Is 1956 Topps Mantle the most overpriced card in the hobby?

BillyCoxDodgers3B · #1 08-09-2024, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnP0621

Most Under priced Mantle is 52 Bowman. Great Card at a small fraction of the 52 Topps.

The "artist" didn't do too poor a job on Mantle's '52 Bowman as compared to other players in the 1950-52 sets. Better than most. I know that some think it's a real piece of art. I don't want Mickey Mantle as a cartoon character, thanks very much. I abhor the amatuerish attemps at artistry in those Bowman sets. A handful do right by their subjects, but most are just embarrassments. By this point in the evolution of cardboard, I want actual photos, not these awful drawings, some of which could appear to have been created by children.

campyfan39 · #2 08-09-2024, 09:19 AM

topps >>>>> bowman

jchcollins · #3 08-09-2024, 09:21 AM

I would think it hard to say that one of the most iconic cards of the single most iconic player to the vintage card hobby, from his first MVP and triple crown season - is overrated or overpriced. Many rank the '56 Topps set as one of if not their single most outstanding effort, and obviously in that timeframe - Mantle is going to be the most important card in the set. The '56 Topps #135 did finally take off some in the last boom, but it's still a lot more affordable than his '53 Topps - and IMO is a much better looking card.

If you are looking for things that are truly overpriced, you can find lots of late 1960's high numbers of players like Cookie Rojas and Mike Shannon, Grant Jackson / Bart Shirey and others - who aren't exactly Mickey Mantle in our collective memories that sell for ridiculous prices - especially in higher grade - simply because they are high numbers or short prints.

packs · #4 08-09-2024, 09:53 AM

The 56 Mantle has a lot going for it. People tend to like horizontal cards as it is, but it also has a great portrait image and a great action shot from a pivotal year in his career.

I don't know if it's overvalued because people do tend to like aesthetically pleasing cards or cards with interesting images. I'm thinking of cards like the 53 Bowman Reese, the 52 Topps Zernial, the Art Whitney with Dog OJ, etc.

BillyCoxDodgers3B · #5 08-09-2024, 09:58 AM

Zernial was such a great guy. He once wrote me what on earth the story was behind the card. As to the pink undershirt, "It was washed with some red ones and came out pink"!

packs · #6 08-09-2024, 10:12 AM

Personally I find Mantle's 1957 Topps card his absolute worst. For a guy who had a ton of personality, his 57 Topps looks like it was taken at a morgue.

jchcollins · #7 08-09-2024, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packs

Personally I find Mantle's 1957 Topps card his absolute worst. For a guy who had a ton of personality, his 57 Topps looks like it was taken at a morgue.

To me his '57 is iconic, if for no other reason than when I first got interested in vintage cards in the 1980's - that image was everywhere. It seemed to be featured in many issues of Baseball Cards magazine and BBCM, etc.

I will agree the picture and production quality isn't fantastic. The card is overly dark, which leads to a lot of the print snow crap problems on the image itself, and in reality as with many other '57 Topps it's hard to find anywhere within shouting distance of centered. Adding to the problem with the dark image, many of them have what I call the "green / brown" vibe, which I don't think is attractive. However, some '57 Mantles instead of the green / brown present more in blue / green - and IMO these cards when centered decently look great.

I had been in search of a '57 Mantle with the qualities I was looking for forever, and finally found it earlier this year. I got a centered SGC 2, with some small creasing at the bottom that is not super noticeable and was tolerable to me. While it's not as "blue / green" on the image as I would like - it's more like that than green / brown and the image focus is sharp enough for me, so I bought it.

D. Bergin · #8 08-09-2024, 10:54 AM

In regards to 1955 Bowman's. I think it's the best of both worlds. Both, one of the ugliest mainstream sets of the modern-ish era, and also one of the most interesting and neat looking sets.

I love the clean look of the 1953 Bowman's and 1957 Topps, but also love the garish border designs on the 1955 Bowman and 1972 and 1975 Topps sets for some reason.

As for the 1956 Mantle, it serves as a return to Topps from Mantle, and while I'm not as big a fan of the design as others...it is still an objectively pretty awesome looking card.

jchcollins · #9 08-09-2024, 10:18 AM

I like sets that to me are true to their times / what was going on in pop culture when they were released - 1959 and 1972 Topps come to mind, so to me in that regard 1955 Bowman is fantastic and really fits the bill. I'm guessing most people if they had a TV at all in 1955 didn't have a color one, but the design is slick and clever nonetheless.

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