1952 Topps Mantle reprint advice...

[bbcard1]

A friend of a friend asked me to help him look at selling a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 for a local man who is having medical issues. The owner remembers having it since he was a boy. I pretty quickly determined it is not real because of the variation of the Topps Baseball written on the back (I know there are at least a half dozen other signs, but that one was the dagger). I have seen these before…anyone have an idea of when it might have been reprinted?

[Volod]

Can't say that i've seen that one before. The usual '52 Mantle reprint selling on the Bay - that is, other than the authorized 1983 issue - has a back that is almost indistinguishable from the genuine card. But the one you have there is immediately recognizable as a reprint - Topps line on the back has a strange font, among other signs. Who knows when it was made, but if the owner did obtain it as a kid, how old is he now?

[bbcard1]

He's in his 70s i think but further probing indicates it was give to him sometime later. I hated to break the news to him but I showed him comparisons and he understood.

[Volod]

Yeah, disappointing i guess, but if it was a gift, at least he's not kicking himself, like some others who were taken.