1952 Topps Mantle; Worth It In Any Condition?

[MattyC]

One aspect that can't be overlooked is that when shopping on a budget within a specific grade, options can often be limited.

With respect to the 1952 Topps Mantle, there are 191 PSA 1s and 45 SGC 10s. With crack-outs and crossovers, there are likely considerably fewer than 236. Let's say an even 200.

If the price tag of the 2s is prohibitive to someone who wants one for their collection, then such a collector is relegated to seeking a POOR-grade specimen. This shopper would also likely and rightly surmise that a freakishly nice "PSA 1/SGC 10" would likely sell at auction or privately for much closer to a 1.5 or 2 price. So of those 200 cards in the shopper's grade/price range, many are going to look the part, meaning the grade.

So in the under 5k price tag, there is such a limited supply of the card relative to demand that it's no wonder there's stiff competition for the lowest graded examples these days. Pretty AUTHs command anywhere from 10k to 25k, and 2s are 10k+ now.

So if someone has 10k and beyond to shop for the card, their options are much greater than the collector seeking to drop only a couple grand.