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

[DaMo]

Greetings. This is my first post. Great discussions on here. I have a question about what to do, or how to represent, a Mantle card with someone's initials on the back. It is a 68 Mantle that the original owner I'm assuming wrote their 2-letter initials on the back of the card. It is in red felt tip, so pretty obvious. First, do initials on the BACK of the card knock it down a few grading scales? The card overall is in good shape, no creases, sharp corners, good image. Second, is it ethical to see if someone can professionally remove the initials. My goal is to understand it's worth, and then possibly sell it, depending on the outcome. Pic here: Any feedback is really appreciated. I do't like it, but will the Mantle collectors be uptight. I have seen some really poor cards sell for a lot on ebay!

[Bestdj777]

It depends on the condition of the front, but you aren’t getting more than “poor” pricing on a marked up, not particularly popular card. The only poor cards that bring a fortune are the rare test issues or the highly desirable rookies.

[DaMo]

That's pretty close to what I was thinking, especially on getting it "restored". I have been off and on collecting for a long time, but the Mantle market is nuts in general- in a good way. I did see an old Mantle that looked like it had been through the washing machine and someone paid over $100. And yes I know the 68 Mantle isn't rare or special enough to be worth
a fortune. My first Mantle is a 69 Topps that my dad helped engineer the trade for- It cost me a few 1973 stars- I made out pretty well on that- and still have it. Thanks again

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

It depends on the condition of the front, but you aren’t getting more than “poor” pricing on a marked up, not particularly popular card. The only poor cards that bring a fortune are the rare test issues or the highly desirable rookies.