Mantle or Others?

[Neal]

Originally Posted by seanofjapan

I tend to agree with this.

Mantle just doesn’t have any claim to importance other than having been the most popular player for a few years when a lot of baby boomers were kids and collected cards.

He isn’t Robinson who broke the color barrier.

He isn’t Ruth who revolutionized the game.

He isn’t seriously mentioned when arguments about the best player ever come up. Its hard to even make the case that he was the best player in his own time.

He didn’t set any major records.

It really does seem like his relative popularity in the hobby has nowhere to go but down once all the people who loved him when they were kids pass on and future generations ask themselves why this guy is so key.

I disagree completely. At the very least, his popularity remains the same. If Mantle becomes less popular in the hobby, the others follow.

Answering the OP .... I'd buy the best 52 Topps Mantle I could find. A close second would be a three pack of Jackie, 54 Aaron, and the Babe.

[investinrookies]

Nice 52T Mantles continue to set higher prices, an SGC 6 just sold for nearly $112k at hunt today. Centering and registration were good, the nicer examples are setting a new tier of pricing well beyond the current VCP averages and rightfully so for the card that defines the hobby.