This 52 mantle real

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

It looks good to me too. One of the things I look for is the paper underneath the first layer of corner wear. This one looks consistent with other '52 paper stock and the printing looks good.

Great advice. Checking the stock is soooo important.

One of the first things I started working on when I began collecting vintage cards was to get a control card for each set I was planning on collecting from. I buy a common (a card nobody in their right mind would take the time to fake), preferably with some decent wear around the corners, and one I wouldn't mind cutting into. Because if I'm looking to buy a '52 Mantle, I want to have a card I know is good to compare it to. I'll compare the printing technique under a 10 x loupe. I'll compare the feel/thickness of the card to the one I'm considering buying (you don't have to take it out of whatever screwdown or top loader it's in). And since my common isn't collectible grade, I'll compare the edge I've trimmed on mine to the edges of the more expensive card. If the Mantle (or whatever other card you're looking at, like an Eddie Mathews) has any trimming evidence, it will stand out. It really helps to develop your eye, and eventually, you won't need to carry the common with you.

It's worth the couple of bucks to make sure, at least at first, that you're not spending a few thousand bucks on a well-crafted fake.

But my gut instinct tells me that this is good, at least based on the front.