Quote:
Originally Posted by exhibitman
brian, i'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there. Prototypes are as 'valuable' as the buying public wants them to be. If at least two knuckleheads are dying to own the only prototype and they have the bank, that card is going to be very valuable.
Indubitably so
the same is true as to importance. How much importance collectors put into any item is a function of many factors
Absolutely--if the card was written about and photographed extensively in the hobby, that has fueled importance with high octane desire and discussion. If a particular dealer or auction house owns the card and is readying it for the gavel, some have done a remarkably good job of promoting it. Yet, ask them about something in which they do not have a financial stake---will they be so bubbly?
, only one of which is rarity. Look at the t206 wagner. Lots of cards are harder to find but none of them have the cachet of wags.
Whether a prototype should be included as part of a set is another story--I'd say "no" since it wasn't issued. If the cards were tested, however, then they were legitimately issued and should be part of a master set even though only a few people could possibly complete the set.
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Wholeheartedly agree. If those cards were legitimately tested with just a single box or two (hard to fathom Topps printing one lousy box of something. That would make for a very expensive test where the results would not be conclusive in the least, particularly if "The Daily Ferret" came in and bought the entire box or the batch of 3-4 boxes all for himself!)
All in all, what I was trying to say was that it appears to me that the Dice Game was never issued to the public, even in a test case. Ever since SCD used the prototype Mantle as their photo and listed an entry with a checklist in their first price guide in 1987, collectors have placed that Mantle as numero uno on their want list or dream list of Mantles. Lemke even gives it a value of 45k in near mint condition in the current Standard Cat. It has been 23 years since that first SCD guide---still no near mint Dice Game Mantle to at least fuel the desire.
I sure wanted a Dice Game Mick when M first saw the SCD Guide. Nevertheless, the more i researched it, it became apparent it was a pipe dream. Going back to your initial bone to pick, then when one of the prototypes did come on the market, it went for about 31k. Ungradable, as it was hand-cut. Still, agreed, it is a hobby treasure. As for its importance, I've already had my say. I know--money talks---but then I rather liked your use of the term, "knuckleheads". Cheers, collector bro. -Brian Powell