Could be the first 1955 Mascot Dog Food Cards of Mantle and Berra. Any Info?
 

Can anyone help provide information on the 1955 Mascot Dog Food Cards? I was lucky to pick up the Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra from this set and from what I have found out, these may be the first of these two cards to ever be found/seen. In fact, I have not been able to find any cards from this set come up for sale. The big vintage price guide has a photo of a Robin Roberts card with information that there appear to be 8 cards in the set from the back of the card but there is no price list. The back of the Berra is the same as the Roberts in the price guide, but the back of the Mantle references 11 cards. It really seems like I may have the only known cards of Mantle and Berra to be found. Any information on this set and the rarity of these cards would be much appreciated!!!

wow, those are nice!
Never seen those before

it seems like the grading companies haven't seen the Mantle or Berra before either - in fact I'm not sure any have been graded. It really seems like the Robin Roberts was the only other card from this set that was known because it was shown in the big vintage guides. Maybe anyone who got one of the cards mailed it in for the deal described on the back (an autographed 8x10, member card, pin, and full postcard set). If they would have fulfilled that offer, you'd think we'd see some of those items periodically, so maybe the dog food company didn't last long. Very cool to think that it could be the rarest Mantle card out there! ... and Yogi too. I figured this would be the place to ask for help with any information on this set or these cards (thanks in advance!).

Very cool... Never seen that before and I have been playing with baseball cards for 46 years !

Could be an incredible find, Chuck! Care to share the story behind these cards?

I got the cards recently from an antique dealer friend in Pennsylvania. Another antique dealer purchased them in an estate - the cards were stored in an album of antique photographs for 50+ years (it looked like the album/cards were never touched in years). The back of the cards indicate that Mascot Dog Food was out of Philadelphia, not far from where the cards were found. Makes sense to see a Philadelphia Phillies player as the only known example. It would be great to find out more information about how long Mascot Dog Food was in business. Do you think these are so rare because anyone who had them would have sent them in for the great redemption package they offered or because the dog food company may have gone under? Maybe both, and maybe they were limited to begin with. In my research I have not found any cards other than the Roberts in the price guide and I have not found any of those other redemption items. Somewhere there must be information. I did find a couple web blogs where collectors indicated that it is a regional set they'd love to find, so some collectors must know about them. I never thought I would stumble upon a one of a kind Mantle card from the 1950s!

Great find! You need to get it authenticated as there are so many questions.

The redemption doesn't say you have to mail in the card. It just says to mail in 25 cents and a label from the dog food to receive the various items. Regardless, you've found two very rare cards that don't appear to be cataloged.

I collect 1990 Fleer so don't listen to me, but you might be on to something here...Great cards buddy...

Looks like Mascot Dog Food and Mascot Pet Supply were out of East Orange, NJ. I was able to find an old Mascot Dog Food can label! Makes sense that the three cards that were found so far are Phillies (Roberts in the price guide) and Yankees (my Mantle and Berra), as those teams are near East Orange. Since there are no other examples known (so far) I'm guessing the other cards in the set could include Ashburn, Ford, ... and maybe some Dodgers (since the cards are likely from 1954-1955 and they left Brooklyn after 1957). I really find it interesting that the Roberts and Berra indicate a redemption program that includes 8 cards, and the Mantle indicates 11 cards - so I wonder if they may be from 2 different years.

I can't believe no one on this board (so far) has even heard of this issue.

mascot
 

ive heard of the issue
its listed
i know who has the robin roberts

Having held them
 

I was lucky enough to see these in person at Chuck's shop yesterday and I can say they are really freaking cool. I don't get excited about cards very often anymore but these are exciting cards.

Great cards, but what is going on with the Mantle facsimile signature?

Great find! Very cool to see.

Swarmee I am not an autograph guy, but I know Mantle's early signature is vastly different than his later signature. I believe this is a facsimile of his early autograph before it got fancy.

Cool! Always great to see stuff you have never seen before. In my case in over 50 years.

Fred

Just read the Standard Catalog description. It says the cards are glossy. Chuck's do not look glossy.

Is it me?

Chuck, glossy or not?

Please advise.

Thanks

Fred

It looks glossy to me but hard to tell from the picture.

