As a few have mentioned, that "stain" on the top is not actually a stain. It's not dirty or fingerprint oils or something spilled onto the card. That's toning, and it occurs naturally on paper over time due to oxidation. It will also get worse over time.
Also, the way SGC grades means that they felt the card was a 9, but that it had superior eye appeal when compared to other 9s (typically due to centering and color), so they give it the +0.5. Basically, read the 9.5 as a 9 with strong eye appeal. It's not a near 10 in the sense that it was just one small issue holding it back from the 10. It's a 9 condition-wise in their assessment.
As far as comparing this to the other high-end Mantles, this one clearly looks better than 2 of the 3 PSA 10s. The one that Ken Kendrick owns (Diamondbacks owner) is, perhaps ironically, diamond cut. The fact that that card is in any holder above a 7 is pretty funny to me, let alone a 10. Nothing worse than a diamond-cut card for my OCD tastes.
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