DiMaggio vs Mantle at card shows

[Shoelessseb]

I’m currently reading Morris Engelberg’s book about Joe DiMaggio and he says how great he was with the fans at card shows. That he took the time to look you in the eyes and say a few words before signing your item. He also says that Mantle didn’t do that and it was strictly business for him. Honestly I was under the impression that it was the opposite and that Mickey was much more friendly. What was your experience with those two legends ?

[Lordstan]

I have no idea what he is talking about. I was a dealer from 1978 to around 1992. I saw both of them 5-10 x per year during that time frame.

Dimaggio COULD be very nice, if he was in a good mood, but that was very sporadic. 2 stories exemplify how he could be. 1) At a show at the Ft Washington Motor Lodge(done recall the exact name) in 1982, I was a 16yr old who had 107 items to get signed. Most were for resale, but many were for pc. The promoter, Frank Garo, closed the door to the room while he signed my items. He chatted with me very cordially, as I asked him about Lou Gehrig. I left that room thinking he was the nicest guy. 2) At one Ed Keetz show, probably 1986ish, in Albany, Dimaggio actually wouldn't sign any more for me until I brought my collection binder up to his table and proved to him that I collect HOF yearbooks and would get the covers signed by HOFers. Below are photos of two of the items he stopped signing until I showed him the binder with the rest of them
Mantle, otoh, was fairly chatty, even when drunk. Now he wasn't always in a great mood, but more often than not, he would look at you and smile and chat a couple seconds. Also, he never signed a bad graph that I saw. He could be falling down drunk and still always chose the best spot to sign and his sig was always perfect.

Sent from my SM-F946U using Tapatalk

[Jay Wolt]

In the late '80's I went to a card show in Atlantic City
& got auto's from Joe Dimaggio & Ted Williams, both were great & chatted w/ me.
Saw Mickey at a show in NYC & he seemed that he wanted to be elsewhere.

[milkit1]

That was the exact opposite in all my experiences. Dimaggio was very quiet and may look up at you but that was about it. Mantle was very pleasant and would sign whatever you wanted. I do remember that when I first got him around 1988, his price was slightly higher than everyone else (but still super low). I remember getting a book that shows his farthest home run picture and he even said he should add the HR distance

[BearBailey]

That is how my experiences were with them, Joe D was pleasant, Mickey was rude, I just remember thinking I had to mow 2 lawns to get this jerks auto.
Everyone has bad days, but when you have great experiences it made me like those players much better. Brooks Robinson was the nicest most genuine athlete I have ever met, sadly I will always remember Mantle as a jerk. I have heard several bad stories about Willie Mays, but my 2 experiences with him were Great, so personal experience trumps all and you will probably hear lots in between.

[mr2686]

I found Dimaggio to be a bit quiet but nice. Mickey was always nice and I still have a smile on my face from when I shook his hand. Mays, well, I had to get his auto 3 separate times and it pretty much ruined my collecting of him.

[ocjack]

I also set up at shows during the 80's where the two were appearing, alone and together. When they would announce time for a DiMaggio signing, they would announce all the items that Joe would not sign and warned that he would immediately end the signing if someone approached him with one of the "forbidden" items. Once you got to him though, he was, let's call it "all business - light". He did get "grumpier" as the years progressed and he realized people were making money by reselling his autographs. That's when he started limiting signed baseballs (tickets for which that some promoters handed out to their "friends" via a dubious lottery).

I think DiMaggio's attitude was best epitomized by the story of him being upset with the Simon and Garfunkle song that included the line "where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?" As told by Paul Simon, "“I happened to be in a restaurant and there he was,” recalls Simon. “I gathered up my nerve to go over and introduce myself and say, ‘Hi, I’m the guy that wrote “Mrs. Robinson,” ’ and he said ‘Yeah, sit down . . . why’d you say that? I’m here, everyone knows I’m here.’ I said, ‘I don’t mean it that way — I mean, where are these great heroes now?’ He was flattered once he understood that it was meant to be flattering.”

Mantle was always gracious. But sadly, the question going around the room when he initially took his seat was, "had he had a drink yet?" He was actually in a better mood if he had. But as said above, his signature was always impeccable and he would shake your hand and be gracious. (see photo attached.)

Confession, my hand shook like a little boy's when I handed either of them something to sign. A grown man, nervous about meeting an icon. But that's what they were to so many of us.

