I'm not sure why, but I believe that this T206 Wagner would feel right at home in my collection, while a 1952 Topps Mantle PSA 8 would feel out of place, like the fat new kid on the block.

Brian (I voted for the Wagner. Just making sure we are all on the same page)

What this shows to me
 

What I take from this is that is that when a mutilated version of one of the cards is giving a pristine example of the other a run for its money in terms in terms of which is the more desirable to own, that speaks volumes about which card the hobby regards as the more iconic.

I'd normally say the Wagner regardless of an "authentic" designation but in this instance, the cutting of the borders at this drastic of a measure turned me away from it.

You are probably right, but put this poll on a different site and I suspect it will change the answer too.

In some places if you added a Luka that may win.

The Wagner, all day, every day.

You can easily buy another Mantle with better centering, less tilt and worn corners for much less. You are going to be hard pressed to find another Wagner unless you have 7 figures to spend on cards. The Wagner is the most iconic baseball card. The chance to own one makes it an easy pick.

There were what, 5 Wagner auctioned off this year? You can buy the card. This one is half a Wagner.

The Mantle without any hesitation

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Wagner.

If you have 3-7 million dollars and can out bid the deep pockets. There are 40 Mantles listed on eBay right now, most below 100k. How many hundreds of Mantles sell each year? It seems like every major auction has multiples.

Fun topic. I assume this is a to own rather than invest, someone just offers to give you one or the other, red pill or blue pill type of hypothetical.

For me the answer is always red pill

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and Wagner, in a heartbeat.

A. I can buy a presentable Mantle if I want to. Not so with the Wagner.

B. The Wagner is THE card and has been since I was a kid.

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It has a mystique that no other card has, ever.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...re-made-of.jpg

I saw my first one in person around 1978 at one of the semi-annual Anaheim shows Mike Berkus used to run.

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As I recall, the card was $6,000 at the time.

C. PSA 8?

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I could not care less about PSA high grade. I'll take the vg card and the condo in Kona, Alex. To me PSA means Probably Somehow Altered.

Mantle vs. Wagner
 

The Mantle. Not close. For me, the question is which card makes you feel better when you look at it? The Mantle is pure sweetness. The Wagner is a bummer.

The Mantle, and wouldn't have to think about it. Just due to the way my collecting has evolved since the late 1980's, I've always been at least 90% a postwar vintage guy anyway. From the time I was old enough to know what old cards even were, it has been drummed into my head that the '52 #311 is "the" card.

I would go with the Wagner. It was one of the first cards I heard of that was worth anything, via the buy ad in I think sporting news or baseball digest.
And it was always one of those unobtainable things.

The Mantle was expensive but would have been possible in a reasonable grade when I really began collecting older stuff. It hurts a bit to type that but it's just how it is.

Mantle for me. Eye-appeal matters more long term. Then I'd trade it in for a lower grade Mantle with better centering :)

I don’t like trimmed card, especially badly trimmed cards. Having said that, the Mantle is very off center for an 8. I guess if there was door number three I would go with that, but with only two choices I’ll take the Mantle.