Mantle autographed cards are not among the hobby's ultimate rarities. Some are more uncommon than others, and yes, they're exponentially more difficult to procure than their unsigned counterparts. In demand? That's always been evident, and that popularity is clearly surging.
Most signed Mantle cards were autographed during the card show era, so you're usually going to find gorogeous, bold Sharpie autographs with Mantle's eye to perfect signature placement. Therefore, the main variable in prices is simply conditions of the cards themsevles.
The JD McCarthy PC seemed to unfairly benefit from being included among the signed cards. It's not a card, it's a PC. $7500?! Yes, a nice, period autograph, but $7500... I'm guessing that was at most a $1200 piece not too long ago with a far smaller circle of interested buyers. I will be very interested to see what this one sells for the next time it hits the auction block.
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