The 1952 Topps Mantle is Overpriced and Over-hyped

[Seven]

The card has transcended the Hobby. This we know. It represents 1950's, post World War 2, Americana. It's such an iconic image at this point, that you have people that don't know a thing about cards buying it. Like everything else, I wish it was available at the price it was in the 1980s!

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by Seven

The card has transcended the Hobby. This we know. It represents 1950's, post World War 2, Americana.

This, along with the golden age of baseball.

Even if someone doesn't find it aesthetically pleasing, you'd think it'd be tough for any collector not to appreciate the positives associated with the card (especially given how much it's helped the hobby grow).

[brian1961]

I will speak from experience. When I was 18 in 1972, and just beginning in the adult card collecting hobby, I was very privileged my dear mother helped me go to my first card show: the big Midwest Sports Collectors Convention in Troy, Michigan. I saw so many wondrous cards; it was overload to the max. I honestly don't recall if I saw a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle there or not.

However, I did get to meet Mr. Larry Fritsch. He was a nice man and very knowledgeable about cards. He was making a name for himself as a big dealer. Well, late that year, right after Christmas in fact, I wrote a letter to Larry expressing my desire for a really nice 1952 Mickey Mantle. I'm sure I figured if anyone had one, he would. Years earlier I'd written to Bruce Yeko at Wholesale Cards, and he did not have one, but said if he did it would be $20, a whopper of a price to me. So, I waited to see what Larry Fritsch had to say.

Early in 1973, I received his return letter. He was very nice. He told me he had just one left, in mint condition, and he would sell it to me for $25. He also said he'd hold it for me until I responded. His asking price seemed very fair, by this time. I didn't have twenty-five bucks. As a high school senior, and a track runner, I had no money. By this time, my mother was a widow. Money was tight. I suppose I felt in my guts this would be my only chance to get this Mickey. I wanted it very badly. I somehow convinced my dear Mom this would be a dream card for me. I don't recall our exact conversation, but she agreed, and sent Mr. Fritsch a check.

Within ten days, a small husky brown padded package arrived. When I opened it, I was overwhelmed with how beautiful the card was. The colors were so intense. The picture registry was perfect. There wasn't a print spot to be found at all. The centering was not perfect, but most acceptable, just a tsch shy of 60-40 both ways. The condition was probably EX-MT. I was way, way more than satisfied. You can best be sure I thanked, hugged, and kissed my dear mother for her kindness and sacrifice.

I tried to take as good of care of it as I knew how. I looked at it every so often, but not all the time. Maybe I didn't want it to become routine to my eyes. Anyway, it was always, and I mean ALWAYS, a big thrill to see it. Eventually, 23 years later, married with a son, living in a very hot in the summer, and very cold in the winter, 100+ year-old upstairs apartment, I knew I had to do something to get us out of there. It was time to raise some money for a down payment on a house. So, among some of my cherished cards, the '52 Topps Mickey Mantle was consigned to a Mr. Mint Alan Rosen phone auction. After his cut, I got a little over $8,000 for that card. Sure, it was hard, but my family and I couldn't live any longer in those conditions. I wanted to add that my dearest darling did not demand I sell the '52 Topps Mantle masterpiece; it was my own decision. I loved my dear wife and son that much. They were worth it.

I cannot answer if the card is over-priced today. I was never able to replace mine. Do I miss it?

What do you think? Many a day I've missed it.

Any regrets?

No.

As far as whether the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is over-hyped, I would definitely say it is hyped as much as it should be. I love Mickey Mantle, and his '52 Topps was my co-favorite card of his, or at least my second favorite Mantle. My co-favorite Mantle, or favorite Mick, was a card I would not sell when deciding what to part with to raise funds for a home. I much more favored that one because I KNEW there wasn't another as nice, and KNEW I'd never be able to replace it. I'm getting off the subject; excuse me.

Again, the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is a mesmerizing baseball card. I love how it looks. A perfect card. The demand will very likely always be more than the supply.

---Brian Powell

[jingram058]

That is an awesome and interesting post that Brian wrote. No one could sum it up any better. I truly feel bad that he sold that card. And I know first hand about how gut wrenching sick it feels to have to sell something like that. Money got tight for me, and I sold some great cards for basically peanuts. I vowed then and there I would never do it again. I would rather shove a shopping cart of trash bags around, with my cards in them, than ever do that again.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by brian1961

However, I did get to meet Mr. Larry Fritsch. He was a nice man and very knowledgeable about cards.

