The most grossly overrated card of all time...

[cardsfan73]

I would say the Pafko card get's way more hype than it deserves.

While the 52 Mantle is not his rookie card it is the first Topps card of Mantle. Sure it's double printed but it's a double print in a very hard to find series. The combination of it being the first regular release Topps card (an iconic brand) of Mantle (an iconic player) and the fact that there always has been and always well be a very high demand for this card leads me to say that there is no way this card is overrated in my opinion.

I would agree that the Matthews card deserves more love than it gets.

For me I always felt the 1958 Topps #433 Pancho Herrera error got way to much hype. I always looked at as more of a printing flaw than a true error card. That's just my humble opinion though.

Fun topic!

Thanks,
Scott

[MattyC]

People can talk about the double print all they want, the card is not nearly available in eye appealing condition to satisfy demand.

It's a beautiful image in the inaugural Topps set-- the company that would dominate the hobby for decades to come-- of the athlete that became an icon and hero to many.

We can dissect all the reasons why, some due to sheer good fortune, some due to genetic gifts-- that Mickey Mantle became the immense star he did. But he was. And the card is what it is: a very desired piece. It is the the key in the first Topps set.

That said, I think the Bowman RC is immensely underrated. It is a beast to find with eye appeal.

[SMPEP]

I agree that the 52 Pafko is very overpriced ... but it is a 1.5Xs print (meaning most first series cards were printed 3 times on the sheet ... Pafko was only printer 2 times on the sheet). So it does deserve a small premium (especially since the first series was less printed than the 2nd and 3rd series). The 4th and 5th series do not get the premiums they deserve. The 6th does though (and then some).

I'll also add the 1933 Goudey Ben Bengough in this regard. I bought mine using a Beckett's price guide and thought I'd gotten the deal of the century when I got mine for $20. Still a decent dealer for the beater I got, but hardly the steal I thought I had.

[glynparson]

of the same old argument and points that i have been hearing since i entered this hobby in 1980. The Mantle is still the most desirable topps card and probably always will be. For those that think Pafko is overpriced please call me with any you have in EX or better for sale at cheap prices. Mathews is a tougher card than Mantle and high grade copies do sell for a small fortune not exactly a crd you can steal from even a semi-knowledgable dealer. People love the 1952 topps set and The Mantle is an absolutely gorgeous card. The first not always the most desirable, See Michael Jordan for a modern example. Fleer in high grade more desirable than Star i high grade. Star rarer but since only Beckett grades you are better off with a gem mint fleer "Rookie"
Also even though a double print its not like you see one at the local mall show very often.

[ALR-bishop]

Glyn-- don't beat around the bush. Tell us what you really think about the 52 Mantle.

[Volod]

Hey, if Topps had finished printing team cards in its actual inaugural year, we would have this card, and all of the blather about Mantle's rookie card would never have come up.

[Exhibitman]

I'd go with the 1952 Topps Pafko in less than ex-mint condition. It is a common card, not a SP, and not a condition rarity in lower grades. In top grade, sure, there should be a condition premium based on kids' stacking habits. I can see that. But there is no such thing as a crappy condition premium yet dealers persist in asking far over common prices for it.

[brian1961]

Andy Pafko was a star at the time of the 1952 Topps set. Maybe not a Hall-of-Famer, but definitely a star.

Early in this millennium came the beautiful story of the Chicago area collector/dealer who deliberated long and hard for a first series unopened pack of 52 Topps he saw at a major show, then upon buying it he drew out a perfect Pafko, the one that came out PSA 10, which was puffed by Mastro Auctions in a beautifully done single-page offering, and sold for a king's ransom. As a result, this influenced many dealers and collectors to jack up the value of their own lesser condition Pafkos. Understandable, to a point. After all, it is card #1 in the most popular post-war set in the hobby.

---Brian Powell

[ALR-bishop]

Steve---did you make that card ? If so do you have an extra for sale ?

I have a set of the 51 Team card, dated and non dated ( 18)

[ALR-bishop]

Double post, sorry. Bad morning

[ALR-bishop]

If overrated means over priced I do not think the Pafko or Mantle are overrated in that sense. They sell for what they sell for. If they are overpriced they do not sell. To me, if someone thinks a card is overrated, it just means they would like to buy it for less money that it is going for

[sycks22]

I vote for '51 Bowman Whitey Ford RC. If not the #1 card it's worth $300.