Missing Mantle Rookie at National
 

1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle PSA 4

Cert# 41944340

Any info as to whereabouts are appreciated.

If this pops up anywhere, contact me immediately. Thanks.

Good luck Greg. Hope there is an innocent explanation.

I cannot stand thieves. Best of luck finding it I will keep an eye out.

How the hell did that happen? :eek:

Missing mantle
 

Although it could be the case, I do not want to perpetuate an idea of thievery without iron-clad proof.

I would be more than happy just to receive my item back and completely drop the issue. In fact, I would celebrate the person who came forward whether it was “found” or “stolen”

It takes a real man/woman to return an item to a semi-anonymous owner, knowing they could easily just keep it.

I really just want my card back.

With that said, everyone please be on the lookout. Thanks in advance.

a picture may be good in case it goes into another holder

Missing mantle
 

nice card..no print lines....purple label to boot

There do seem to be some print lines. The lights pole in the background.....from the far right of the lights between there and the bottom of the bat there seems to be some print marks. Could be like a fingerprint maybe? I'm not super familiar with this card but just hoping it could be the case for OP's sake.

Truly sucks.... if it is stolen (not accidentally lost in the shuffle of closing down shop at the National) then it would be funny as hell if the thief put it up for auction on ebay.....

Really sorry to hear about that. Crap like that just makes you feel like you've been kicked square in the nuts... hope you find it somewhere in a stack of cards when you get home.

Very sorry to hear this
 

I hate hearing these stories. I go around trying to buy cards a lot and will keep my eyes open encase it makes its way to the Philly, Jersey, NY area. Hope it turns up. Did you rent showcases? maybe it slid under the pad stranger things have happened if so give Levi a call if he found one i am positive he would return it. I would also send SGC PSA and Beckett scans as large as you can so they can be on the lookout for the card. Good Luck and I hope it was something innocent and if not I hope Karma pays the a hole that took it a visit sooner rather than later.

I appreciate the idea but this is a picture I took of the card about
an hour before it “disappeared”.

A healthy reward is in order.

That freaking sucks Greg....seems like every year you hear stories of cards like these disappearing at the National. Horrible, horrible feeling.

I’m sure the thief will break it out of the holder and eventually send to grade. With that thick bottom border and the multiple print dots, I think it’s a card that would stick out to a grader if you notify psa and sgc to keep an eye out for you. I don’t know about psa, but I’m sure that Dave and the guys at SGC would look out for new 51 mantle submissions if you showed them a pic.

Sorry to hear about your card. I hope it finds it way home.

What ever happened to Rob Schneider's 1951 Willie Mays ? How does a card with such a high profile just disappear?

Sorry to hear this happened. I hope the story has a good ending. Off topic, but what is the purple label all about?

There was a thread about them a couple weeks ago.

Sorry for your loss. That is a great card, one I have never owned. Had a PSA 5 1952 Mick about five years ago, but just haven't ponied up for the Bowman.

I hope something comes of this. The perpetrator likely will sell this raw rather than attempt to grade it again. I'd love to spit some beech nut in that dude's eye and shoot him with my old 45 to paraphrase Hank Jr.

Very sorry to hear this happened to you, Greg.

On the last day of the show, I was at a dealer's table when someone (from loss prevention, I'm assuming) came up to him and told him that his table and at least 7 others nearby were not within any surveillance camera's reach for the entire show.

He also claimed that there were 10 thefts reported that day alone :eek:

Probably the same way a missing painting worth millions does. Its sold on the black market and sits in a private collection for years.

I had a similar scare last year with my 51 Mantle but luckily my story had a happy ending. Hopefully yours will have the same.

if there was an owner registry..someone would look up the Cert and see it belongs to someone else

the crook will have to crack it out and it can then be sold like a painting....................... of course the value would go down if sold with no holder or if re submit may get a lesser grade , however you would hope you can send a picture of the card to SGC and PSA and they can be on the lookout for any new submissions..

Why take that chance? It's found money as a raw card.

Just Being Nosey ...
 

Does Homeowners' Insurance offer coverage in an instance like this ? Property theft , just not physically in the home at the time ?

.. I'm sure they will want a police report , etc. etc.

..

Most home insurance policies have small limits on collectibles. I'm not sure if collect insure would cover a loss outside of the home.

There were actually 2 booths of cellectibles insurance companies at The National. I thought it would be a cool business, if you could price it properly. I feel like it’s kinda adverse selection at its worst, though. I bet lots of people have things stolen or lost when the exonomy turns lower and have them insured at a higher value than market in those instances.

Did you just ask why a guy who brazenly stole a 10k card from a dealer at a national card convention would “take that chance?” If criminals didn’t take chances, I would be a Literature Professor at the University of Miami. :) Either way, the logic applies: the card is pretty unique, and should be spotted by anyone who is aware that it was stolen. The fantastic left-to-right centering, coupled with the 95/5 (or so) top-to-bottom centering and multiple print dots are, as someone wrote, “a fingerprint.” It wouldn’t hurt to ask psa and sgc to keep an eye out.

Just because a guy takes a chance when he robs the bank doesn't mean he's going to compound his chances of getting caught by trying to deposit the stack of bills at another bank. I don't think your logic is right, really. I hope he trips up and gets caught, of course, but I am not optimistic.

I would think not.

It does if you lose your engagement ring in the ocean; happened to a friend of mine.