Looks to be a great find!
Congrats, neat stuff!

I wouldn't call them really glossy. I'm trying to get in touch with the person who owns the Roberts to compare notes. I will let provide an update if I get more information. Thanks to everyone who has provided information and has reached out. Because the backs are a little different (redemption information), I guess they could be from 2 different years or series.

Neat stuff
 

My question is - are these actual cardstock, or are they, as the promo blurb states, "printed on the label." If the "cards" are simply printed on can labels, it's more understandable that collectors would send them in for redemption and thus render them scarcer over time. But, the images of the cards you posted look like usual cardstock, so I'm curious. The puzzle of the number of cards in the issue: 8 vs 11, reminds me of the 1951 Topps Current All-Star set, with three cards with Philadelphia connections withdrawn from publication due to contractual concerns. I wonder if perhaps Mascot had poor sales, leading to early cancellation of the promotion, however, reading the label ingredients, the stuff sounds a lot more nutritious, if not tastier, than some of the MRE stuff I gagged on in the service.:confused:

What are the difference in the redemption info. On the backs? Your saying your Mantle and Berra are different from the Roberts or is your Mantle different from your Berra ? These are really interesting !

Having seen them in person
 

The berra has the same offer as the roberts the mantle has an offer for 11. they are on a normal card stock, they are not glossy per se but they aren't dull either. They are not on the labels. These are pretty cool and Chuck may have hit the lotto. One of the first "new" things I have seen in years that i could genuinely say was cool.

Thanks for that info, Glyn. I agree that it is a great find. But, I'm still wondering - what does "printed on the labels" refer to then, if the cards are all on cardstock?

Card Stock
 

From what I have been told they (any known copies)are on card stock as is the roberts from the catalog, according to my source. The individual i immediately sent photos too stated he believes they are authentic. this individual is in my opinion the most knowledgable individual on odd vintage sports cards in the world. I trust his opinion absolutely, as would most who know him. To be honest when i first saw pics my gut said no good but i wasn't positive. my friend has me convinced the other way now and after having seen them i believe they are vintage as well.

It means you get the cards of the stars that are listed on the label. Apparently the checklist was written there so you know who was included.

If PSA will grade these you hit a major jackpot if you are looking to sell. Sweet pieces. Congrats!!!

Yeah, I guess you're right. I was thrown off by the label image that ChuckW posted, thinking it was from the redemption deal, but it was apparently from a non-redemption can. Plus, the ungrammatical wording "photos of stars printed on label."

Mascot
 

Confirmed owner of roberts also has a mantle
Needs berra

PSA told me they would only grade the cards if they had a checklist for the set and they don't have a checklist. I've never heard that before - anyone else? I thought they'd love to have their name on rare cards like this and would do a little research if it's something they've never seen.

I've talked to many vintage, Mantle, and regional collectors and there is very little known about this set and these cards. I will keep everyone posted as I find out more. I also appreciate the many generous offers for the cards (especially the Mantle), but if I sell them it will be via auction. Right now, I'm just focused on finding out more information regarding the cards (a checklist would be great but that may be very unlikely). Thanks again everyone!

By the way - the Mascot Dog Food Label that I posted was just from a label I found doing an internet search - it was not from the year of these cards.

One would think that any TPG could look at the previous cards, compare, and grade these. I understand they want to be careful but if they can hold one of these in their hands, with all of their equipment they have and not be able to tell if it is real or not, then I am not sure what to say. Pathetic?

I would also check with SGC and Beckett.

They are finicky about grading new items for some reason. I have one card that is catalogued (it's a multi sport set) in a legitimate hockey card guide and they refuse. The kicker is that the photo of my exact Mantle card was even used as the illustration in the book. It's frustrating to say the least, especially when it makes such a substantial difference in the price of the item to the general market.

Back in the day when I was at Beckett, there would be cards that PSA would not grade until Beckett listed them. It had to do with information paucity.

Personally, I would contact Joe at PSA (or whomever you are comfortable with) and send a link of this thread so they have a ton of relevant information.

