1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie Card Help

[Diablo]

Hello Net 54 Baseball Forum,

I have been a lurker and reader of the forum for a couple of months and finally decided to be apart of the Net 54 community, which I'm excited about.

I recently inherited a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle #253 rookie card and wanted to get additional information on it. The card was given to my mother over 30 years ago from a close cousin. My mom held onto the card for many years until recently, she gave it to me. I don’t have any intention of selling, but I would like to eventually get it graded.

Right before I was going to send it off to get it graded, I began reading about real vs fakes and started to think twice on the authenticity of the card…. Maybe I’m overthinking it or have just become cross-eyed from examining and comparing details of 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle cards. I would like to get feedback on this card and to see what you guys and gals think of this card. I’ve tried to take detailed photos of the card for deeper examination.

EDITED: The last two photos on the right are a bit more sharpened and defined from the first two photos on the left. I have also added the photos on IMGUR https://imgur.com/a/pRuySKA

Please share your honest opinions of the card - Thank you all for your help.

[swarmee]

Images are too small; you need to post the photos on a different site (like Facebook or imgur) and then embed the URL links using the Insert Image icon above the text box (yellow sky w/mountains picture).

First glance: I don't like the border being a cream color instead of white. Rest of the card color looks inconsistent with the fading/toning of the borders. Centering is too good. Image is oversaturated. All that scuffing and no creases or back wear? Unlikely. I'm thinking fake at like 95%.

[Diablo]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Images are too small; you need to post the photos on a different site (like Facebook or imgur) and then embed the URL links using the Insert Image icon above the text box (yellow sky w/mountains picture).

First glance: I don't like the border being a cream color instead of white. Rest of the card color looks inconsistent with the fading/toning of the borders. Centering is too good. Image is oversaturated. All that scuffing and no creases or back wear? Unlikely. I'm thinking fake at like 95%.

Thanks John, that's a bit heart breaking...lol Also, I've included the photos to IMGUR. https://imgur.com/a/pRuySKA

[swarmee]

Well, I'll say I'm not an expert on this card. Here's a high res image of a known good card. You can easily see the border should match the color of the clouds.


Here's yours for comparison.


Buy a couple of commons from the set online and then compare them. Make sure the paper has the same feel, gloss, stock, smell, etc. Basically, be more sure before you pay a $100 or so to try to authenticate.

[Diablo]

[QUOTE=swarmee;1990205]Well, I'll say I'm not an expert on this card. Here's a high res image of a known good card. You can easily see the border should match the color of the clouds.

I appreciate it John, thank you. And yes, I would like to get as much information as possible to see if it's worth dropping the $100+ gamble on having this car graded. Also, have you ever seen an 'orb' flaw on this card before (see red arrow in photo)?

[swarmee]

Most people call those "print dots" or "fisheyes" or "hickeys". They do not usually repeat in the same location.
You can use this link to look at over 500 of them and to compare against.
https://www.psacard.com/auctionprice.../values/211818