Mickey Mantle - Real Auto?

[rand1com]

Originally Posted by bbcardwiz1016

More related to the M's being "off". Yes, they don't seem to match many known examples. They are missing the moon/crescent shape common to Mantle autos.

As I was thinking about it and the "antle" seeming to be very very strong, IMO, I was trying to figure out why the M's weren't.

One answer is it's fake.

Another answer is, he was handed the card and signed it while walking, or standing up, and not sitting down at a desk?

Ok wild stretch for sure....

The "M''s don't match any exemplar I have seen although the first one is blurry. The "Mickey" is not clear enough to discern the letter formation on the picture. The "a" looks too large in relation to the other letters and the crossing of the "t" is very uncharacteristic for Mantle. You sometimes see one that barely touches the "l" but this one crosses well over it. Mantle, unlike today's players, took great pride in his signature. Could it possibly be a very rushed on the move example as you surmise. Possibly. But I seriously doubt it. Maybe the Mantle was already on the card when the owner got Killebrew to sign it and hence explains it. If you can use a scanner to show the autograph, it will be much clearer and offer a better chance to decipher it. As to the authenticators, if they are convinced that all the other letters match his handwriting and the "M"'s are off, they would likely authenticate it based on some versions of other signatures I have seen authenticated in which a letter or two looks off.