I was being tongue-in-cheek. Thought it was fairly obvious. I’ve seen dumber things in my career, but obviously, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they will couple one dumb act with another. The logic I was referring to was that the card is pretty unique, and anyone who is familiar with it, should pretty easily spot it due to its telltale markings and centering (or lack thereof).

Ah I missed that, professor. :D The good news I guess is that a thief can't convey good title and neither can a subsequent purchaser, so if it ever shows up down the road even in the hands of the Nth owner, Greg at least in theory should be able to get it back.

Pretty common centering on this mantle
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/123297285540?ul_noapp=true

https://www.ebay.com/itm/142893266010?ul_noapp=true

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401576626688?ul_noapp=true

https://www.ebay.com/itm/202393187553?ul_noapp=true

Here is a sampling of 1951 Bowman Mantle that are currently available on eBay. The centering is the same. Almost any of theses card could be the missing Mantle. (Not saying they are) a that SGC is pretty nice. You can see that this card will be hard to find IMO. All the Mantles cards are in the grade range. They have pretty much the same centering.

Who ever has the card is more likely not from the area it was taken from. They could be hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Also I don’t think I ever got a receipt for a card I purchased at a show or store.
What if the card shows up? The owner says I paid you for it. I can sell a high priced card at a show then report it stolen. Right?


I mean if I seen one of theses mantles at a show tomorrow I might think HEY that’s the missing Mantle!! Or is it? Should I call the police on the spot and say I think that card could be stolen?


Sorry to be devils adovcate but if it’s cracked out it’s more likely gone. The best move would have been to crack it at the show and sell across the floor and leave.

all of them are not the card he lost, he posted a pretty high resolution scan earlier in page 1, pretty easy to tell if it's the same card

You found some cards with similar centering, but couple the centering with these dozens of dots, and I doubt you will find another exactly like it. I don’t know why I’m only able to post small crappy pics anymore!!!

Flaws like those dots are less noticable in person than a zoomed in scan. And the centering is pretty typical for 51 Mantles. I'm not so sure it would be as easy to identify down the road as some of you think.

I know I seen the dots and I’m not saying any of these cards are the missing Mantle. So if someone wants to keep it all they have to do is ding a corner or let it sit in direct sun. The centering is very common. These little differences are not staying in anyone’s head when they are walking a show. Unless your walking around with a high resolution photo of the card you can mistake any of these for the missing Mantle.

I agree with that, plus how many people who might be offered the card are even going to be aware of the theft?

Could be, but I’m pretty sure the OP said it was a picture taken an hour before the theft, not some high resolution scan. I do fear that you guys may be right on this. The odds are against finding it, but hopefully someone will spot it.

I think the Purple Label doubles the value (at least)..........

Earl Johnson
 

Greg,

Heard about this missing card and Joined this Forum today specifically to find you.
We met briefly at National when you were viewing my Step-Uncle's RED HEART set and you two were talking about doing the "Purple Sticker" on his Mantle 4.5 VG-EX+. Not sure if you remember me? I am the girl who said 'I cant believe you guys are collecting Dog Food Labels LOL!' I had Florida Gators hat.

I saw you at ice cream stand late on last day of show don't think you saw me you were in an intense conversation with your partner and Earl Johnson the gentleman who was let-go by SGC. Is this related? The three of you were obsessing about a card (the mantle?) you were viewing an image of on a phone not sure if this was before or after card vanished? It probably already was gone at that time and yall were discussing situation if not thought this tidbit might help to solve. Call or message me if I can do anything you have my Uncle's Number he said to say he feels awful about this story.

From Sunny Florida,

C. Vader

Earl Johnson
 

Greg,

Heard about this missing card and Joined this Forum today specifically to find you.
We met briefly at National when you were viewing my Step-Uncle's RED HEART set and you two were talking about doing the "Purple Sticker" on his Mantle 4.5 VG-EX+. Not sure if you remember me? I am the girl who said 'I cant believe you guys are collecting Dog Food Labels LOL!' I had Florida Gators hat.

I saw you at ice cream stand late on last day of show don't think you saw me you were in an intense conversation with your partner and Earl Johnson the gentleman who was let-go by SGC. Is this related? The three of you were obsessing about a card (the mantle?) you were viewing an image of on a phone not sure if this was before or after card vanished? It probably already was gone at that time and yall were discussing situation if not thought this tidbit might help to solve. Call or message me if I can do anything you have my Uncle's Number he said to say he feels awful about this story.

From Sunny Florida,

C. Vader

Stolen mantle
 

Yes, that pretty much sums up the situation. There were 3 people who last saw/touched the card, including myself. The card “vanished” moments afterward.

It’s a dirty game, people. Beware of those who are supposedly trusted.

Wow so sorry this has happened can’t believe it! What’s the next step in recovery of the card?

Greg?
 

Larry Legend asks a great question

Greg?

I was wondering the same thing.

I understand this is a very sensitive subject with the card not being recovered yet, but was this left in a showcase that was not locked and someone reached over and took it?

I would imagine a card of this caliber is handed directly to a perspective buyer for examination and then handed back to the dealer right away.

Sorry for your loss.

:eek:



I sincerely hope that it wasn't someone that you trusted. Having myself lost something of value and sentiment to someone trusted, the violation of trust is worse than the physical loss.

hope it works out ,,,good luck

The amount of slime balls who frequent these shows is despicable. I hope and pray your card shows up soon bud.