Mantle signed bat
 

Hi,
I'm looking at this Mantle signed bat on ebay. Seller says a friend of his got it in person at a show Mantle did. No COA.
Wanted to see what the opinions were here. A friend of mine thinks the M in Mantle looks off, specifically the slant on the right side.
To me it looks legit, so I thought I'd throw it out here. Thanks.

I will let the truly knowledgeable people opine on this. One comment one of those people made was regarding the last name stuck with me - 'Who is Mickey Mautle? I would not mind being corrected on this if I am incorrect. It is just an observation that stuck with me.

I think Mickey Mautle is the guy who signed the bat. "Mautle" was a pretty regular cartoonish forged style, but this one is much different and I think it is authentic.

I've looked at 10's of 1000's so it would fool me. Would not buy it due to the price and reasonable uncertainty. If I'm paying that kid of dough, I'd like to be sure. COA or not. Still would like others opinions that are higher up on the food chain than the formerly Lowly Mantle Collector. I'm 95-98% good. ;)

I would rather be incorrect on ones I know little about than on ones I am very familiar with. I like looking at the "It is real" threads to see if I can get it correct, though I don't worry about it if I am wrong which can be half the time. It is still educational. Now if you show me a Jesse Owens signature...

I like the "Mickey" more than the "Mantle", haha...

Usually Mantle sigs are pretty "cut and dried" for me. But I am with Chuck... leaning towards the sig being authentic, but would not even consider taking the plunge (given the price of the investment).

If I am spending that kind of dough, I want to be positive.

Edit: Try re-posting this item in the Autograph sub-section. There are 3-4 Mantle "gurus" who will give you a more definitive answer. I'd like to hear what they have to say about this head-scratcher as well.

I will post it in the other sub-section.
I agree, it's a lot of $ to shell out when there is some level of uncertainty.
If this is a forgery, it's one of the better Mantle's I've seen.
perezfan.....I hear ya on liking the Mickey better than the Mantle. Kind of felt the same way. :)
Thanks guys for your input.

Aside from "Mautle" as stated above, why is it that the "le" step up rather than falling off as is typical?

Why the huge price tag, is it that he didn't sign many modern bats?

RIIIIIGHHHTTTTTT, agreed

Bats do typically carry somewhat more of a premium, but at the end of the day it's just because it's Mantle. He signed so much stuff on the show circuit but the cult following he has keeps his auto's high. Especially if they have rare inscriptions.

A normal single signed ball by him typically runs at about 600, add an inscription, depending on which one, you could be looking at a huge premium. I know there's a few "Oklahoma Kid" balls circulating that have an asking price of 20K

BTW, who are those 3-4 gurus so I know? Thanks.

two of the other guys at the other thread. I've been called the groovy guru on numerous occasions as well. I told you I have looked at TENS OF THOUSANDS of Mantle's. Probably closer to 100's of thousands. Go buy the Mautle already and run like rabbit with thorn in paw. Don't let me beat you to it. There are a couple more gurus. I think you have enough to go on at this point.:D:D:D:D

Thanks guys......appreciate it.

Thanks, but you seem to be contradicting yourself. Your first post says you wouldn't buy it due to price & uncertainty. Second post you seem to be saying the opposite...."Don't let me beat you to it".
Am I wrong??

I have a Mantle ball I bought years ago where he added The Mick under his signature.
My favorite by far, but I'm pretty certain no one would be foolish enough to pay 20K for it.

yes you are wrong. It's a joke son,

Go ahead and post it and let's take a ganders at the authenticity of that? I can tell you with a blink, like an eye puzzle.

Here ya go son. I knew the dealer (since deceased) well & he did many private signings with Mantle. Thanks, but no verification needed on this piece. I already know it's the real deal. At the time I bought this one he had another one & over the years I regretted not buying both. Oh well, I've made worse mistakes in my life.
His store was probably 75% Mantle items (maybe more...rough guess) & he had a lot of really nice stuff. His son sold most, if not the majority on ebay some time after his father passed.
Got your 20 grand? Save it.....NFS.
The vertical shadow you see on the ball (through the an) is from the camera. I took the picture with ball still in the glass cube. Ball & signature are perfect.

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