What did everyone think about Memory Lane’s strong Mickey Mantle on card autograph s

[Golfpro10]

Originally Posted by Vintageclout

My passion for signed vintage cards stems from the fact that the player actually held the card in their hands. Such a neat aspect, especially when you find one with brilliant eye appeal (both autograph & card). For those who think the Memory Lane prices were significantly “over the top”….think again. Look at the population reports of high grade unsigned examples vs. signed subjects. There’s your answer. For the nicest signed examples, today’s retail will be tomorrow’s wholesale.

I took the 1958 topps Mantle as an example. The data below is similar for just about any vintage card when comparing signed vs unsigned

1958 Topps Mantle
I didnt count qualifiers in any of these.

Unsigned
7600 in the total pop
Psa 9. Pop 28. Last sold around 80k
Psa 8. Pop 212 last sold around 11-12k

Signed
53 in the total pop
Psa 4 with 10 auto. Only 6 higher and highest graded is a PSA 5. The PSA 4 with 10 auto sold for 15k.

If you gave me the option of the PSA 8 with a 212 pop or that psa 4 with a 10 auto with a pop of 8 and only 6 higher. Give me the auto all day long. Just my opinion.

[Vintageclout]

Exactly! Furthermore, I personally prefer the low pop PSA 4/AUTO 10 versus any of the 28 unsigned PSA 9s that sell for up to $80K. That is my point. From a pure “Pop” perspective, the signed PSA 4 at $15K is an absolute STEAL versus the $80K collectors are paying for PSA 9s, with huge upside for these aesthetically pleasing low-pop signed Mantle cards (or any iconic Hall of Famer). Autographed cards for baseballs legendary players are super investment collectibles. Scripted cards for Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb (very tough to find), Johnson, DiMaggio, Ted Williams (severely undervalued), Jackie Robinson, and Mantle are the best of the best, with Aaron, Mays, and Koufax also gaining ground.

[Seven]

I wanted to chime in with this as well.

I would label myself a card collector first, and an autograph collector second. That being said, one thing that I definitely prefer from a player, in terms of an autograph, is an early career signature.

What we see from a lot of these guys in terms of signed pieces, is their show signature. Mantle is one of the most prominent examples of this. His Show signature, is like a vintage Cadillac. It's iconic, it looks great, especially when he accompanied it with that small "No.7" inscription.

However there's something about his early career signature, that I just love and is more rare. Before he perfected his show circuit one. I've included it below.

Now chances are, short of me hitting the lottery, I'm not going to be able to afford any signed Mantle Cards. However, if money was no object, I would love to hunt his early issues of cards, with the more classic mantle signature in Ballpoint.

[Golfpro10]

Originally Posted by Vintageclout

Exactly! Furthermore, I personally prefer the low pop PSA 4/AUTO 10 versus any of the 28 unsigned PSA 9s that sell for up to $80K. That is my point. From a pure “Pop” perspective, the signed PSA 4 at $15K is an absolute STEAL versus the $80K collectors are paying for PSA 9s, with huge upside for these aesthetically pleasing low-pop signed Mantle cards (or any iconic Hall of Famer). Autographed cards for baseballs legendary players are super investment collectibles. Scripted cards for Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb (very tough to find), Johnson, DiMaggio, Ted Williams (severely undervalued), Jackie Robinson, and Mantle are the best of the best, with Aaron, Mays, and Koufax also gaining ground.

I 100% agree with everything you said. I also like your comparison that these legendary players are super investment collectibles. Autographed vintage is obviously incredibly rare and is a category that has fought the negative stigma for decades. If vintage auto's ever become more accepted within the hobby, values for quality vintage autographs could absolutely explode towards the unsigned PSA 9 prices mentioned above in my opinion.