52 Mantle sells for $12.6M! 3 3

[g-man]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34473632/1952-topps-mickey-mantle-card-sells-126-million-shattering-record

Edited August 28, 2022 by g-man

[Robot Man]

Well it is “that card” and the best known example. Nothing suprises me anymore.

Kind of makes comics look like chump change…

[MattTheDuck]

I "collected" (using a loose definition) baseball cards in the mid- to late-60s and early 70s which all somehow got disappeared, maybe while I was at college.  In any case it's weird to think I could probably have found this card for $10 somewhere if it had ever occurred to me it was a good idea.  It was only 15 or so years old at the time.

Good on the seller.

[shadroch]

I have heard that Topps ended the year with a warehouse full of unsold product and paid a company to dump it at sea.  Imagine scuba diving off the Jersey shore and coming across the site. The 1952 Topps set was quite small by todays standards and the Mantles are generally one per box, with twenty boxes in a case.  Five hundred cases or more on a barge. 

[sagii]

That is some finish! 

Wow! 

[lou_fine]

On 8/28/2022 at 8:52 AM, Robot Man said:

Well it is “that card” and the best known example. Nothing suprises me anymore.

Not exactly sure how everybody quoted in that link can say definitiely that this SCG 9.5 graded card is the best when there are apparently also 3 PSA 10.0 Gem Mint graded copies of this card out there.  

[Djangology]

On 8/28/2022 at 11:44 PM, lou_fine said:

Not exactly sure how everybody quoted in that link can say definitiely that this SCG 9.5 graded card is the best when there are apparently also 3 PSA 10.0 Gem Mint graded copies of this card out there.  

My understanding is that all of the high grade Mantles out there are supposed to be from the find referenced in the article. That Mr. Mint character identified this one as the "finest" of the bunch in a letter to the buyer after he had sold it in that 1991 transaction. PSA's grades have the same sort of uncertainty as CGC's grades, particularly when it comes to vintage.

As an aside, there are/were detailed scans of the card on Heritage's site and I think SGC overgraded it. Modern cards do not receive that much leeway. It's in amazing condition and I have no reason to doubt it's the best one, but it has a number of flaws.

[Microchip]

On 8/29/2022 at 1:52 AM, Robot Man said:

Well it is “that card” and the best known example. Nothing suprises me anymore.

Kind of makes comics look like chump change…

With the recession coming, non-traditional investment options will be looking attractive.  If we watch the fine arts market, comics/cards won't be too far behind.

[James J Johnson]

On 8/28/2022 at 1:03 PM, shadroch said:

I have heard that Topps ended the year with a warehouse full of unsold product and paid a company to dump it at sea.  Imagine scuba diving off the Jersey shore and coming across the site. The 1952 Topps set was quite small by todays standards and the Mantles are generally one per box, with twenty boxes in a case.  Five hundred cases or more on a barge. 

.

Edited August 30, 2022 by James J Johnson

[James J Johnson]

On 8/29/2022 at 3:07 AM, Djangology said:

My understanding is that all of the high grade Mantles out there are supposed to be from the find referenced in the article. That Mr. Mint character identified this one as the "finest" of the bunch in a letter to the buyer after he had sold it in that 1991 transaction. PSA's grades have the same sort of uncertainty as CGC's grades, particularly when it comes to vintage.

As an aside, there are/were detailed scans of the card on Heritage's site and I think SGC overgraded it. Modern cards do not receive that much leeway. It's in amazing condition and I have no reason to doubt it's the best one, but it has a number of flaws.

double posted

Edited August 30, 2022 by James J Johnson

[shadroch]

Kids used to wrap their cards with rubber bands and Pasko was the first card, so many of his cards have damage as kids evidently kept their cards in numerical order.

 

[Robot Man]

On 8/28/2022 at 11:44 PM, lou_fine said:

Not exactly sure how everybody quoted in that link can say definitiely that this SCG 9.5 graded card is the best when there are apparently also 3 PSA 10.0 Gem Mint graded copies of this card out there.  

Apparently you can’t believe everything you read on the internet or in the news. People were obviously, seduced by the almighty dollar.

As a kid in the very early ‘60’s, nobody wanted Mantle cards in my area. Kofax and Drysdale were king of the heap. Yankee cards usually ended up in bike spokes. I remember being given a full shoebox of early ‘50’s cards from my cousin. I often wonder if that card was in there…

[Robot Man]

On 8/29/2022 at 1:18 AM, Microchip said:

With the recession coming, non-traditional investment options will be looking attractive.  If we watch the fine arts market, comics/cards won't be too far behind.

I recently set up at a vintage toy/advertising show. My sales were incredible. Prices have been dropping steadily on this stuff for years. I got very little price resistance. Even on “dead” character items. 

[pirog]

On 8/29/2022 at 8:47 AM, shadroch said:

Kids used to wrap their cards with rubber bands and Pasko was the first card, so many of his cards have damage as kids evidently kept their cards in numerical order.

 

Yep and they also put their cards in bicycle spokes to make a repetitive cardboard stuttering sound...

[pirog]

On 8/29/2022 at 10:22 AM, Robot Man said:

Apparently you can’t believe everything you read on the internet or in the news. People were obviously, seduced by the almighty dollar.

As a kid in the very early ‘60’s, nobody wanted Mantle cards in my area. Kofax and Drysdale were king of the heap. Yankee cards usually ended up in bike spokes. I remember being given a full shoebox of early ‘50’s cards from my cousin. I often wonder if that card was in there…

Right on!

[Robot Man]

On 8/29/2022 at 7:34 AM, pirog said:

Yep and they also put their cards in bicycle spokes to make a repetitive cardboard stuttering sound...

Yep. The Giants and Yankee cards were usually the first victims in my hood. I spared the Willie Mays cards though. The dude was awsome in spite of the team he played for.

My baseball cards went with my comics in the ages old practice of moms everywhere. But when my dad sold the house we grew up in, my dad called me about some stuff of mine in the basement. There I found my original Munsters lunch box. Inside it was packed with my monster and Mars Attacks cards. Complete with disingrated rubber bands. 

[musicmeta]

One of my friends collected baseball cards many years ago.  I think he has Nolan Ryan's rookie card but I don't think it's in great shape.  Might still be worth a little something anyway.
This Mickey Mantle card selling for $12.6 mill is an eye opener.  Congrats to both buyer and seller.  

[Brian48]

Was following the auction on this.  It's a beautiful specimen.  Even after all these years, the Mick still rules. 

[Bronty]

On 8/29/2022 at 11:22 AM, musicmeta said:

One of my friends collected baseball cards many years ago.  I think he has Nolan Ryan's rookie card but I don't think it's in great shape.  Might still be worth a little something anyway.
This Mickey Mantle card selling for $12.6 mill is an eye opener.  Congrats to both buyer and seller.  

They advertised it as the first 8 figure sale before the auction even began; clearly there was a guarantee in place.    Not unreasonable to assume 10m guarantee net to the seller, meaning at 10.5 plus juice this realistically may well have been one bid above guarantee .   

Edited August 29, 2022 by Bronty

[James J Johnson]

On 8/29/2022 at 3:28 PM, Bronty said:

They advertised it as the first 8 figure sale before the auction even began; clearly there was a guarantee in place.    Not unreasonable to assume 10m guarantee net to the seller, meaning at 10.5 plus juice this realistically may well have been one bid above reserve .   

Double posted in error

Edited August 30, 2022 by James J Johnson