1961 Topps Mickey Mantle
 

New member and first time poster. I've recently gotten back into collecting and have started to put together a decent collection. Next item I've got my eyes on is a 1961 Topps Mickey Mantle #300. Only problem is, I'm reading that Topps made some reprints of the 1961 series that look identical with no clear reprint markings. I've found reprints listed on ebay and they look authentic (at least to my untrained eye). Does anyone have tips on identifying an original 1961 Topps Mantle? Any help is appreciated!

I wouldn't doubt at all that there are counterfeit 1961 Topps cards that have been printed in the last twenty years that are intended to be used for nefarious reasons but they certainly weren't printed by Topps.

If you run across any that you're thinking of buying, definitely post pictures here, front and back, and members will undoubtedly help you out in determining whether or not they are legitimate.

Here are pics of front and back. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated!

That'd be a no. That label is designed to give you comfort, it means nothing.

Just the perfect, snow white front borders and edges make the alarm bells go off. It looks like one of the special Mantles put out by Topps in 1995 or 1996, and not something from almost 60 years ago.

If you can't tell the difference between authentic and a reprint on a raw card, my advice would be to buy a graded one. In the middle and lower grades you will not be spending exponentially more $ to do this anyway. I would agree yes, post pics here and folks can help you - but for any vintage card worth a decent chunk of change this is why I buy graded mostly still online where I can't hold / inspect the card first. Good luck.

Any 'reprint' 1961 Topps Mickey Mantle that was made by Topps would clearly have REPRINT on them or purposely have differences where it could not be confused with an original. Whoever made that particular counterfeit 1961 Topps Mickey Mantle that was purposely made to look identical to an original did it illegally and was certainly unlicensed to do so. ETA, the counterfeit 61 Topps Mantle cards are probably made by the same crooks who make the counterfeit 86-87 Fleer Jordan cards, the counterfeit 52 Topps Mantle cards, the counterfeit 63 Topps Rose cards, and the counterfeit 79-80 OPC/Topps Gretzky cards.

Are those the stickers out of NJ? I remember one of the bigger scammers out of NJ using those or ones very similar before.

I second this opinion
 

Learn your cards before you spend your money. Buy from reputable sellers (shameless plug - like me - although no 1961 Mantle right now). If you don't want to learn or buy from reputable sellers, buy graded - but be careful there too as there are pitfalls even there - plenty of threads on this board that can educate you about them.

The one the OP posted is definitely a reprint/fake. The borders are too white, the corners too sharp and the centering too good. Also the print quality of the name at the bottom appears to be subpar to the original. Remember, the card you are looking for ('61 Mantle) is almost 60 years old. Think about what a 60 year old piece of cardboard should look like.

I am new to this "hobby" as well, even though I had what would be a collection worth a fortune by today's standards as a kid, and have been "collecting" on and off over the decades since my mom got rid of them after my indifference to them before they became valuable. I have only raw cards, because I like being able to hold them, and I most certainly am not in the "hobby" as an investment. I now have a modest collection of quite valuable cards. I never buy genuine valuable cards off of eBay or anywhere else online. Low dollar cards, yes, no problem. I only trade in person these days for valuable, collectible cards. There is no substitute for loupe, blacklight and simply the look and feel, in person. There are so many fakes in the "hobby" now that it is, quite frankly, appalling. Somebody went to incredible lengths with some of them, but in the end, the fakery stands out. Any card that appears to be too good to be true, perfect in every way, probably is.

As to what has already been said, that sticker means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Anyone can print a sticker saying anything they want it to, add a meaningless bar code, affix it to a card holder, and then state their 'guarantee' is voided if the sticker is breached.

But a couple of questions:
1. Is this seller 'guaranteeing' (that's in air quotes) the Mick is specifically a 1961 Topps card? In other words, is the wording such that it could actually cover the card being a reprint? Some sort of lawyer-speak meant to deceive? (No offense to any attorneys.)
2. In looking at your pics, the 'back' shot doesn't show the sticker actually securing the holder. Is that holder open, with the card being easily removed??