Mantle Opinion

[Bestdj777]

Wanted to add. Don't doubt your judgment just trying to learn.

[shelly]

Never looked to see if it was a copy. The signiture is good and that is what I was looking at. It is nice to see that you get more than just one opinion. I would say the both Jim and Chris are correct after looking a lot closer. My bad

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by shelly

Never looked to see if it was a copy. The signiture is good and that is what I was looking at. It is nice to see that you get more than just one opinion. I would say the both Jim and Chris are correct after looking a lot closer. My bad

Hahah, I liked your first opinion better. I think I will go with that one

I think I got a little too excited too early with this one. In the end, it looks like item I received was the item I paid for--a premium photo with a pre-printed signature and possibly traced over signature. I think I will stick to baseball cards and $10 autos on the BST board. The fact that it can be so hard to tell for certain on some of these is a bit scary. Thank you for the education.

[shelly]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

Hahah, I liked your first opinion better. I think I will go with that one

I think I got a little too excited too early with this one. In the end, it looks like item I received was the item I paid for--a premium photo with a pre-printed signature and possibly traced over signature. I think I will stick to baseball cards and $10 autos on the BST board. The fact that it can be so hard to tell for certain on some of these is a bit scary. Thank you for the education.

That is why this site is so good. Nothing is taken for fact.

[Frozen in Time]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

Hahah, I liked your first opinion better. I think I will go with that one

I think I got a little too excited too early with this one. In the end, it looks like item I received was the item I paid for--a premium photo with a pre-printed signature and possibly traced over signature. I think I will stick to baseball cards and $10 autos on the BST board. The fact that it can be so hard to tell for certain on some of these is a bit scary. Thank you for the education.

A relatively common 60's Mantle premium photo with a pre-printed auto (not traced over). Have seen several of them! I had essentially the same first reaction until I started seeing exactly the same premium photo and auto (flaws and all) over the last 10 years or so.

Craig

[JimStinson]

You had to be there to realize how particularly tough it was in the late 60's to get Mantle to sign an autograph.

They played day baseball then and the Yankees were in last place , Mantle had been moved from the outfield to first base. A bunch of us kids would cut school and take the bus from Jersey to Yankee Stadium

We'd get there three hours before the game wait outside where the players came in ....no Mantle. Before the game during infield practice we'd be hanging close to the 1st base dugout yelling for "The Mick" to just turn around and wave at us , remember there was almost NO ONE in the stadium and he would just smirk and ignore us.

Some of the other players were great , Mel Stottlemyre would actually REMEMBER us and pull up a chair and talk , as kids we must have asked him the most stupid questions in the World but he didn't seem to mind.

After awhile before and after the games we would spread out and stake out the various entrances and exits in an effort to find out where Mantle came in and left from but we never once found out.

There was NEVER more than a handful of autograph seekers and most were kids and he still went out of his way to avoid us
__________________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

Vintage autographs for Sale on my Web site
stinsonsports.com

[David Atkatz]

On August 28, 1966 Mickey signed this baseball for me outside the Stadium. As we often did, my friend Howie and I walked to Yankee Stadium to get some autographs. My uncle had given me a brand new OAL (Cronin) ball, and I had it with me. We arrived at the Stadium about the sixth inning, and there was absolutely no one outside the player's entrance. Howie and I sat down on the iron pipe fencing on either side of the entrance--he on one side of the door, me on the other--with our backs to the door, facing the chain-link fence entrance to the player's parking lot directly across the street.
After fifteen minutes or so, someone left the building. As he passed me, walking directly away from the Stadium towards the parking lot, I realized that the red-polo-shirted blond with the widest neck I had ever seen was my baseball idol. I ran after him, imploring him to stop and sign: "Mickey, Mickey, please... I'll never have this chance again... Please... " I got to him just as he entered the parking lot. Without turning around he slammed the chain-link door in my face. So I ran down the block to where the cars exited and entered the lot. I was standing at the gate, clutching the ball and a pen in my fifteen-year-old hands, when Mickey stopped his car (a Chrysler Imperial with Texas plates), rolled down his window, took the pen and the ball, signed it, handed it back, and drove on. He never said a word.

[Bestdj777]

Thank you for sharing your stories. It is a shame he treated fans like that. I wonder how many young New Yorkers grew up hating him as a result. I remember waiting outside of the chain link fence after a Rangers game waiting for my idol at the time--Nolan Ryan--to appear and sign autos. If he had showed up and snubbed me I likely would have stopped collecting his cards right then.


And, Craig, thanks again for the insight both here and in PMs.

I love this board.

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

On August 28, 1966 Mickey signed this baseball for me outside the Stadium. As we often did, my friend Howie and I walked to Yankee Stadium to get some autographs. My uncle had given me a brand new OAL (Cronin) ball, and I had it with me. We arrived at the Stadium about the sixth inning, and there was absolutely no one outside the player's entrance. Howie and I sat down on the iron pipe fencing on either side of the entrance--he on one side of the door, me on the other--with our backs to the door, facing the chain-link fence entrance to the player's parking lot directly across the street.
After fifteen minutes or so, someone left the building. As he passed me, walking directly away from the Stadium towards the parking lot, I realized that the red-polo-shirted blond with the widest neck I had ever seen was my baseball idol. I ran after him, imploring him to stop and sign: "Mickey, Mickey, please... I'll never have this chance again... Please... " I got to him just as he entered the parking lot. Without turning around he slammed the chain-link door in my face. So I ran down the block to where the cars exited and entered the lot. I was standing at the gate, clutching the ball and a pen in my fifteen-year-old hands, when Mickey stopped his car (a Chrysler Imperial with Texas plates), rolled down his window, took the pen and the ball, signed it, handed it back, and drove on. He never said a word.

GREAT STORY David, thanks for sharing it!