[Polarboy]

Wish I could've been around in this era. Mantle was my favorite growing up. Only HOF I've met is Roy Halladay when I was a kid.

[packs]

I was at a White Plains show in the early 90s when Ted, Joe D and Mickey were all there. I couldn't afford a ticket then. I think they were signing for $100 each. But one of the attendants was nice enough to let me and my dad into the room where they were signing so we could have a look. I remember the room being absolutely silent.

[egri]

The mother of one of my high school track teammates was a professional photographer. In the 1980s, she was hired to cover a show with Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. She spent the whole day at arm’s length from the two of them, chatting them up, and at the end, they each offered to sign as much stuff for her as she wanted, for free. She said no, as she didn’t collect autographs.

[Duluth Eskimo]

DiMaggio was quiet and went about it like a job. Wore a suit, No eye contact unless you were a woman, and wouldn’t converse with you. As others have mentioned, Mantle was grumpy until he started drinking. After he had a couple drinks he was gracious and cordial. Mantle smiled and joked around with people. Both were flawed in their own ways.

Other than guys like Brooks Robinson, many of the early guys were like this. LOTS of drinking. Pretty sad lives. I met and did signings with many of them when I was working with a guy who regularly promoted shows. We also travelled to many shows to get autographs for resale like Mark mentioned. I vividly remember a show where we were at with Mantle and the promoter went around to the autograph guys begging them to buy more autos so he could cover the signing fee. This was when Mantle was $20.

[jingram058]

I found Joe DiMaggio to be a true gentleman. Very nicely dressed, not drunk, and was able to talk to him for a few minutes. This was at the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida at a fundraiser dinner. There was no money charged for his autograph. The ball he signed is an official American League ball, and he signed "Joe DiMaggio" and underneath "Yankee Clipper". You don't see many signed that way, and I am told he only did this at his hospital events. I think, and have been told, that if he thought you were someone only interested in flipping, he could be very cold. I believe I would be the same way. I found all the old baseball stars I had the pleasure to meet to be true gentleman like the stars they were...Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Johnny Vander Meer, Whitey Ford. All very nice. I never had a bad experience. Incidentally, my father thought Joe DiMaggio to be the best all around ballplayer he ever saw. He could do it all...was a one man outfield, could hit in the clutch, everything. It was an honor for me to meet him. I have a Babe Ruth signed ball, and others, but the one I personally treasure the most is the Joe DiMaggio.

[perezfan]

Seems like the case with both of them depended largely upon when you caught them, and their mood that particular day.

Off topic, but I will say that the nicest in-person signer I've ever met was Tony Gwynn, bar none. So respectful, and such a pleasure to chat with. We walked away calling him "Chatty Cathy" (but in a very good way ).

[packs]

I do think it's in everyone's best interest to meet a player they revere like Mantle or DiMaggio if the opportunity ever presents itself.

I never got either's signature at an event, but my personal favorite player has always been Don Mattingly. I've encountered Mattingly at Yankees spring training, Marlins spring training, and Dodgers spring training and with either team he was the exact same guy. Always such a nice presence for fans. Always took the time to sign for everyone once he finished up for the day.

It just makes you like your favorite player that much more when he's also a really nice guy. I'm not sure I would continue to collect Mattingly if he weren't.

And now a card from one of those spring trainings:

[Shoelessseb]

Originally Posted by Polarboy

Wish I could've been around in this era. Mantle was my favorite growing up. Only HOF I've met is Roy Halladay when I was a kid.

I feel the same way ! It’s something money can’t buy. I love hearing the stories of people who were lucky enough to live it

[dgo71]

+1 packs, Donnie Baseball is and always was my favorite player and he has been a class act each and every time I've seen him. I feel very grateful that my childhood hero was someone who lived up to the image I had in my mind. I have a buddy whose fav was Fred McGriff and he isn't as fortunate as I am.

[Huck]

When, I made the switch to the dark side (autographs) of the hobby the holy grail was DiMaggio, Mantle and Williams.

In August of 1993 Upper Deck had a promotion with Triple A clubs and Mantle was to appear (with others) in Louisville, Kentucky. My girlfriend at the time and her son decided to drive from Northern Virginia for likely our only chance to see Mantle. The show was being held at the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center - West Hall. By sheer luck, we happened to be staying at the same hotel as the former MLB players. My girlfriends son had a time running around the lobby bugging ballplayers for sigs. Had I been 10 years of age, I would have been right there with him but I refrained. Imagine my surprise when there was a knock on the door and Johnny Bench is standing there inquiring as to where the hospitality room was located (just around the corner from our room)! Thinking that Mantle would sellout quickly we rose at o'dark thirty to make our way over to the fair grounds. We were second in line. Mantle was clearly hungover and frankly I believe he was miffed that he did not sell out. He was not rude, but if you have ever been hungover, you know the feeling. The cost was $50 a throw. I wish that I had the money to have Mantle sign a dozen balls that day. Alas.

