is about.
FYI - I wasn't pissed at the guy who posted the pictures. Obviously that is relevant. I was pissed that every comment was on the pictures rather than the article.
Whatever. If you want articles, follow Joe O on Twitter.
Really? Still doing the holding your breath and stamping your feet bit because people posted comments about Matt's collection versus an article most on here could have written. The article was good but nothing any collector does not already know - Mantle cards have gone up and continue to go up, collectors like Mantle cards, some collect for fun and some collect for financial gain. Again appreciated sharing the article, but to tell people what they should be able to post or not post in your thread makes zero sense.
While your sharing the article was helpful the follow up actions and snarky comments about following Joe Onon Twitter appear to be cancelling out your efforts. Just some helpful advice.
great cards..... i agree with KendallCat...Kendall are you from Miami area ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_from_Panama
and yes, i do still need the 1952 signed bowman.
Begsu - that means I am from Miami and my grandmother is from Panama in Spanish. Guess I need to load up on Rod Carew and Rivera cards huh?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_from_Panama