PSA 9 52 Topps Mantle sells for $5.2M

[slightlyrounded]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

Yea I didn't get that one either. I'm sure he doesn't need the money, but let's say Griffey bought 30 psa 10s for 2k each and took them to psa, had them cracked out, signed, and regraded. 25 now got the 10/10 grade. $1M+ profit isn't bad for an afternoon, even for him.

Or if he signs at a national or big show collectors can do the same thing.

Only problem with your plan: if you crack and resubmit 30 psa 10 Griffey’s, only a very few will gem again. Thus is the inanity of grading.

[clydepepper]

Not EVEN a true Rookie Card. I wouldn't waste my time.

As luck (and reality) would have it, my finances preclude the possibility of such a purchase, so I can rag on it with conviction.


.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Not EVEN a true Rookie Card. I wouldn't waste my time.

As luck (and reality) would have it, my finances preclude the possibility of such a purchase, so I can rag on it with conviction.


.

I hope you win the lottery, that'll teach you to run your mouth...

[Seven]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Not EVEN a true Rookie Card. I wouldn't waste my time.

As luck (and reality) would have it, my finances preclude the possibility of such a purchase, so I can rag on it with conviction.


.

I mean, If I had the Money I'd buy it. It's an iconic card of the Hobby. Sure it's not his true rookie, but the 52 Topps set is beautiful, combined with the lore of the card and the fact that it is a Mantle. I outlined how I felt above, I simply think the price is absurd because I can't even comprehend 5.2 Million Dollars, because that's probably more than I'll make in my entire life.

That being said, if I was an eccentric Billionaire you bet everything in the world, that my PC would be insane.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Seven

I mean, If I had the Money I'd buy it. It's an iconic card of the Hobby. Sure it's not his true rookie, but the 52 Topps set is beautiful, combined with the lore of the card and the fact that it is a Mantle. I outlined how I felt above, I simply think the price is absurd because I can't even comprehend 5.2 Million Dollars, because that's probably more than I'll make in my entire life.

That being said, if I was an eccentric Billionaire you bet everything in the world, that my PC would be insane.

In my opinion the 1952 Topps set is not beautiful and the Mantle is the ugliest card ever made. Who uses a yellow painted bat? The only reason the card has value is because Topps printed so few high numbers. Put it in a low series and it is no different than the 1953 Topps Mantle or any of his other Topps cards.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by rats60

In my opinion the 1952 Topps set is not beautiful and the Mantle is the ugliest card ever made. Who uses a yellow painted bat? The only reason the card has value is because Topps printed so few high numbers. Put it in a low series and it is no different than the 1953 Topps Mantle or any of his other Topps cards.

Difference of opinion. I love the way it looks, I think it's beautiful. I know why it has value between Mantle, the fact it's a high number and the fact that half of them were apparently dumped into the Ocean. I always spend time admiring The small amount of 52 Topps in my collection, as I really like the art.

I do think 53 is the nicer set overall. The early 50s bowman sets too, are rally enjoyable to me as well.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by rats60

The only reason the card has value is because Topps printed so few high numbers.

Card is a DP. There are lots of them out there.

Originally Posted by 100backstroke

The high price for this Mantle gives me reason to believe many other cards will/are also on their way up in price.

Absolutely!

And guys, please, let's not start the "when the boomers die" debate because it makes no sense. Most people who buy Mantles now never saw him play. Furthermore, who watched Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth play? And yet everybody wants their cards! Legends live forever!

[packs]

It's not so much about boomers dying as it is where the taste of collectors is heading. The prior generation had a huge appreciation for certain players and certain sets. You cannot say that those interests will hold when the modern market is evolving so quickly and steers collectors away from those interests.

For example, and as a microcosm of changing hobby appetites, the complete set has taken a back seat to the insert.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by packs

It's not so much about boomers dying as it is where the taste of collectors is heading. The prior generation had a huge appreciation for certain players and certain sets. You cannot say that those interests will hold when the modern market is evolving so quickly and steers collectors away from those interests.

For example, and as a microcosm of changing hobby appetites, the complete set has taken a back seat to the insert.

This seems plausible to me. I'm 44, and our generation by and large had some connection to the previous one - the bands they listened to, the players they watched, etc. The Beatles and the Stones were still a part of our world, as were Mickey, Willie and Hank.

