1952 Bowman Mantle PSA 9 brings $540K at Goldin Auction, but....

[thatkidfromjerrymaguire]

Wow, those are some pretty cards.

Honestly, any time I see a baseball card that is 70 years old and in a condition better than a 6 or 7, it makes me a little suspicious. I mean, these were kids toys packed in waxy paper with pieces of gum...meant to be traded, flipped, and carried in your pocket.

But who knows. I'm sure there were some OCD kids in the 50s that liked to keep their cards pristine and put them in a storage box as soon as they unwrapped them. As an avid collector of 1952 Bowmans I can certainly attest that there can be some variance in size (i.e. not all cards have exact measurements, exact border thickness, etc.). So it's almost impossible to tell if one is professionally micro-trimmed or not.

As for your question about spending 500,00+ on a high grade mantle if I had the money, I don't think I would. I currently focus on EX cards (approximately a 5 grade). If I did have millions I could spend on cards, I like to think I might upgrade my taste to NM (about a 7 grade). I feel like buying any grade higher (8,9,10) you are basically spending money on almost unperceivable, highly subjective set of criteria. You are putting a lot of faith that future, well funded collectors will continue to put such a high premium on those same standards in the future.