Where is the third PSA 10 1952 Topps Mantle?
 

There are currently three PSA 10 1952 Topps Mantle. One is owned by Marshall Fogel. Another is owned by Ken Kendrick.

Anyone know who owns the third? I have heard rumors over the years, but nothing confirmed about this third psa 10 mantle.

That secret is guarded pretty zealously. Collector in NJ is what I have heard but that's it.

Is that the one submitted by a known card trimmer? Or was that Kendrick's?

Yes, it's that one.

I heard a rumor that he reviewed it multiply times when it was a 9 then it finally bummed to a 10.

If it was graded during the Baker era he probably just screamed at him loud and long enough that Mike caved. The stuff that used to go on at shows...

Maybe the card deserves it...who knows. Either way whomever has it is sitting on a GOLD MINE.

It may well, at least by the standards of the day.

Show bumps were very very common in the 90s. This was before half grades and you could certainly make a case that a lot of cards could go either way. I knew a guy who would go to Parsippany every month with a bunch of 86 Jordan 9s and he would always get a few bumped to 10s. PSA knew guys were flying in for the sole purpose of bumping cards and they made it worth their while.

One of my favorite stories happened at the old Fr. Washington show. A friend of mine is at his table on a slow Sunday afternoon. Steve Rocchi comes over and asks him if he needs anything. Just kidding, my friend points to a couple of very high powered cards in 7 and says that he could use 8s on them. Rocchi takes the cards, says I'll be back in half an hour, and brings them back in 8s.

Peter G, a San Antonio forum member since 2010 and someone I have chatted with many times, used to own the 3rd Mantle in a 10. He sold it a long time ago though.
I agree it would be a gold mine today. It would be like hitting the lottery.
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Peter paid what was a stupefying price in the day but it would be chump change now. As I recall Superior auctioned it for him and that's where the trail goes cold.

Peter, any idea what year it was auctioned?

Around 2000/2001.

Thanks. And it was a psa 10 back then? Wow.

Yes, it was. Presumably whoever bought it then still owns it.

How many 9s have we seen for sale? Rumor had it that one collector owned several of the 5 (or is it 6).

VCP lists 3 sales since 2006

$282,588 in 2006 at Memory Lane
$2,888,000 in 2018 at Heritage
$5,200,000 in 2021 via private sale as reported by PWCC

The $2.8 and $5.2 million card is the same example

And the person that last bought it, Rob G, is a very enthusiastic collector and forum member. He lives out of country, last we spoke. (which has only been a handful of times)
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Was he also not looking (posted here) for a 52 Topps Jackie Robinson PSA 9 (maybe higher?) to go with it?

Yes, correct.
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Anyone seen pic of the 3rd 52 topps mantle psa 10?

There was an SGC 9.5 that a Jersey fella sold for #12.1 million fairly recently. Bought it for $50 k in 1991. Then the brothers from San Diego formerly of MA who had 5 of them had an 8.5 also. Not sure if that one was sold...

Going through some old papers I came across this flyer that was mailed to me in 1997 showing a guy by the name of Rob Slack purchasing a 1952 Topps Mantle PSA 10. Cannot see the serial number on the card.

Interesting, any know Rob Slack and if he still has it (if it is the third one)?

As I posted, the mystery third one was auctioned in 2000 or 2001.

Imagine a time, way back, when a PSA 10 '52 Mantle didn't even get a full page :)

Only sold for 10K or so higher than a recent 9. Different world back then.

In 2009/2010
 

It was owned by an individual who lived in either North jersey or the New York City area. I have his name and contact info somewhere. I think it’s in my first generation I phone. I was given it by the man himself when I was introduced to him by an owner of one of the grading services. I have not heard of it changing hands since then so I assume he still owns it. Thinking about it it could have been late 2008.

I am pretty sure it is, or was, New Jersey. I suppose he could have moved it privately to someone equally off the grid, otherwise he still has it. Not a bad ROI if so. 275K then, now.....

Just happened to stumble upon this video today - https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https...r4evaCDY1w&s=1

someone posted on reddit this week that its owned by Charlie Merkel - does that sound right?

It's always bothered me somewhat that Kendrick's 10 is if only slightly - very obviously diamond cut, or has some tilt going on or something. The card is super sharp besides that. But should a 10 be diamond cut?

This to me is where the world of grading just becomes a fairy tale at some point. It is ridiculously subjective.

Usually 52's are cut square but the image has a slight tilt to it. I agree with you just saying the problem likely isn't an actual diamond cut.

So may be tilt and not the cut. Is that a difference maybe between type 1 and 2 for the Mantle? I believe it is for the Jackie Robinson.

I believe the black border line on the right side of the card angles inward on one of the types, which will give the appearance of a tilt. Check out this image comparison.

Interesting. In that case it may well be a fully deserving 10.

Not unless he bought it from the NJ guy long believed to have bought it in 2001.

Did all the known 10s originate from Rosen's find?

In 2015, Intelligent Collector (published by Heritage Auctions) claimed that Ken Kendrick owned 2 of the 3 PSA 10's. Of course, they could have been wrong. See page 82 here in the magazine here:

https://intelligentcollector.com/mag...ring-issue.pdf

These were presented one other time as the 3 highest graded examples.

I doubt it. He's very open about what is in his collection, why would he not own up to that one?

Interesting that the PSA 10 Type 1 ending in cert x6104, doesn’t have the typical printing black dot to the right of the ‘Y’ at end of MICKEY in the signature block. It’s typically in Type 1 versions, like seen in green highlight of attached.