I don't get that sense from the next generation. It seems like the link to the past has been pretty much severed, and things from before their lifetimes hold very little interest or relevance. Of course this is a huge generalization, but I do think there's something to it. I would imagine the pace of technological change has a lot to do with it.

EDIT: I thought of another example - TV shows. When I was growing up, reruns of shows from the ‘50s and ‘60s were common on networks like Nickelodeon. I don’t think that happens much now, what with the massive amounts of new content available. I know Friends is still popular with young people, but I think that’s the standard nostalgia for things from their childhood, rather than something being relevant that came before their lifetimes.

[Exhibitman]

Rob Gough? I had to look him up.

I'm all for it, if you have the money and it makes you happy, enjoy it.

[irv]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Rob Gough? I had to look him up.

I'm all for it, if you have the money and it makes you happy, enjoy it.

https://www.si.com/mlb/video/2021/01...-mickey-mantle

[russkcpa]

Originally Posted by rats60

In my opinion the 1952 Topps set is not beautiful and the Mantle is the ugliest card ever made. Who uses a yellow painted bat? The only reason the card has value is because Topps printed so few high numbers. Put it in a low series and it is no different than the 1953 Topps Mantle or any of his other Topps cards.

You're right Rats.....wish I had never bought my 52 PSA 7 and PSA 6 Mantle cards all those years ago. My1979 OPC Gretzky PSA 9 is ugly too with that ridiculous dot on his sweater. My 1966 Bobby Orr PSA 7 is a joke with his image in a TV set and my 1957 Bill Russell PSA 7 has a just a horrible image of him. I should have collected coins

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by russkcpa

You're right Rats.....wish I had never bought my 52 PSA 7 and PSA 6 Mantle cards all those years ago. My1979 OPC Gretzky PSA 9 is ugly too with that ridiculous dot on his sweater. My 1966 Bobby Orr PSA 7 is a joke with his image in a TV set and my 1957 Bill Russell PSA 7 has a just a horrible image of him. I should have collected coins

It's not too late. If you want I can take those lousy cards off your hands in return for my penny collection. Guaranteed to be worth every cent.

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by slightlyrounded

Only problem with your plan: if you crack and resubmit 30 psa 10 Griffey’s, only a very few will gem again. Thus is the inanity of grading.

Well not exactly a plan, but that's why I'd want to do it where he's signing and they have onsite grading. But I just done get how a 10 sig adds $50k value to a $2k card when the player is still alive and signing. How many more of these could be created later?

[packs]

All things being equal, no one else thought the card was worth 5.2 million or someone would have out bid the buyer. I don't know that I necessarily agree the card can't lose value. The 52 Mantle being something only whales can afford in even authentic grades is a very new phenomenon.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by packs

All things being equal, no one else thought the card was worth 5.2 million or someone would have out bid the buyer. I don't know that I necessarily agree the card can't lose value. The 52 Mantle being something only whales can afford in even authentic grades is a very new phenomenon.

It wasn't in an auction. There was no "out-bidding." The card was not for active sale. It took a big number to pry it loose, and it will be a bigger number when it changes hands again, I'm sure.

[Touch'EmAll]

The high price for this Mantle gives me reason to believe many other cards will/are also on their way up in price. As crazy as it is, this is a good thing is it not. Pretty sure we all like to have our cards appreciate. The downside is now I can't really afford what I used to collect. So I just sit tight with what I have, pick up an occasional nice card, and thank goodness I did buy what I have years ago.

[ruth-gehrig]

Is it out of the realm of possibilities that this was a staged event? That's the pessimist in me that just asked that

[packs]

The problem with this card is that it has two lives. There is the public life among outsiders who view this card as an iconic "grail" (which is a status I don't think many advanced collectors would agree with) and then there is the collector view who still see the card as iconic but also vastly over priced.

As Mantle-age fans exit the hobby there may be a reckoning ahead for the 52 Mantle.

If I didn't already have one I'd start making plans to buy the 51 Bowman instead. It is Mantle's actual rookie card and in my opinion a far superior image. The value seems stable as well or perhaps even primed to rise being it's an actual rookie card.

[Hxcmilkshake]

Originally Posted by packs

The problem with this card is that it has two lives. There is the public life among outsiders who view this card as an iconic "grail" (which is a status I don't think many advanced collectors would agree with) and then there is the collector view who still see the card as iconic but also vastly over priced.

