Here's my latest, an upgrade from the 7 that's been in my set since I bought it raw at a local show a dozen years ago. Thought the price was right on the latest BIN so I pulled the trigger.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps838664e2.jpg

1959 Yankees team set
 

Added one more to my 1959 Yankees Team set. I finally found this card in a sweet condition, amazing colors and gloss.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps812955a4.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...psac94e7dc.jpg

Wow! It looks as if the card came out of a pack yesterday.

That's a beautiful card!!

Okay, that Run Preventers card looks like a 10 or a 9. How on earth is that a 7? Who cares, I guess. Beautiful. Depth of color is amazing.


And that's about as crisp a Carlton as exists.

Awesome Post War pickups continue!

Beautiful Carlton Rookie Andy! Congrats.

That has to be one of the best looking 59 Run Preventers I have seen. Really nice! Congrats.

I traded a friend for this card a long time ago and we finally sent our trades to each other. It has a really cool fingerprint that must have been done during printing as the card surface is perfect.

A little rough but I have always liked this card and the price was right.

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps53f8b3dd.jpg

I seem to be on a Banks tear lately, so here's another. Like the '71 Brock, I refer to this card as the 'I found God' shot.

Attachment 130025

New to my collection
 

Holy Crap Where did you find this one?? Defintly send it in to SGC to slab...you might get a SGC10 grade :D
Does it have any pinholes? Now it makes it just harder to sell mine

Haha, no change of a numerical grade. There is some damage by where the signature is located. It looks like there is either paper adhered to the surface or paper loss, and someone tried trace back over the signature to repair it. I believe it has a pinhole or two. it is a nice filler grade though and will allow me to save some money for when the next big card comes along.

Wait wait wait-- did you just open a pack of 51 Bowman?!

Bestdj777--- IT is still AWESOME..You gotta love the colors on the 60 post cereal.
The other recent P/ups---Wow nice centering guys..That 51 Bowman is sharp and colors just pop out

That is an amazing card. That smile is jumping off the card, very life-like. Great addition!

Picked up this 8X10 McCarthy postcard:

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0409f7f7.jpg

Congratulations Chris / BESTDJ777 on the acquisition of a 1960 Post Cereal Mickey Mantle. The heart of Mick's picture is flawless on your card. I'm sure you are already overwhelmed to have this highly prized Mantle.

As for authenticating the piece, I would encourage you to do so. I guess I was the first one to approach SGC about grading a 1960 Post. It was at the 2008 National at Chicago. Their head rep deliberated for a while, because he just wasn't sure it could fit in their over-sized holder. I told them to give it a try. It was an excellent decision. The Mantle JUST FIT. They did a first class job.

From my point of view, and in the context of what TPG constitutes as importance in our hobby, not to mention future potential value, it was the best way to go. There's been discussions regarding our cards as works of art. And so they are! As I'm sure you well know, any significant work of art, by necessity and propriety, requires a frame befitting it. Encapsulated in the elegant SGC holder not only did wonders for the card, in the end my framed 1960 Post Cereal Grape Nuts Flakes Mickey Mantle looks breathtaking.

A bit of friendly advice. Get some good eyeglass lens paper to GENTLY clean off your Mantle. During the previous 54 years, some dust might be nestled on it. ALWAYS rub from the inside of the card to off the card, to obviously avoid disturbing one of the four side edges. A can of compress air used to clean computers might be best to use first on the card.

Wishing you the best, and again, a hearty congratulations, my fellow collecting warrior. ---Brian Powell

When i got mine...thats the first thing i did..send it to SGC (tho i had asked around the SGC forums if they slabbed them...I was very pleased it received a 'Numeric' grade SGC 10 despite the chip on the back of the slab, which i was fine with.
I went with the Mantle craze and didnt focus as what i was colllecting too much..i went straight with base cards and saved the high-end ones for last to find ones that looked good. My goals have changed, as some know..i am basically selling most of them and keeping the high-ends to focus on what is now RC's, which i was doing before the addiction took over.
Bestdj777...is a total nut for Mantle..i just cant do it myself. I hope he continues with it more, despite the cost...Try get a stahl-meyer on the list, its tough finding a decent one without holes or paperloss.

Sorry, homies-- I know this is Post War area, but this is where most of my buddies hang out and I had to share this pickup. So please allow this transgression. Might be a record for shortest time listed. Finger was trembling I could not hit the BIN fast enough...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...y-babe-ruth-53

Beauty!!! Still smiling??