I first bought from Fritsch's company just a year ago. It was a $10 vintage card, and it arrived with a small price list of other cards and a surprise complimentary junk wax pack. There may have been a small note there too.

Remember thinking....this is exactly how you do business. For the $1 it cost to do those extras with a new customer, it could lead someone to order plenty more from there.

Sounds like other experiences were just as good 50 years ago!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Brian, great story. I was collecting cards in the early 70s but it never occurred to me to try to acquire anything other than the current ones.

[npa589]

Thank you so much for this - but now you have me intrigued enough to ask - what is your favorite Mantle?

Originally Posted by brian1961

I will speak from experience. When I was 18 in 1972, and just beginning in the adult card collecting hobby, I was very privileged my dear mother helped me go to my first card show: the big Midwest Sports Collectors Convention in Troy, Michigan. I saw so many wondrous cards; it was overload to the max. I honestly don't recall if I saw a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle there or not.

However, I did get to meet Mr. Larry Fritsch. He was a nice man and very knowledgeable about cards. He was making a name for himself as a big dealer. Well, late that year, right after Christmas in fact, I wrote a letter to Larry expressing my desire for a really nice 1952 Mickey Mantle. I'm sure I figured if anyone had one, he would. Years earlier I'd written to Bruce Yeko at Wholesale Cards, and he did not have one, but said if he did it would be $20, a whopper of a price to me. So, I waited to see what Larry Fritsch had to say.

Early in 1973, I received his return letter. He was very nice. He told me he had just one left, in mint condition, and he would sell it to me for $25. He also said he'd hold it for me until I responded. His asking price seemed very fair, by this time. I didn't have twenty-five bucks. As a high school senior, and a track runner, I had no money. By this time, my mother was a widow. Money was tight. I suppose I felt in my guts this would be my only chance to get this Mickey. I wanted it very badly. I somehow convinced my dear Mom this would be a dream card for me. I don't recall our exact conversation, but she agreed, and sent Mr. Fritsch a check.

Within ten days, a small husky brown padded package arrived. When I opened it, I was overwhelmed with how beautiful the card was. The colors were so intense. The picture registry was perfect. There wasn't a print spot to be found at all. The centering was not perfect, but most acceptable, just a tsch shy of 60-40 both ways. The condition was probably EX-MT. I was way, way more than satisfied. You can best be sure I thanked, hugged, and kissed my dear mother for her kindness and sacrifice.

I tried to take as good of care of it as I knew how. I looked at it every so often, but not all the time. Maybe I didn't want it to become routine to my eyes. Anyway, it was always, and I mean ALWAYS, a big thrill to see it. Eventually, 23 years later, married with a son, living in a very hot in the summer, and very cold in the winter, 100+ year-old upstairs apartment, I knew I had to do something to get us out of there. It was time to raise some money for a down payment on a house. So, among some of my cherished cards, the '52 Topps Mickey Mantle was consigned to a Mr. Mint Alan Rosen phone auction. After his cut, I got a little over $8,000 for that card. Sure, it was hard, but my family and I couldn't live any longer in those conditions. I wanted to add that my dearest darling did not demand I sell the '52 Topps Mantle masterpiece; it was my own decision. I loved my dear wife and son that much. They were worth it.

I cannot answer if the card is over-priced today. I was never able to replace mine. Do I miss it?

What do you think? Many a day I've missed it.

Any regrets?

No.

As far as whether the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is over-hyped, I would definitely say it is hyped as much as it should be. I love Mickey Mantle, and his '52 Topps was my co-favorite card of his, or at least my second favorite Mantle. My co-favorite Mantle, or favorite Mick, was a card I would not sell when deciding what to part with to raise funds for a home. I much more favored that one because I KNEW there wasn't another as nice, and KNEW I'd never be able to replace it. I'm getting off the subject; excuse me.

Again, the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is a mesmerizing baseball card. I love how it looks. A perfect card. The demand will very likely always be more than the supply.

