New to the Forum and Vintage - any advice?

[ALR-bishop]

I like variations/errors/print defects/variants more than most folks. The red dot above the name on some 67 Mantles is a minor print defect. It has no official recognition in the hobby as far as I know in major catalogs or the registry, and therefore would not be on normal master set or Mantle collector lists. So I do not think one would pay a premium for it. Some might actually view it as a defect that detracts from value. Again, each to his/her own.

But I think they are kind of neat If you check ebay you will see they are not hard to find

[ALR-bishop]

If you want to look for a an obscure Mantle variant, Bob Lemke wrote an article in SCD some time back pointing out that the 1964 Topps Mantle, card # 50, can be found with or without (scarce) a period after the N in NY on the back of the card. You can see an example of it on Bob's great Blog..boblemke.blogspot.com

[doug.goodman]

Welcome to Net54!

First thing I would do, if I were you, would be to break open that plastic slab and remove that Clemente card from it's tomb.

But that's just me (and maybe a few other guys)
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=168614

Doug

[ALR-bishop]

"It takes a big man to crack a card from it's holder, and it takes a bigger man to laugh at that guy"

I don't think Jack Handy ever said this, but it is the kind of thing he might have said....if he had ever thought about it.

Doug has a bumper sticker "All Cards Deserve Their Freedom" And, I don't know who posted under my name in that thread

[rauchand]

I'm going to stick with PSA graded. I just don't trust sellers on Ebay. Picked up the Mantle 67 last night PSA 7. Still going after the Aaron, Mays, Maris, Kaline, and Rose. Then I'll move onto the next set.

[Brianruns10]

Originally Posted by rauchand

I'm going to stick with PSA graded. I just don't trust sellers on Ebay. Picked up the Mantle 67 last night PSA 7. Still going after the Aaron, Mays, Maris, Kaline, and Rose. Then I'll move onto the next set.

I agree. While I buy the card, not the plastic, it is far too difficult to safely judge a raw card on an ebay auction, especially if it's a star card. But dealers in quality vintage are tough to come by in my area, and quality shows are few, or far away, so ebay is really my best, and often only source for vintage stock. PSA is insurance for me.

Apart from that, I'm all about centering and eye appeal, and honestly, if i was offered a choice between an off center PSA 8 and a centered PSA 6, each for the same price, I'd take the PSA 6 in a heartbeat.

[ALR-bishop]

If you check out some of the threads on pre war ( for instance the current Fake Packs thread), you may find that putting your trust in PSA, or any grading company, does not eliminate your risk

[Brianruns10]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

If check out some of the threads on pre war ( for instance the current Fake Packs thread), you may find that putting your trust in PSA, or any grading company, does not eliminate your risk

No, but what it comes down to is common sense. For my '52 Topps set, if we're talking common cards, I think it's pretty safe bet. I haven't seen a fake common yet...too much trouble, not enough return on the money.

Now if we're talking a major card, that's a little different, and in those cases, I still like to buy PSA, but I buy from sellers I trust....Heritage Auctions, Memory Lane, ebay sellers like Probstein and Texasholdem.

If I see a card I like, but it's being sold by a guy with no experience in vintage, or who deals only in new junk and NASCAR, I avoid like the plague. Those are the guys who get scammed into buying faked slabbed '52 Mantles, then try to pawn them off on unscrupulous ebayers.