Hey Brian,

Thank you for the compliment and the advice. I generally don't care about condition, but the condition of his face is a deal breaker. So, I am happy to add this one to the collection. Not sure if I am going to get it graded--I've never actually sent in anything for grading--but agree that this one is beautiful framed by SGC. As soon as I get a place where I can display my cards, I am probably going to send this in and cross my 51 Wheaties over. I am definitely going to try cleaning it though. Hopefully I can get some of the adhered paper off of the bottom of it with a light rub.

Chris, I don't think I am a nut. I am pretty sure I have an appropriate amount of Mantles :) Don't know if I can justify the money for the Stahls with some awesome foreign issues still outstanding. We will see though.

Matt, can you please stay on topic :) Beautiful card and love the story of the pickup. I've been there before myself where I am shaking hitting the buy it now and hoping I get there before someone else does. Your collection is awesome.

Thx fellas. It's an insane rush when you see the watchers piling up and you feel like the listing can end any second while you're examining the scan and VCP.

Chris-- is your Mantle master set viewable anywhere? That completion percentage is RIDICULOUS. You even have those rare Venezuelan issues? And does it include that infamous Dice Game card?

Hi Matt,

I have an online photo album that I keep for insurance purposes, but it has some of my other items so I have not made it public yet. Below is a picture of most of my Mantle collection spread out. I believe I have only added 5 or 10 cards since the picture was taken, to bring my collection up to a total of 249 unique Mantle cards and premium photos.

I don't own the dice game or any of the other unissued test items. Up until now, I have generally avoided the test issues (will likely continue to do so) and the regional issues (picking up a select few of my favorites but won't complete the run due to finances). I have been fortunate enough to pick up 7 of the 10 Venezuelan issues and am about 6 cards away from completing my run of foreign cards. One day I will get there!

How's your 60s run going? :)

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7c0e97b3.jpg

Are there two 52 Topps Mantles hiding in the middle there? 249 unique I know that pesky duplicate must be a bother. I'd be happy to help with that problem!

Awesome stuff! That is a stunning spread.

That is a veritable sea of Mantles. Stupendous achievement; I have heard those Venezuelans are impossible to locate.

I've actually paused my Mick run for the moment at 1959 because I've been focusing on another project that has required all my resources lately. In fact, alongside the Goudey Ruth I have just closed a deal for a real notorious BEAST of a Post War card. Some say it is the toughest of the era. The very low grade specimen I will be posting, next week, literally has centering to die for and anomalous eye appeal, since the card is routinely plagued by a host of issues. Cannot wait to share it. Then I think I must shut it down til Spring at least. I'm utterly tapped out!

Pretty sure I know what's coming (if so, I really want one too), but don't wanna spoil it;)

Wow, this is so cool! Awesome Chris!

Very impressive collection Chris! Congrats!

Bestdj777/Chris---And you dont want me to call you a NUT?
I cant get over what you have collected..I looked it over and over again and again.
I am just glad to help you along the way bud...and will continue to do so.
It wouldnt pass me a bit, if you did bid on that Bazooka piece i told ya about.
Maybe one day, i will get a group pic of what i have.
I just saw in the 80's thread..the Don Mattingly un-cut sheet printer's proof or prototypes --Very cool pieces..i also would go wit the stat back and auto.




FINALLY!!! Something to post
Just picked this up this morning, buyer accepted my offer on these 2 items:
1965 Bancroft Tiddlers MANTLE

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjI0WDEwND...FFg~~60_57.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjEyWDEwND...!6Q~~60_57.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjMxWDEwND...f7w~~60_57.JPG
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjIwWDEwND...gKQ~~60_57.JPG

Killer Ruth, Matt! Nice trigger finger on the BIN. :)

And that's a great group shot of the Mantles, Chris!

Thank you all for the kind words. Greg, I need two for my set or I'd part with it--have to have both variations. Wish I had extras as the market for low grade cards is pretty strong right now. Matt, can't wait to see your pickup. Chris, nice Bancroft Tiddlers set. Such odd cards but the name is awesome. Glad you were able to get both halves as well.

Chris,

I agree: it seems more and more collectors are subscribing to the sage old philosophy of, "Buy the card, not the holder." Low to mid-grade cards with exceptional eye appeal seem to enjoy a very broad base of potential buyers.

