Follow the yellow Mick road! Follow the yellow Mick road!

[the 'stache]

So, I'm obviously not Dorothy, nor am I the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman or the Cowardly Lion. And, it's not likely that I am I going to "ease on down the road" anytime soon. I'd probably mess up my knee again if I tried. But I have decided, after much consideration, to start what will be a very long journey, indeed. Today, in setting aside $100, I have begun saving for my very own 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. I have taken that first step down my very own yellow brick road.

"When you come to a fork in the Yellow Brick road, take it."-Yogi Berra

And when I finally do arrive at the Emerald City, several years from now, with my money in hand, I am hoping not to see the Wizard, but the Mick Himself, in all his glory. Not young Mick, mind you. I'd hate to show up after my long journey only to learn that he, Yogi, Hank and Billy were out late on another all-night bender at the Copacabana. No, I'm talking middle age Mick, still healthy. Still full of life. And, I'm hoping to find the Mick on a good day, so he will give me not brains, not courage, and not a heart, but a trip back to Kansas. Wait, no. I'm hoping he will help me find a '52 Topps Mickey Mantle! Can you manage that, oh great and powerful Mick?

"Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as a member of the 500 home run club,
I hereby present to you this fine example of my 1952 Topps card, in a PSA 3 grade, without qualifiers!"

This road will not be easy. It will require incredible discipline on my part, as my road to the Emerald City will be a long one. I'm hoping to get to the '52 Mantle before I'm 50. I'm 42 now. It will mean setting aside a little every month for years, until one day I wake up back home, safe in bed after suffering a bad bump to my head.

"Home! And this is my room. And look, you're all here. Yogi, and Hank, and Billy...

Let's see if I can do it. There are many baseball cards I want. Several distractions along the way. A T206 set to build. Clemente and Yount PCs to add to. A '53 Bowman Color set to work on. My '33 and '34 Goudeys. Oh, and those blasted E95 and E96 Philadelphia Caramels. And my T202s. And I really love those Exhibits cards. And postcards, too.

But just $100 a month, a little more when I can spare it...chunks of my tax returns when I get them...I can do it. I will be the little cheesehead that could.

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is pretty much the ultimate prize for any modern baseball card collector. God willing, I have many years ahead of me to work on the rest of my collection. But the Mick is something I'm going to work on. Four years ago, I could have saved for a few months, and bought it. It's funny, though, how bumps in the road change perspective. I appreciate money more now, and when I finally get my Mantle (and I will), I think I'll appreciate it all the more.

So, I look forward to taking this trip, and invite you guys, my friends, to share it with me.

Today, I just bought the tip of the lower left corner! Only $8-10,000 more to go (holy cow, did I just say that??!!)

So, here's my running total.....how much I have saved.....

$100!!!

[ALR-bishop]

[GregC]

Great use of photoshop! I've been doing the same with my change jar, its at $300 cash money right now! I'm hoping to go to the shelter and rescue a '52 Mick that got hit by a truck at this pace.

[MattyC]

Wishing you luck in the quest, Bill. As many as there are, there just doesn't seem to be enough good ones to go around. When you reel it in, it will be a great feeling and an instant centerpiece. There's just something about that card; when I bring my kids to the bank and they want to look at the cards, that's the one they always grab first!

[pawpawdiv9]

I wake up every morning looking at it in my display case, and look at it before i go to bed every night...I had to free it out from my safes.

[ALR-bishop]

That sounds a little creepy Chris. Do you talk to it ?

[phabphour20]

Great goal. I want to do the same thing for a '48 Leaf Satchel Paige, but every time I get a few hundred I buy something else. I have no self-restraint at all. NONE.

Best of luck. Subscribed.

[the 'stache]

Thanks, guys.

Ya, there are plenty of other distractions. But I look at it this way. I'll pay the Mick every month before I even think about buying anything else.

1.) Pay bills
2.) Pay Mick
3.) put into savings
4.) whatever is left, it's shopping time!

Matt's right, there are a limited number of good lower grade cards. Chuck just got one, so I know they're out there. But just like the Walter Johnson T206 I'm chasing right now, the higher end of each grade commands a premium, so I'll be saving extra. If $8,000 were to get a 2, I figure $10,000 + would get a nice 2. Plus, by the time I'm ready to buy, the price structure will have jumped. I'm going to have to increase my rate of saving to catch up, so to speak.

But I will get there. I might be an old man, too blind to see it, but I will get there!

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Thanks, guys.
But I will get there. I might be an old man, too blind to see it, but I will get there!

By that time, hopefully SGC and PSA will have developed braille-like holders, allowing you to 'see' the card with only your fingers.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

By that time, hopefully SGC and PSA will have developed braille-like holders, allowing you to 'see' the card with only your fingers.

I can only imagine what might be written on the holder if I had to read Braille:

"You..just..spent..$11,000..on..a..baseball..card.. you..can't..even..see."

[the 'stache]

By the way, Al, I think this one will be more appropriate, given how old I will be when I finally hold that '52 Topps Mantle in my hands..



I might not yet be at Wonka's Photoshop level, but I have plenty of time to catch him.

[CW]

The OP makes me smile.

Good luck, Bill! Don't forget to wear your ruby slippers.

[the 'stache]

Thank you, Chuck.

It's going to take me a long, long time. But that make me appreciate it all the more.

[Rickyy]

Good Luck Bill! Can't wait for you to join the club!

