Is this 1953 Bowman Color Mantle legit?

[the 'stache]

Lou, you're thinking along the same lines I am. Something is just...off.

For a 60 year old card, it's remarkably clean. It doesn't look like it's been handled, or exposed to the elements, at all.

[Rich Klein]

As in the case of several EBay sellers (Great Lakes comes to mind) the scans are brightened to make the card look even better.

RIch

[ALR-bishop]

The point Rich is making was demonstrated in a thread on pre war where the same cards, offered by different sellers, looked dramatically different ( better) depending on how the scans were handled. That thread went on to debate the ethics of "manipulating " scans. Not my intent to restart that debate here, just to say the right scan technique can apparently do wonders for a card.

As far as this one, I an not a Bowman collector and no experience with this card. But with a card that nice looking you might expect the seller to have had it graded

[the 'stache]

Interesting, Rich. I don't get why a seller would do that, because when the card is received, the buyer is going to notice the card is not nearly as brilliant as the picture. That would almost certainly result in my returning the card. If they were willing to manipulate the image, what else might they have done?

Al, that's a good point. The other Mantles he's sold have been PSA graded. Why is this one being sold unslabbed?

[pawpawdiv9]

Umm.. to me it looks funny..such sharp corners and nice white border and all centered.
Almost like a re-print. Thats what i would label it as.
You gotta ask yourself...why the seller did not slab the card and get more $$$

[the 'stache]

Agreed on all points, Chris.

[Zach Wheat]

Bill,

I collect these and something does not look quite right. My first and most obvious question - which has been pointed out previously - is why he hasn't had such a high end card graded. I would like to hear his response.

The corners are extremely sharp for a card of this age and given the fact the main star card of this set is not graded is just plain odd?

The white borders also stick out like a sore thumb. There are just too many things that stick out for me to purchase if I were n your shoes.