From just talking regularly with fellow collecting buddies, I see many guys who feel they need not pay for a high-number grade when they can get similar-- and in some cases superior-- eye appeal for way less money.

Wow
 

That's an amazing spread of Mantles Chris. I am so impressed!

Matt, Great Ruth. Thats a card that I really need to think about adding to my collection sometime in the future. I am not sure why I haven't saved up for that on yet. I look forward to seeing the new addition, although I am pretty sure I know what's coming. ;)

There is some serious PostWar action on this site as of late, its really nice to see. Keep em coming........

Thanks, MBM. I have always sparked to that yellow Ruth. It's not surprising that's the one of the four that most chase; I even showed my kids all four and asked what picture they liked, and it was the #53 and #144--just sheer raw, universal, aesthetic appeal on those I guess. To my eye, that is a card that really benefits from chunky, unworn borders; many of the borders are thin from age or just poor centering. And tilt is also a problem. Maybe the main issue with so many examples is the image clarity and brightness. It can be unfocused, and also look dingy. I'm much less about corners on that card for these reasons.

Cruising ebay late last night and could not pass up this beauty. Old flip, too, which I always find kinda cool. I simply cannot resist centered classics.

The more I read about Paige, the more I realize what an amazing place he holds in baseball-- and baseball cards. Not only is he the subject of what most have dubbed "the single hardest/toughest Post War card to acquire," but this guy...

1. Pitched well in his late 40's, and even once at age 59 against the Sox!

2. Was truly-- like Ruth-- a legend while living. 72,000 people stormed in to watch his MLB starts. He was like a rockstar when he played.

3. He has the terribly tragic aspect of never pitching against the white stars of his day, and no full, complete record of his stats.

4. Just as Ruth lauded Shoeless Joe, so did a great-- in DiMaggio-- call Paige the best he ever faced. Who knows what he would have done in his prime in MLB, after posting a 2.48 in his 40's!

Here's a cool article I found on him for anyone interested:

http://www.psacard.com/Articles/Arti...-satchel-paige

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...satchell-paige

That Paige is a BLAZER! Congrats

Awesome, Chris, that's just bleeping awesome!!!!!!

Awesome Paige Matt! There is something special about that card. In my eyes, it is one of the most aesthetically pleasing card ever made. Looks like a work of art.

Thanks Bill! It's been a long process but its nice to be able to lay them out now, flip through them, and show them off occasionally.

Got these in the mail today.

January Pickups
 

Nice '58 Topps Gil Hodges

Attachment 130741

couple nice Joe Torre's
 

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...psc2c7b289.jpg


http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps63f91b85.jpg

Kinda overpaid with the Buyer's Premium...but still i have been looking for months for a nice centered lower-end one and finally got it. Looks better than some 4's and 5's i seen
Here it is...and NO!!! its NOT a Mantle

Its a 1955 #164 Clemente RC
http://goodwinandco.com/ItemImages/000026/273a_med.jpeg

Congrats Chris! Glad you finally got one. I know how long you've been looking for this.

Torre
 

Jake---I am a fan of Torre, in part because of his brief but productive stint with the Cardinals. He looks good as a Brave in your scans, however, I think Joe should have sought an injunction against Topps for this one

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6424d4d.jpg

Here is a young Mr Torre

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...ps948759e3.jpg

Huge card! Talk about centering and eye appeal above the grade! Awesome score, bro. I'd want that in a collection over a poorly centered higher grade ALL DAY.

That looks worse than a mug shot of a Torre. He look like he's in the midst of a bender with Keith Richards or perhaps about to go all Shining on some poor family,

Congratulations, Chris! That very card is one of my Holy Grails.

Chris, Thats a great looking Clemente. Congratulations.

That Torre photo is hilarious. LOL, I can't stop laughing.

Took a couple cards from my collection to fund the purchase of this one, but I felt it was worth it. I really wanted a Rose RC in my rookie card collection.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-rose-psa-7

Gotta have a Rose RC! And a centered one like that to boot. Those colors are just so Warholian.

If the USPS Gods work with me today, fellas, I will be posting one of my biggest fish hauled in ever. A real hardcore baseball-card lover's card that surfaces with as low a frequency as any-- far less often than the Wilson Franks Williams, as a Post-War scarcity reference point. Crossing fingers. Feel like a kid on Xmas eve.

What a great looking card Matt, congrats. I think that card could also go under our thread of undergraded cards!