---Brian Powell

[brian1961]

Thank you so much for this - but now you have me intrigued enough to ask - what is your favorite Mantle?[/QUOTE]

Howdy, Nate. I'm sorry to respond to you so late. My actual favorite Mickey Mantle card is a 1953 Stahl-Meyer Franks, graded PSA 9 MINT. My son and his wife are back at their home; otherwise, I'd have him load up a scan for you. There is a way to find the picture I staged of the card for my E-book on a CD, Never Cheaper By the Dozen, on-line, but that would take a while to describe, and I have to hurry, eat, and go to work. Nate, thanks for asking, buddy. I was thinking my tinzie reference flew over everyone's head. Have a great one.

---Brian Powell

[samosa4u]

Before the pandemic, you could have purchased a PSA 1 example for around $10,000 USD and now it's worth around $40,000 USD, and that's around a 4x price increase in a short period of time. But a PSA 4 has only doubled in value. For example, if you had spent $30,000 USD on one before the pandemic, then today it's worth around $60,000 USD or so. If you had spent $100,000 USD on a PSA 6 before the pandemic, well now it's worth ... wait for it ... about the same price! Does that make any sense to you? You would think that if an ugly PSA 1 has gone up 4x, then a PSA 6 or a PSA 7 should be worth $400,000 - $600,000 USD, right? But nope, that's not how it works! The real winners here are those who kept their ugly ones, and of course, those who bought this card in PSA 8 (or higher) prior to the pandemic.

[jchcollins]

As with other cards and other collectibles, certain things in their journeys happen to make them go from just being a card to being iconic. Sometimes those things aren't "fair" in terms of what does or does not happen to other cards, collectibles, or players. All I know is that by the time the hobby was full-blown retail with multiple shops in most towns (1985 and later for me) the '52 Topps Mantle had already achieved that status. Though it was pictured in many magazines and books about the hobby, I never saw one in the flesh until about 1990, I think - at a show in Charlotte, NC. It was an EX-ish card that the guy wanted 5 grand for. My Dad just laughed. Little did either of us know what a bargain that would have turned out to be...

I was born too late unfortunately to have any real shot at that card becoming a reality for me. My personal grail is the '56 Mantle - which I first saw in a Tide book with the Yankees team sets at some point in the late 1980's. I've owned one since I was about 13.

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Before the pandemic, you could have purchased a PSA 1 example for around $10,000 USD and now it's worth around $40,000 USD, and that's around a 4x price increase in a short period of time. But a PSA 4 has only doubled in value. For example, if you had spent $30,000 USD on one before the pandemic, then today it's worth around $60,000 USD or so. If you had spent $100,000 USD on a PSA 6 before the pandemic, well now it's worth ... wait for it ... about the same price! Does that make any sense to you? You would think that if an ugly PSA 1 has gone up 4x, then a PSA 6 or a PSA 7 should be worth $400,000 - $600,000 USD, right? But nope, that's not how it works! The real winners here are those who kept their ugly ones, and of course, those who bought this card in PSA 8 (or higher) prior to the pandemic.

Two 5s that weren't even centered just went for 156k and 180k. How is a 6 -- especially if centered-- worth 100k? A great 6 is 250-300k. A great 3 dead centered went for $163,000 also.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Before the pandemic, you could have purchased a PSA 1 example for around $10,000 USD and now it's worth around $40,000 USD, and that's around a 4x price increase in a short period of time. But a PSA 4 has only doubled in value. For example, if you had spent $30,000 USD on one before the pandemic, then today it's worth around $60,000 USD or so. If you had spent $100,000 USD on a PSA 6 before the pandemic, well now it's worth ... wait for it ... about the same price! Does that make any sense to you? You would think that if an ugly PSA 1 has gone up 4x, then a PSA 6 or a PSA 7 should be worth $400,000 - $600,000 USD, right? But nope, that's not how it works! The real winners here are those who kept their ugly ones, and of course, those who bought this card in PSA 8 (or higher) prior to the pandemic.

If you look at the entire market there has been a massive tightening up of prices between 1 and 5. Where a 5 used to be many multiples of a 1, now it may only be double. This has been market-wide in post war vintage HOF'ers and rookies.

[jboosted92]

Originally Posted by Seven

The card has transcended the Hobby. This we know. It represents 1950's, post World War 2, Americana. It's such an iconic image at this point, that you have people that don't know a thing about cards buying it. Like everything else, I wish it was available at the price it was in the 1980s!

and like the Wagner...it has a Story

(SP+ dump in wateR)