I agree--for many of us, it is the closest we will come to a "connection" with these guys.

Still, those were pretty stratospheric prices.......

Yeah, you could buy an index card that Mickey also held (for 10 seconds) for $700. Just sayin.

Honestly, by comparison to the shiny stuff he signed, Mantle index cards are extremely rare and severely undervalued. Same for Mays. Now, if you want a fake one of either guy, or a rubber-stamped Mantle or a wife-signed Mays, then sure, those abound. From my decades of observation, I'd put the population of signed Mantle 3X5s under that of signed vintage cards. With Mays, exponentially less than even Mantle!

The reasons are simple:

Both Mantle and Mays were superstars early on and were done with fan mail after their first few seasons. Even prior to that, they certainly weren't answering every letter that came their way. When they stopped responding, there was a lull for some time. Then, shortly following their retirements, you started seeing the classic red/orange rubber stamped Mantle replies and Mae Mays signing everything that came to Willie's Atherton mailbox. Later on, the card show era started up. People had to pay for the autographs, so just as they weren't interested in "ruining" their baseball cards with autographs, they wouldn't dream of "wasting money" on having an index card signed when they could get a ball or photo instead.

You do see a lot of 3X5 sized Mantles in slabs, but these are just cut down from his signed books which were autographed by the thousands. They're not true index cards, nor are they on the proper stock.

Me too!!
 

Same here... nothing better than mantle in ballpoint imo. This one may be for sale soon!

I took the 1958 topps Mantle as an example. The data below is similar for just about any vintage card when comparing signed vs unsigned

1958 Topps Mantle
I didnt count qualifiers in any of these.

Unsigned
7600 in the total pop
Psa 9. Pop 28. Last sold around 80k
Psa 8. Pop 212 last sold around 11-12k

Signed
53 in the total pop
Psa 4 with 10 auto. Only 6 higher and highest graded is a PSA 5. The PSA 4 with 10 auto sold for 15k.

If you gave me the option of the PSA 8 with a 212 pop or that psa 4 with a 10 auto with a pop of 8 and only 6 higher. Give me the auto all day long. Just my opinion.

Mantle Signed Cards!
 

Exactly! Furthermore, I personally prefer the low pop PSA 4/AUTO 10 versus any of the 28 unsigned PSA 9s that sell for up to $80K. That is my point. From a pure “Pop” perspective, the signed PSA 4 at $15K is an absolute STEAL versus the $80K collectors are paying for PSA 9s, with huge upside for these aesthetically pleasing low-pop signed Mantle cards (or any iconic Hall of Famer). Autographed cards for baseballs legendary players are super investment collectibles. Scripted cards for Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb (very tough to find), Johnson, DiMaggio, Ted Williams (severely undervalued), Jackie Robinson, and Mantle are the best of the best, with Aaron, Mays, and Koufax also gaining ground.

I wanted to chime in with this as well.

I would label myself a card collector first, and an autograph collector second. That being said, one thing that I definitely prefer from a player, in terms of an autograph, is an early career signature.

What we see from a lot of these guys in terms of signed pieces, is their show signature. Mantle is one of the most prominent examples of this. His Show signature, is like a vintage Cadillac. It's iconic, it looks great, especially when he accompanied it with that small "No.7" inscription.

However there's something about his early career signature, that I just love and is more rare. Before he perfected his show circuit one. I've included it below.

Now chances are, short of me hitting the lottery, I'm not going to be able to afford any signed Mantle Cards. However, if money was no object, I would love to hunt his early issues of cards, with the more classic mantle signature in Ballpoint.

https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/....raph-page.webp

I 100% agree with everything you said. I also like your comparison that these legendary players are super investment collectibles. Autographed vintage is obviously incredibly rare and is a category that has fought the negative stigma for decades. If vintage auto's ever become more accepted within the hobby, values for quality vintage autographs could absolutely explode towards the unsigned PSA 9 prices mentioned above in my opinion.

Classic Cool Papa and Gene Lillard comment. I’m sure that fell on deaf ears. I laughed out loud. Mays was an ass at every show.

I'm happy to play to a crowd of one. Funny is funny, regardless of how many get it.

We call that the "Dennis Miller " effect. Only 1 un every 2 or 3 million people "get" the reference;)