Ok this GAI Mantle has to be good..
 

My last GAI Mantle endeavor turned out to be no good even after most of us thought it was.

This one again looks textbook to me. What do you guys and gals think?

https://i.imgur.com/nui6BAg.jpeg

Thanks in advance!

-Joe

I'm not an expert, but I can't even get past the GAI sticker (One of the biggest fraudsters there was). Even the title on the label was rushed, It's Starting Lineup vice Start Lineup.

When I get to the autograph, it looks like it was written slow and very deliberate, not fluid like Mantle did. So it's definitely a No-Go for me.

Reputation, label, and the autograph combined sends up a big red NO.

If you own it, save your money. If you don't, pass it up.

Thank you! I do not own it. It is for sale on our favorite auction site. Steep price too for what it is.

I don't like it.

The tops of the first M come to points; and the downstrokes on the "n" and "l" look off, like they were slowly drawn.

I blew it up to 300%, and interestingly, the initial downstroke on the first "M" appears to cross OVER the beginning of the upstroke; which is backwards.....the upstroke should cross over the downstroke.

Steve

It's fine

I'm not sure what your game plan is.

Are you trying to save money by buying a GAI Mantle and having it reslabbed by a "respected" TPA? If so, I'd advise you to find more productive uses for your time.

For starters, you will have to be supremely confident in your knowledge of Mantle, which doesn't appear to be the case since you are seeking outside internet opinions. I say this because in order for this idea to work, you would have to buy the card and remove it from the GAI slab before sending it to PSA. If you left it in the slab when submitting to them, they would take one look at the slab and not give it any more thought before immediately failing it, even if it was authentic.

Of course, once you cracked the slab, the person you bought it from is completely off the hook to give you any sort of refund.

It's a losing proposition. Find better ways of getting a low priced Mantle.

If you're just curious if GAI ever authenticated a genuine Mantle, sure they did. Many times over. The large volume of authentic material signed by Mantle coupled with the number of truly naive GAI customers who thought they were a reputable service proves it. Of course, no knowledgeable dealer was getting their Mantle material authenticated by GAI; only crooked dealers who already knew their material was fraudulent.

Whatever your interest is in this regard, it's a complete waste of time and effort.

Joe even if the sig is good, its faded & I would pass for that reason alone.
There are a ton of legit vibrant Mantle's out there, not sure this GAI one
fits the bill on either

Appreciate the well thought out response. You are correct on all fronts. As for my motives and reasoning, it is probably a bit of all those reasons. I am also a bit partial to the starting lineup brand being a kid when those were popular. I had the Don Mattingly and Mike Pagliarulo figurines around that same timeframe so anything associated with that portion of the collecting niche has intrigued me now as an adult with a bit more disposable income to burn here and there.

Bold, authentic Mantle's on cards or even Perez Steele postcards are getting tougher to find much under the 1k mark these days. And forget anything on a playing days Topps card being "affordable". I guess if I want quality, I will have to pay up and not look to cut the proverbial corner.

Agreed. Thank you. Will have to expand the budget a bit for a quality example of his signature. There's oodles out there but not getting any cheaper by the day.

I have to imagine that the Starting Lineup card has to be quite rare in authentically signed format. The demand for it is thankfully not huge, either, so maybe you might luck out one day. Just be prepared to wait and to pay for it (although luck might be on your side!). Maybe you might find one in raw form at a decent price. Just keep in mind that such cards from the 80's-early 90's are obviously prime target material for forgers due to low financial outlay (forgers are cheap). I realize you already know that, but figured I'd include it in case some beginner comes along to read this years later!

Yep, sure would be. It's maybe a $2 card unless high grade. I saw only one signed sold in the last few years. I'm sure the market is a bit higher now. I appreciate the pointers on this. Thank you again.

For what it is worth(probably nothing), it is authentic IMO.

I know the last one you asked about with the GAI sticker which looked OK did not pass so maybe this one won't either. The slab dates to the "hit or miss" time frame with GAI and autographs. The serial numbers starting with 102 fall into the date range when the only real expert they ever had (Mike Guiterrez who was very good) was already gone.

I would submit it to Beckett for the $10 online opinion but crop out the GAI slab so you get an unbiased opinion. I would buy it based on the autograph irrespective of the slab but only if I was certain it would pass PSA/DNA, JSA. or Beckett.

Another online option if you are on Facebook is Out or Safe. These guys are very good on baseball autographs and especially Mantle. The fee is $6 with a couple of online payment options.

But I would not consider paying the BIN price of $1200 even if it was already authenticated by one of the trusted authenticators.

Good luck with it.

Thanks. That last Mantle debacle was quite frustrating. I appreciated your help and guidance on that one!

I haven't gone that far yet since I trust you guys as much if not more than TPAs. The BIN is not even close to fair value IMO. I was figuring if legit it is worth maybe half that at most considering the slab, quality of auto, etc.. I do not think I am going to move forward with that as even at half of ask. For that or a bit more, I can most likely source a more quality auto for my collection without the doubt this one brings.

I think you are correct. Maybe not on a card although some of the reprint autograph cards can be bought for $500 or so but certainly on a nice photo.

I would get one already authenticated by one of the 3 trusted companies since it takes about 6 months now to get a card that requires a certificate authenticated. At least that is JSA's estimated timeline.

That Mantle is good