The official Mickey Mantle Pickup Thread. All Mick, all the time!

[irv]

Very nice, Mantles, guys!

[LuckyLarry]

I was in our local card shop today. I had a short list of a few "modern" cards I needed to take to the National for the included VIP autograph tickets. I asked to look at the 1962 Post cereal baseball box, and found this Mantle. Priced to sell at $10 I can't resist.
Larry

[AustinMike]

A couple more non-card pickups. A serving tray from a Country Kitchen restaurant as well as a menu. In the group photo, I already had the menu on the left. I'm not sure when Country Kitchen became Country Cookin' or why.

By the way, in case anyone is interested ... the Texas food staple, chicken fried steak, would have set you back $1.95 back then.

[AustinMike]

Had to go back and look at some earlier posts. Nice Mantles all around.

Brian, that is a very neat display idea. I might have to copy it.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by AustinMike

Had to go back and look at some earlier posts. Nice Mantles all around.

Brian, that is a very neat display idea. I might have to copy it.

Michael, many thanks for your kind words. The SAFCO unit was from 1989, though I imagine they're still in business today. The five-drawer unit is very sturdy, made from heavy guage metal.

The dimensions of the case overall is approx. 40 X 29". However, the actual usable display area is 37 X 18". The drawers will only pull out so far, so a lot of space is wasted; however, it was designed perfectly to house blueprints. As it was, there were flaps at the front of each drawer (installed to prevent the b/ps from curling) that I had to drill out to free up valuable display space for the cards.

The pads I made really give the right effect of a personal museum display.

In the end, what space remains is ample enough to offer some of my best a right proper spotlight viewing area, with full protection from all light, and preventing me from seeing them every time I walk in the room. Really, it's like five All-State glass display cases in one.

Congrats, Mike, on your array of Mickey's Country Kitchen and Country Cookin' items. As Mick said, "To get a better piece of chicken, you'd have to be a rooster." I just wish it had been the "cash cow" Mickey had envisioned, or was convinced by someone else it would surely be. At least he finally found his gold mine, when he and Greer Johnson became a business, marketing the one thing thousands and thousands of collectors would gladly pay well for---his autograph.

I recall in the last year of Mick's life, he was getting $75 a signature. Compared to now, .......

Have you been eyeing the Huggins and Scott auction of Bill Willen's massive Mickey Mantle collection? Mr. Willen also wrote a book, that just came out early this year, and from the looks of it, photograph-wise, it is perfect for the Mantle collector who'd enjoy a quality color photo of every Mantle card, coin, premium, and pack photo. For that alone, it is worth the $25 price tag from Amazon. I will need to buy a copy. It is also a paper book, so it's right up your alley. Mine's still available, but I'll shut up about that.

Take care, my fellow Mickey Mantle collector warrior. ---Brian Powell

[Bestdj777]

Brian, thanks for putting a name on the owner. That's a fantastic collection and right in my grade range. Someone messaged me thinking it might be mine, and looking through I thought some of the cards were mine. But, alas, he has the true rarities that will never show up in my collection.

[brian1961]

Chris, methinks you're selling yourself far short of the reality you truly have many of those same rarities that Bill owned, and is now selling. You have done very well. Mate, the story of how you acquired your 1960 Home Run Derby Mickey Mantle alone vaulted yourself into some pretty exclusive company.

Cheers, my friend.

Your pal, Brian Powell

[AustinMike]

Brian, thanks for the kind words regarding the Country Kitchen/Cookin' items. Also, thanks for the additional info regarding your "display" case. I was wondering if you found a blueprint case without the "flaps" at the front of each drawer. You solved that riddle for me. I have been eyeing the H&S auction of Willen's items. Chris gave me the heads up about it. I also saw a link in a thread somewhere here on Net54 to the clip on SCD with Willen. His book does look very interesting and since a hard copy is available (hint, hint), I will probably get it at some point.

TIm, that Red Heart is a beauty. Very nice pick-up.

Larry, congratulations on the difficult pick-up.

[glenv]

A recent addition:

Mantle_rice_co.jpg