Quote:
Originally Posted by geosluggo
I vividly remember acquiring my first Mantle in 1972, when I was not quite 8 years old, from a fellow second grader who didn't care much about cards but had his older brother's collection. He traded me a bunch of 1966s, including Mantle and Koufax (I knew who they were even at that tender age), as well as some cards from that '66 Batman set.
I finally completed the 598-card 1966 set in 2008. The Mantle is the lowest-grade card in my set because it's the same one I've had since 1972. I never was a huge Mantle fan (I'm a Clemente-Aaron-Mays guy, plus I have a soft spot for Frank Howard) and cards of The Mick are always so expensive that I never upgraded. The same is true of my 1968 and 1969 sets, which I completed way back in the 1980s with Mantles I had acquired in elementary school.
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George, thanks for sharing your childhood memories. Very interesting. While I have pursued Mickey Mantle for a long time, Roberto, Henry, and Willie were all fabulous players, with a strong variety of cards and coins to collect. I also have a soft spot for Hondo Frank Howard. He did some amusing TV commercials that emphasized his towering size back in around 1970. I have a vague memory of Hondo doing one for Nestle's Quick. I should see if perchance it is on YOUTUBE. They left a very positive impression on me. Maybe he won't get in the MLB HOF, but he's in our personal HOF, which means just as much to an individual collector.
Having been in the adult hobby as a late teen since 1972, when prices were minuscule, the money sellers got for Mr. Mantle just seemed to zoom with each year. Much as I might have wanted to gripe as the fox, "Eh, those grapes were probably just sour!!!!!", I couldn't. Meaning, I waited way too long to get some badly-wanted Mickey Mantle cards. They say, "Ya snooze, ya lose". Well, when you realize you're out of the game for getting some Mantle you might have really wanted, it is a tough loss to accept, believe me.
I genuinely wish you the very best in pursuing Roberto, Henry, and Willie. Have a great day, George.
Best regards, bro. ---Brian Powell