[MattyC]

The most recent comps of the Mantles make me say go with the Mantle, provided you can obtain dead centering for that price. Stocks having taken a hit recently certainly make that an attractive play, especially if you go with something like Vanguard, but here's where the Mantle comps become very compelling based on the "givens" provided...

If you can get a dead centered 6 Mantle for 150k, then I would say that is the way to go— because an SGC 5 with merely B/B+ centering just sold the other day for 180k. So at 150k for the 6, you would be getting a pretty substantial steal. A truly dead centered 6 would hit 250k and certainly have potential to go north of that at the right auction, if the eye appeal is there and the right two buyers see it and want it. So at 150k for a dead centered 6, you are instantly up so big, it is hard to turn that opportunity down.

Even a dead-centered 5 would certainly eclipse 200k, based on the recent comp of 180k for an SGC 5 with merely "okay" centering, and another comp of 156k for a PSA 5 that was a worse card than the SGC 5. So at 150k you would already instantly be "in the money," so to speak, to the tune of some 50k. As a further comp for dead-centering on the 52t Mantle, I can say I have had two separate offers in 2022 on my dead-centered 4.5 of 175k, and one offer of 200k. So again, at 150k for dead centering in a 5 or 6— if the card can be found at that price— I'd go for it.

Of course the above is just based on sheer money bet; if I were the client and had such a robust 401k, I may lean strongly to something like a piece of artwork or the Mantle, if that was what my heart desired and would bring me some intangible joy beyond the mere investment aspect. Personal living philosophy comes into play for sure in a situation like this.