Is this 52 Mantle authentic?

[Sean1125]

Originally Posted by Volod

Buyer had a couple thousand transactions, so perhaps knowledgeable about cards to some extent. Apparently, it was listed with a start bid of $400 and BIN $2000, and the guy jumped on it eight minutes after it appeared. As beat up as it is, it might be genuine - hard to really tell from a scan.

Yeah, he posted fresh scans (he got the card in)... It looks authentic in his scans, the borders look correct and so does letter spacing. The auction pictures are terrible. I think he got a steal, looks good to me and he said in hand it looks good to him.

[Brianruns10]

Honestly, I think it's legit. Fakes tend to be of the type A with the cleaner name border, and every fake I've seen has a tell in that the name is too high, when the base of the Y in Mickey practically touches the border.

Fakes also tend to be perfectly centered, and have unusually clean surfaces while exhibiting strong (yet suspiciously even) rounding on all four corners.

This card's wear look honest and real, and while the colors look off, I think this is due to the photo being under tungsten lighting with a daylight balance filter, which gives a heavy orange look. But the way it is printed looks right...the colors don't float as they would with an inkjet printer, and they're not as contrasty as the copies which have a multi-gen dupe quality to them.

Would I buy this card? Absolutely not. I think only suckers or people with money to burn would buy a raw '52 Mantle on ebay. But in this case, I'd say it looks legit, albeit a beater, and not something I'd pay 2K for.

[sportscollector]

that mantle is the auction scan is 100% authentic. come you guys this should be very simple to see. I own 4 52 topps mickey mantles and that card in the auction is the real deal. $2000 seems about right for the card because there is a huge chunk of paper loss on the card. Decent PSA 1's go for $3500 to $4500. This mantle would grade authentic or a 1 maybe

[Sean1125]

Originally Posted by sportscollector

that mantle is the auction scan is 100% authentic. come you guys this should be very simple to see. I own 4 52 topps mickey mantles and that card in the auction is the real deal. $2000 seems about right for the card because there is a huge chunk of paper loss on the card. Decent PSA 1's go for $3500 to $4500. This mantle would grade authentic or a 1 maybe

What grades are your Mantles? Can you post some scans?

To say what you have with certainty from those scans is a pretty bold statement.

I saw the much better scans, after the fact, where you can actually make out the details and I still have my doubts (even though I do believe it is good).

[sportscollector]

Originally Posted by Sean1125

What grades are your Mantles? Can you post some scans?

To say what you have with certainty from those scans is a pretty bold statement.

I saw the much better scans, after the fact, where you can actually make out the details and I still have my doubts (even though I do believe it is good).

PSA authentic
PSA 1 x2
PSA 4

[HRBAKER]

Man that's a gnarly looking $2000 card.

[Sean1125]

Originally Posted by sportscollector

PSA authentic
PSA 1 x2
PSA 4

Can you show me the 4 please?

[pawpawdiv9]

Looks real to be, based on this site: http://home.comcast.net/~52mantle/52toppsmantlereal.htm

The only issue i have is the U, in U.S.A , Does the U, look chopped off at the top??
The other characteristics look right/
The red box is not too wide, the stitches on the ball point right, The S in Dimmagio is lined under the right letter.
I would like to see a better front scan of the 'stars' on the front to see color pixels clearer.

[Bestdj777]

Here it is up for sale again (not my auction):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mickey-Mantl...item1c310229e5

From these scans, it looks real to me. I don't believe you can ever say for certain though by just looking at a scan.

[pawpawdiv9]

The only thing left to ASK!!!
A pic of him holding the card....so you know these pics are not copy/pasted

[ALR-bishop]

I have both versions of this card. In my view, this is one of those cards that should be bought in person, if you are familiar with it and 52 Topps cards, or from some reputable dealer, preferably graded ( and I am not a graded collector and for the most part shun graded cards).

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by pawpawdiv9

Looks real to be, based on this site: http://home.comcast.net/~52mantle/52toppsmantlereal.htm

That's the page I used when I made my comparison, and it was the top border that raised questions for me. It's supposed to clearly extend beyond the vertical border on either side, and from the auction picture, I couldn't see that. And, as a general rule of thumb, I am always suspicious when I see a raw '52 Topps Mantle.

If the buyer got better pictures, and it shows that the border not appearing is due to some type of paper issue, or fading, and not due to a forgery attempt, then I withdraw my initial comment. But I could only comment on what I saw.

[Volod]

I guess the general consensus in the hobby - at least among veteran, knowledgeable collectors - is that it is no longer possible - or likely - that some naif might open a drawer in a musty old desk and find a Mantle card lying untouched there for 60 years? My last illusions have been put to rest.