Mickey Mantle index card
 

For one of my projects, I'm being very specific with the autographs I am collecting. I've been searching for a Mickey Mantle index card signed in blue sharpie and there doesn't seem to be many of them out there. Same thing with Billy Martin. Why is that?

I see his signature on photos in blue sharpie all the time, but a scarce amount on index cards. I think Heritage has sold 1-2 over the years, but outside of that I don't think I've ever seen another except maybe some forgeries.

Perhaps someone here can shed some light? Does anyone own one in blue sharpie?

Thanks,
Matt

Sharpie signed Mantle autographs became popular at card shows. Most collectors would not pay the fee for Mantle and then hand him an index card.
And since he was not much of a TTM signer, the lack of his sig. on index cards in sharpie or ball point is not surprising.

Awww! Makes sense. Kind of like the $500 flat fee for Derek Jeter. Why would anyone pay that and then hand him an index card.

Except Mantle's fee was $50. ;)

If anyone has one of those $50 index cards in blue sharpie, feel free to PM me! :)

Thanks,
Matt

I've got a Mickey Mantle autograph on an index card.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3227/2...c0630623_z.jpg

As you can see, it's not signed in Sharpie. Index cards are my preferred item of choice because I like the signatures for their own sake, and Sharpies don't work well on 3x5 cards because they bleed, and even if they didn't the point is too wide for my tastes. When it comes to 3x5 cards, my writing implement of choice is a Pilot Precise Rolling Ball, extra fine point, in blue.

This is the only Mantle autograph that I can ever know to be genuine because I acquired it in person, he signed it in front of me. I can't say that about any other Mantle autograph, no matter how reliable and well-respected the authenticator. Hence, this is not for sale.

(For informational purposes, here's the background behind the autograph. I acquired it at the Mickey Mantle's Restaurant in New York City on July 16, 1991 during a press conference in which Mantle publicized an auction of his 1967 road jersey. When I gave him the card to sign he looked at the back, probably to make sure it wasn't an unlicensed item, then signed it and - at my request - dated it.)

GREAT signature and story, but someone will probably call it fake or say the alphabet guys would fail it. We live in a world of Cynics.

I paid $35 in 1990 in Atlanta,( and caught a lot of grief for spending that much money for an autograph) so at that time I was not going to hand over an IC, it was definitely a baseball.:)

$50 with inscription LOL! ;)

Wow Scott, you were Mr. Moneybags back then werent you:p:):D

BTW, I actually got a ball signed myself, not an index card.

$50 seemed like a lot back then. Any ML scrub now charges that and more now. On top of that, you can't even read 90% of them if you pony up the money. Yikes! What has happened to the hobby, anyway?? :eek:

There's nobody playing today that I would pay $50 for their autograph.