In July of 1994, Upper Deck again had Mantle signing at the Tuff-Stuff Sports Classic in Richmond, Virginia. Dang, if only I had waited a year! Only 90 minutes away! The price rose to $80 a graph and Mantle sold out. I believe the show was one of Mantle's last. Mantle was in much better spirits. He was talking with just about everyone, he even asked me if I wanted to take a picture. Both items were authenticated by Upper Deck gratis but the current database does not go back that far. I called Upper Deck about the issue and Upper Decks wants a picture of the item and sticker after which they will add the item to the database. So before dropping $$ on authentication, consider what happens to the database if the company goes out of business or in the case of Upper Deck, upgrades and decides to drop older material.

In October of 1994, another road trip to the NYC to see Joe DiMaggio at the National Pastime 11th Long Island Classic at Hofstra University in Uniondale. It was my first visit to NYC and the New Yorkers were brutal when talking about Joe. As another user mentioned, Joe had a laundry list of of items of items that he would not sign. Okay, pictures with his Mom or Marilyn Monroe, I completely understand. No Perez-Steele cards because purportedly they owed him $10K? Okay. The list went on and on. One dealer said "For $150 he should sign by underwear if I put it on the table!" Those were salty words to this transplant southerner (not that NOVA can be considered the South), that is the legend JoeD you are talking about! Joe was all business and it was touch-and-go on whether he would complete the signing. He kept taking breaks. We finally got our items signed and when I thanked him, he reached out his hand for a shake. To this day, I believe saying "thank you" elicited the handshake.

I never had a problem with Mays. Mays did not talk much and you had to be on your toes because he had a tendency to grab items and sign them with the wrong pen and upside down.

Not that I am looking to make a friend, I just want the item signed but there are quite a few cordial players in the hobby - Gwynn, Brooks, Frank Howard to name a few. There are also quite a few, uh tools.

[Polarboy]

Not a hall of famer (yet) by any means, but Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz are really solid guys. Randy sometimes stops mid game after a play to sign for fans, and Yandy stopped for everyone and chatted with em. As a Rays fan, I’m so glad these kids have ball players to look up too, just like when I was a kid. Hell im 20, and I still feel that way looking at these guys. Baseball is just the best.

[mcgwirecom]

I never got a chance to get Mantle, always thought he would be around a long time but I was wrong.

Back in 1995 DiMaggio was going to sign at a big show for $300. It was a lot back then but signed balls were selling for more than that and you got to meet him. I decided to get a ball signed in person. When he arrived he wore sunglasses and the word was he was losing his eyesight because of all the flash photography. He was behind a long table and there was a "no flash photography" sign. I was near the end of the line and listening to everyone talk about how he wouldn't sign this or that and other stories that made you think he was surly. Imagine the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. Most people did not even engage with him. By the time I got to him I had decided to try and get a photo with him. No one else had done this as far as I could see. As he signed my ball I said "Hey Joe," and he stopped mid signing and looked up. "Can I come around and get a photo with you?" He looked me up and down and said "sure". I bolted around the table. One of my all time favorite photos.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by mcgwirecom

I never got a chance to get Mantle, always thought he would be around a long time but I was wrong.

Back in 1995 DiMaggio was going to sign at a big show for $300. It was a lot back then but signed balls were selling for more than that and you got to meet him. I decided to get a ball signed in person. When he arrived he wore sunglasses and the word was he was losing his eyesight because of all the flash photography. He was behind a long table and there was a "no flash photography" sign. I was near the end of the line and listening to everyone talk about how he wouldn't sign this or that and other stories that made you think he was surly. Imagine the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. Most people did not even engage with him. By the time I got to him I had decided to try and get a photo with him. No one else had done this as far as I could see. As he signed my ball I said "Hey Joe," and he stopped mid signing and looked up. "Can I come around and get a photo with you?" He looked me up and down and said "sure". I bolted around the table. One of my all time favorite photos.

That is awesome, sir! Signed ball is one thing, but a photo like that is beyond priceless.