Believe it or not, most of the people involved in the hobby in positions such as that do not read and memorize every single thread on Net 54 :)

Rich

Beckett's vintage graders were able to do research, grade the cards, and add the cards and brand to their catalogue and database!! Also, there is a lot of speculation that these cards were made in 1951 or 1952 (Beckett labeled the cards as "1950s Mascot Dog Food" cards). Check out the Yogi Berra card - it is the photo that was used to create the 1950 Bowman Yogi Berra card! Thanks Beckett!

Now that you got Beckett to slab them are you going to try to cross them over to PSA?

Great update. Congrats on getting them authenticated by Beckett.

I don't think I will cross them over. I'm happy that they are slabbed and since I appreciate that Beckett did work to research and catalogue them, they deserve to be in Beckett holders for a while! I'm also pleasantly surprised to hear that they may be from 1951 or 1952, which would really make the Mantle even more amazing. A first to the market Mantle card from his Rookie era!

A lot of people have been making very nice offers, which are sincerely appreciated, but if anything, the two cards would go to auction. I will keep everyone posted.

The Mantle image looks like the same one used on the 51 Wheaties premium... I believe I read the image was taken from the 52 world series, but someone else may know more about that.

Good catch Ben - the Mantle is the same pose as the 1951 Wheaties Premium. It looks like the Mascot Dog food card is the original photo, and they added pinstripes to his jersey for the Wheaties premium card (old school Photoshop work! ... hand drawn back then). So the 2 Mascot Dog Food cards that I have were the original photos used to make the 1950 Bowman Yogi Berra and the 1951 Wheaties Premium cards. This helps direct me to think what I heard from Beckett - that they believe the Mascot cards are most likely from 1951 or 1952. Has anyone seen the Mascot image of Robin Roberts used in another card from the early 1950s? The Roberts card was the image I showed from the think vintage catalogue from SCD.
Thanks Ben.

The same Roberts photo also appears on the 1950s Macgregor Advisory Staff Photo of Roberts. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, it is impossible to pinpoint the date of Advisory Staff Photos.

Mascot
 

1955 is correct for the robin roberts

Let’s get these bad boys on the auction block; my bidding finger is ready!

I think that is disappointing that Beckett stabbed them as "1950's" as opposed to a specific year. Theses companies are so called experts. Come on Beckett do some research! Chuck, it sounds like you did much more work than they did. Weak effort by Beckett in my opinion.

Congratulations on getting the card slabbed.

Kudos to Beckett for slabbing it.

But more importantly, a big round of applause to Beckett for labeling it "1950s."

As mentioned earlier, the photo used on the card was taken during the 1952 World Series, on October 6, 1952. I've attached the photo and the back of the photo. So the card cannot be from 1951 and it is extremely unlikely that it is from 1952. It is most likely from 1953 or later. Whoever labeled the Mantle Wheaties issue with a 1951 issuance date has done collectors a huge disservice. And I definitely applaud Beckett for not going down that rabbit hole.

As far as saying Beckett should do some research and criticizing them for their "weak effort," how much research and effort did they put in to this card? I don't know, so I can't criticize them. I'm just happy they didn't follow PSA's lackluster performance and call this a 1951 issue thereby perpetuating and enforcing a definite error. I do agree it would be nice to have a definitive year for this card. But that would probably take many, many hours of effort and a definitive year may still not be found. And they would get paid how much for all that time? Whatever they charged to slab the card. And in the meantime, they hold on to the card to wait to slab it until they can find a definitive issuance year? :eek:

It is sort of funny that the original poster (hi Chuck) came to me about putting this thread with the rare cards on the front page. I believe I said let's try it in the correct spot first (the post war forum) and see if it gets attention. I think it has garnered enough attention to be brought back to the front page. :) This is a very cool and interesting story to me. Congrats to Chuck on some great cards...

From one Chuck W to another, congrats!

I love the obscure and impossible to find, so this thread has been fascinating to read. With how hot Mantle cards have been the last few years, it seems the sky would be the limit for that card in an auction like REA.

You are 100% correct about that. I have had several from his time with the KC Blues. Auto's are identical. So is the Berra auto.