Ricky Y

[Volod]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Wishing you luck in the quest, Bill. As many as there are, there just doesn't seem to be enough good ones to go around. When you reel it in, it will be a great feeling and an instant centerpiece. There's just something about that card; when I bring my kids to the bank and they want to look at the cards, that's the one they always grab first!

Matt - You have me wondering: Do the kids grab the Mantle card because they know of his career, or is it more that they know of its stature as a collectible?

[MattyC]

They are very young (5 and 4), so they just love the blue color of the card, Mickey's name (Mickey Mantle was actually my son's first word; he called him "Mee-Ma"), and they know he was great at hitting homeruns, as I've shown them old clips and Home Run Derby episodes. So it's an aesthetic thing because of the color and of course it's also about the image being something they see their father adores, so they in turn gravitate towards it. In time as they hopefully like watching games with me, I'll tell them all about the greats of the game, Mick included.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by Rickyy

Good Luck Bill! Can't wait for you to join the club!

Ricky Y

Thank you, Ricky.

It will take a long time, but slow and steady wins the race!

[Volod]

Originally Posted by MattyC

They are very young (5 and 4), so they just love the blue color of the card, Mickey's name (Mickey Mantle was actually my son's first word; he called him "Mee-Ma"), and they know he was great at hitting homeruns, as I've shown them old clips and Home Run Derby episodes. So it's an aesthetic thing because of the color and of course it's also about the image being something they see their father adores, so they in turn gravitate towards it. In time as they hopefully like watching games with me, I'll tell them all about the greats of the game, Mick included.

That's great. I envy you your position in fatherhood.

[T206Collector]

Something made me pick up this Mantle a couple of years ago. There was just something about it. Totally out of my collecting wheelhouse. But, I knew it had to be mine.

Maybe it's no 52T Mantle, but it is Mantle's rookie, printed a full year earlier. And quite satisfying to own and stare at.

[MattyC]

I know many, many guys who prefer the 51B image, or at least hold that card in an equally cherished place to their 311s. And finding a centered 51B is every bit as hard as finding a centered 311. The rookie is a beautiful piece, and one of the very top post war cards in the hobby, no question.

[pawpawdiv9]

i am just hoping maybe when i am old and decrepent and hard to hear and see..Thats these will compare to the Ruth Rc/s..wait another 40-50 yrs...and see if the Mick brings in 20-30k for a PR-1 card
Hey, we can dream right?

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

Something made me pick up this Mantle a couple of years ago. There was just something about it. Totally out of my collecting wheelhouse. But, I knew it had to be mine.

Maybe it's no 52T Mantle, but it is Mantle's rookie, printed a full year earlier. And quite satisfying to own and stare at.

That's a really sharp Mick rookie!

[hammer]

Wow thats a killer 51 Bowman Mantle

[T206Collector]

"Wow thats a killere 51 Bowman Mantle"

"That's a really sharp Mick rookie!"

Thanks, guys! The registration and boldness of the colors is really spectacular in this example. I'm super proud of this card, even if it's not a signed T206.

[ls7plus]

I hate to buck the tide on this one (well, no, I really don't!), but the endless procession of the '52 Topps Mantles would trouble me. This card is certainly not in short supply, and no one in their right mind would suggest it could even remotely be categorized as rare. Huge demand is keeping its value extraordinarily high in recent times, but I believe it is in a cyclical bubble, as it was in the early '80's to early '90's, after which it fell for a time, then recovered. If I'm right, though, this would mean that Bill will be able to buy it much more cheaply than he now anticipates. This is the kind of item which, while very significant, but not anywhere near rare, has seen cyclical growth in collectible coins.

Best of luck,

Larry

[ALR-bishop]

I mentioned this before. Folks who do not have the card tend to view it as overpriced and likely to fall in value. People who have it tend to think, or at least hope, it will continue to increase in value. I am not sure who is right, but am glad I already have my two versions

[the 'stache]

I fully expect that this card will continue to appreciate in value Al at nearly the same rate we've seen as of late. If I have any chance of getting it before I hit 50 (a little less than 7.5 years from now), I'm going to have to increase my rate of savings occasionally.

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

I fully expect that this card will continue to appreciate in value Al at nearly the same rate we've seen as of late. If I have any chance of getting it before I hit 50 (a little less than 7.5 years from now), I'm going to have to increase my rate of savings occasionally.

I hope you are right regarding the price increase. Although, I absolutely love the 52 Topps and would be incredibly happy with a significant price drop as that would allow me to pick up a couple extra.

[the 'stache]

Well, I hope we both end up getting what we want, Chris.

[Volod]

If the Yankees were to go into another prolonged downward trend - as happened from the early '80's to the mid-90's - perhaps the price of the Mantle card would decline again - what do ya think?

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by Volod

If the Yankees were to go into another prolonged downward trend - as happened from the early '80's to the mid-90's - perhaps the price of the Mantle card would decline again - what do ya think?

What do I think? I think not!

(Actually, if my ancient memory serves well, 80's Yankees teams won more regular season games than any other team in the majors -- certainly in the American League. Unfortunately, they never did much in the post season, let alone making it there. A downward trend for a Steinbrenner Yankee team is if they don't win the World series every year)

[ALR-bishop]

I will admit the Yanks have more championships than the Cards ( 27 v 11) but in head to head, it is St Louis 3 and New York 2