I had a similar experience with the Topps '52 Mantle. A local doctor in my home town that had collected the cards as a kid, was selling everything he had. This must have been around 1980. He must have just opened the cards and put them away, because he had some beautiful '50s cards but he wanted book price. He had two 52 Mantles in thick screw downs. He wanted $1000 each but would take $900. It would have been really difficult to come up with that kind of money, so I just settled on a few other cards he had (I remember one was a 53 Campanella). I really kick myself for not figuring out a way to at least buy one of those Mantles!
