[jchcollins]

I guess by now we know that the finest examples of the T-206 Wagner and the '52 Mantle #311 reside in private collections - but does anyone know what shape the copies of these cards that the Hall of Fame has are in? I'm just curious, as the focus on the rarity of the card and the player in the 21st century seems to be at least equaled by if not surpassed by the focus on condition. In the early 1990's when people marveled over a Wagner or a '52 Mantle, you heard much more about the history of the card and the provenance of the item. Jefferson Burdick's Wagner - one with perhaps more provenance and backstory than some of the others - is at most like a PSA 4; and that's not counting for the fact that it's still glued into his album. I've seen close-ups of that card and while the color is great and the centering is nice, it's got corner wear and some hairline creases. Would be interesting to see what that baby would go for if it ever hit the market as the "Burdick Wagner." I realize (er, at least I hope...) that will never happen.

Oh the whole, I get it, but today it so seems like all we hear is PSA 10, PSA 10, finest known, blah bluh. It's cooler in this story that the card was driven to it's display location in an armored car than it's cool it's a '52 Mantle. That's kind of messed up.

So I guess Ken Kendrick's PSA 10 Mantle is "only" an A? ...