Search for ads for mascot dog food in Philadelphia an Jersey newspapers from that era. There is a newspaper archive site you can start with.

newspaper search
 

Searched on GenealogyBank in PA and NJ for ads from 1952-56 and didn't get any hits at all using the search "mascot dog food." I expanded my search for the whole country, and got this tantalizing piece of info (photo) which came from the April 27, 1954 Evening Star out of Washington, D.C. in "The Baseball Beat" column by Burton Hawkins.

The text reads,
"Bucky Harris is a business associate of Al Rosen, Ed Mathews, Robin Roberts, Yogi Berra, Ed Lopat, Monte Irvin and Specs Toporcer. Their pictures appear on cans of Mascot dog food and they get a slice of the sales."

That's it! Sure would be great if those guys were on the remaining cards in the set!

Cool find, I would love to have one of the Ed Mathews ones in my collection.

Jason, Bucky Harris was the manager of the Washington Senators in 1954. This was the last year of his third managerial go-round with the Senators, as follows:
1924-1928 (as player manager, he won the W.S. in his first year)
1935-1942
1950-1954

- Cool find Jason! Thanks for the help!!!!

If there is an Al Rosen card I want it.

Wow! Great research Jason! I didn't think newspapers could be searched so easily. That pretty much puts the issue date as no earlier than 1954. However, I wonder why Mantle wasn't mentioned in the article. Could it be that more were issued in 1955? Or was Mantle included in the 1954 issue but was added after the article made it to print? Since the backs of some cards mention 8 cards in the set and others mention 11 cards in the set, does that mean it's more likely the Mantle is part of an 11 card set issued in 1955 versus an 8 card set issued in 1954?

This would be my assessment. Mantle was one of the three additional players added.

Don't ya hate it when you find something that you need which you previously didn't know existed? As a type or player collector it sucks :)

Yes and no; gives me something to shoot for. I've been looking for a National Tea Rosen label for many years. Gonna be that much more fun when I find one.

Interesting to see where this goes????

http://www.wheatlandauctionservices....%20Auction.jpg

The auction has started for the Mascot Dog Food Cards!
 

For the Mantle Mascot Dog Food Card (starting at $5 with no reserve):
http://www.wheatlandauctionservices....ventoryid=9607


For the Berra Mascot Dog Food Card (starting at $5 with no reserve):
http://www.wheatlandauctionservices....ventoryid=9608

A very cool 1969-1970 Topps Basketball Proof uncut sheet:
http://www.wheatlandauctionservices....ventoryid=9588

Any guesses on what you think the Mantle will sell for????????

The auction says only Mantle that exists. Hasn't Larry confirmed that there is another?

Doug

The auction listing indicates it's the first to the market. The three grading companies have never graded any other Mascot card and only the Roberts has been catalogued previously. Someone may claim to own another, but they have never shown any proof, even after they were asked. So maybe, but I doubt it until someone shows proof or gets it graded/catalogued. If any proof is shown, then we know that two are known to exist which is still very cool. It's still the first time that we've seen one come to market via auction house or eBay unless I missed something.

I'm amazed at that also! A Mantle issue no one was aware of?



.

Nobody has ever shown proof of another. Basically there are only 3 known examples from this set, though the backs claim there are 11 subjects I believe, and two of them are up for sale in this auction. That's a coup no matter how you slice it. Best of luck with this sale Chuck, just glad I got to see them in person before they disappear into the bowels of some amazing collection!

Amazing! This guy has one. :D

Funny
 

Funny, but not quite as good as the one with him and the Mona Lisa. That was a great thread.

Thank you Wheatland for changing the title from "only one" to "first to market".

Doug

totally understand why you might choose not to answer, but was there a main reason you chose this auction house?

/SlowClap

I find it surprising that BECKETT was chosen to grade the piece. Unless of course PSA and SGC politely deferred, or simply refused, and passed the shoe. Nothing against Beckett, they're strict graders.

After the lengthy NET54 thread, things looked promising. Then, a Net54 gent uncovered original research in the form of an original ad and uploaded it for us all. The ad's effect was mighty, in that there was no mention of Mickey Mantle as one of the players included.