As Mantle-age fans exit the hobby there may be a reckoning ahead for the 52 Mantle.

If I didn't already have one I'd start making plans to buy the 51 Bowman instead. It is Mantle's actual rookie card and in my opinion a far superior image. The value seems stable as well or perhaps even primed to rise being it's an actual rookie card.

What age would that be? If you were a kid and watched Mantles peak you are likely dead or in a nursing home.

The guy who bought this 9 surely never saw him play...I never saw him play yet it's my grail card.

I think it will forever be hobby iconic.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

[packs]

The guy who bought the card strikes me as the kind of guy who buys anything that's expensive to say he bought it. The hobby is not ripe with people like that.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Hxcmilkshake

What age would that be? If you were a kid and watched Mantles peak you are likely dead or in a nursing home.

The guy who bought this 9 surely never saw him play...I never saw him play yet it's my grail card.

I think it will forever be hobby iconic.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

Um my dad is 74 and far from dead or in need of a nursing home. He was a Dodger fan so he hated Mantle, but he's definitely of an age to remember Mantle's prime as a kid.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by packs

The problem with this card is that it has two lives. There is the public life among outsiders who view this card as an iconic "grail" (which is a status I don't think many advanced collectors would agree with) and then there is the collector view who still see the card as iconic but also vastly over priced.

As Mantle-age fans exit the hobby there may be a reckoning ahead for the 52 Mantle.

If I didn't already have one I'd start making plans to buy the 51 Bowman instead. It is Mantle's actual rookie card and in my opinion a far superior image. The value seems stable as well or perhaps even primed to rise being it's an actual rookie card.

I don't own but but I would consider it a grail card. Not a grail in terms of scarcity but in terms of demand. Considering how many there are (in all grades) I do feel it is overpriced but apparently not as it continues to go up at every grade. Quite confident most of the collectors/investors buying them the last 5 years likely never saw him take an at bat.

[packs]

But are they also collectors? The PSA 9 is going to have a small audience any time it comes up for sale. The guy who bought this card only came into cards in 2015 after he got rich. And he's only bought insanely expensive cards according to the articles I've read (PSA 10 Jordans, etc.).

I don't think you can discount the affect being a kid who loved Mantle has on the hobby. Mantle-mania will either be passed down or passed over. It's too soon to tell. And as more collections are made available by family members who inhereit them, the market is no doubt due to be flooded in time with a lot of cards that have been tucked away otherwise.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by packs

The problem with this card is that it has two lives. There is the public life among outsiders who view this card as an iconic "grail" (which is a status I don't think many advanced collectors would agree with) and then there is the collector view who still see the card as iconic but also vastly over priced.

As Mantle-age fans exit the hobby there may be a reckoning ahead for the 52 Mantle.

If I didn't already have one I'd start making plans to buy the 51 Bowman instead. It is Mantle's actual rookie card and in my opinion a far superior image. The value seems stable as well or perhaps even primed to rise being it's an actual rookie card.

So I partially agree with this theory, in the sense that I think as the Mantle Age fans exit the hobby, more Mantle's,from all years, both raw and graded, will become available.

As the name and Icon obviously imply, Mantle is my main collecting draw. He was my Dad's favorite player. We started collecting together. I'm 26, Mantle died before I was born, but he's the reason I collect. Sure I've branched out to other Area's of vintage, but The Mick, is the main focus.

As it for being a "Grail" I think among the Post War section of the Hobby it would probably be, "The" Card to own. I do think it's a beautiful card but I would also agree that his 51 Bowman Issue is better.

Also his 52 Bowman Issue gets neglected by the guys that are dropping millions on his 52 Topps. I love his Bowman Issue from that year, and I look forward to owning one eventually.

[Jdoggs]

This $5.2 million sale for 52 topps mantle PSA 9 is great for the vintage market. Mantle and Ruth and other baseball legends should see their rookies and key cards escalate in price now.

[LincolnVT]

All of this Griffey talk is making me want to rip this box.

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

Well not exactly a plan, but that's why I'd want to do it where he's signing and they have onsite grading. But I just done get how a 10 sig adds $50k value to a $2k card when the player is still alive and signing. How many more of these could be created later?