This Mantle was described as being "washed out" but I think a lot more is going on here than some fading:
The text box is supposed to Green, but it's entirely Blue on this card. Even with fading, Green is Green and Blue is Blue. I don't see any Green here at all.
Besides that, the "N.Y. Yankees OF" text is supposed to be Yellow. It is White on this card. Perhaps fading could explain where the Yellow went, but perhaps the Yellow was never printed on the card either.
Lastly, the "Mickey Mantle" text is supposed to have a 3-D effect where the White letters are outlined in Blue against the Green printed box. This card has no 3-D effect because it's just the White letters against the Blue print.
Because all Mantle's have this 3-D effect in the text box, I think it's reasonable to guess that every Mantle was Blue before being overlaid in Green to create the 3-D effect.
What do you guys think? Print variation? Unfinished proof without the Green and Yellow passes? Sun damage?