I was hoping someone with terrier tenacity would dig up a giant dog bone of another ad, this time with a mention of Mickey Mantle. By all means, Mascot would trumpet the name of Mickey Mantle if he was included. Then again, for 1954-55, the Bowman Gum Company had an exclusive with The Commerce Comet. However, that exclusive translated to only nationwide gum issues, not to a promotion involving a very limited regional distribution area, such as Stahl-Meyer Franks in Metropolitan New York (1953--55), or Dan-Dee Potato Chips in Ohio and eastern Pennsylvania (1954), and finally Briggs in Washington, DC area (1954).

Was there any further news on this that I and some of the other lads might be unaware of? Please advise.

Many thanks. ----Brian Powell


PS-----This is a case where we really needed the expertise of Mr. Bob Lemke, who sadly passed away in early January of 2017. This was just the sort of mystery that he loved to solve, and he would welcome the assistance of others.

I think I mentioned previously that PSA indicated that they only grade cards that have a known checklist. They told me that I could do further research on the cards for them, but honestly I have a full time job in the engineering consulting world and wouldn't know how to do the research they needed. SGC was helpful and said they would be glad to look at the cards and do the research needed to figure out if they can grade them. Beckett said the same thing. I use Beckett a lot for grading and personally have a lot of respect for them and chose to send the Mantle and Berra to them (in this industry I try to associate and do business with people who are good people). Their vintage guys have been very nice and helpful in the past. I agree it would be awesome to find out more about these cards and Mascot Dog Food in general. The board on Net54 has been great (and Leon!) to try to help, and some good people in the industry have reached out to many regional and vintage experts, with many people having heard of the product (I think mainly due to the Robin Roberts that was know to exist and the mystery behind what other cards may have been out there). Finding out more information on Mascot Dog Food Company or this regional set would be great, and any suggestions would be much appreciated. Wheatland Auction Services was a very easy choice since it's owned by my wife! They have a strong pool of awesome buyers/collectors and I figured it would be best to get it in the hands of the right owner sooner, rather than later. Plus it's been fun finding such unique cards and many good vintage collectors are very excited about the cards. I hate talking about the Mantle so much, because the Berra is also very cool!

He seems to have a lot of nice cards just not a very organized room. :eek:

Chuck- should be a great Wheatland ...https://www.wheatlandauctionservices.com. I have been following the auctions but, as I am mostly buying for resale, all of the lots seem to get to their potential. Just not a lot of meat left (which is good for consignors.)

Nice article in Forbes on the cards. Thanks David!!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidse.../#19d8df7f6460

.

Great job to both Beckett and Forbes for doing some really nice stories. Both also gave credit to Net54 members for good research! Here is the Beckett story: https://www.beckett.com/news/1950s-m...y-mantle-card/

I just found a mention of Bucky Harris having his picture on Mascot Dog Food labels, in the 24 Dec 1953 Orlando Sentinel. It doesn't mention any other players though.

There are also ads for Mascot Dog Food going back to Oct 1932 in the St Louis Post-Dispatch. The most recent ad I found is from the 5 Feb 1976 Los Angeles Times. These ads were for the dog food itself.

Steve

The Auction for the Mantle and Berra Cards is almost over
 

The Mantle is up to $18,500 with 8 days left (ends Sunday January 28th):
http://www.wheatlandauctionservices....ventoryid=9607

The Berra is up to $1,200 with 8 days left:
http://www.wheatlandauctionservices....o-lot9608.aspx

Here's the story on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidse.../#5c1f9c696460

Here's the story in Beckett:
https://www.beckett.com/news/1950s-m...y-mantle-card/

Here's the story in sports collector's daily:
https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...tion-1st-time/

Good Luck Bidding!

The Mantle and Berra Mascot Cards Sell Today!
 

The cards sell today (Sunday January 28 - ending this evening in a no-reserve auction)

The Mantle is up to $19,500:
http://www.wheatlandauctionservices....ventoryid=9607


The Berra is up to $1,400:
http://www.wheatlandauctionservices....ventoryid=9608


Here's the story on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidse.../#79beaed36460

Here's the story in Beckett:
https://www.beckett.com/news/1950s-m...y-mantle-card/

Here's the story in sports collector's daily:
https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...-bvg-1-5-a_lg/

Good Luck Bidding!

What was the final hammer on these?