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Originally Posted by Bestdj777
Best of luck finding one. Two of the better sources for pricing are Card Target and Vintage Card Prices. Vintage Card Prices has pictures of most of the public transactions over the last few years, and it includes pictures. There is a small membership fee, but the one day membership is rather reasonable. Card Target also has a good selection of prior reported sales, and I believe pictures as well. It is free and a great resource for 52 Topps Mantles. I went the paid route because I wanted to take a look at some of the sales for some of the oddballs. Anyway, the websites give you a great idea of what the market rate is for a card with aesthetics you approve of. Lower grade Mantles are all over the place.
I know you said you are adverse to something with an Authentic grade, but you can find some very aesthetically pleasing PSA Authentic examples for decent prices. I purchased a PSA 1 and an SGC Authentic. The SGC is a significantly more attractive card and only set me back ~$500 more (and I was buying it a couple years later when the market rebounded). It has a small deceptive trim but has the looks of of a 1.5-2.5. The PSA 1 on the other hand doesn't have nearly the same eye appeal. Just a thought.
I hope you are able to find a card you enjoy at a price you also enjoy.
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Maybe I should consider an authentic card. I also come from the world of coin collecting...and in coin collecting anything that is in an "authentic" slab is a problem piece and those are to be avoided. Perhaps my view about them is somewhat incorrect.