Colby, your concerns are understandable. Shelling out a lot of money on a raw card, especially a nice Mantle, could end up breaking your heart if down the road you found out it were a fake. Don't worry about asking for the members of the forum to look over cards. That's really why the forum exists, isn't it? Not only to share your collection, but to get help from people that collect, and have been where you are now. I know that once I get a few of the modern cards I need knocked out for my collection, and start buying a lot of vintage cards, I'll be asking the same questions you are now.
My suggestions? Stick to buying graded vintage cards at first. While there is always the possibility that a slab could be tampered with, you're less likely to get burned. I will never buy a card without a return period (14 days is standard now on Ebay). Buy your card, take a picture or scan of the slabbed card, and share it with us. Let us look it over (the card, and the slab/flip themselves). I've been more of a modern card guy, but I am pretty good at spotting issues with slabs. Unless somebody is really good at popping slabs, usually there will be some evidence of tampering, at least with PSA. And as many here will advise you, if you buy a graded Mantle, look at the card inside the slab. Does the card match the grade given to it? If you're buying a '57 Mantle that's graded a PSA 6, and there's a huge crease across the card, something's not right.
If you really want to do vintage raw, here's what I do.
I was in the market a little while back for a 1981 Topps Joe Montana rookie. I wanted it raw, but had the same concerns you do with this Mantle. So, I bought a 1981 Topps Steve Deberg, and had that in hand when I received the Montana. I have a jeweler's loupe, a magnifying glass, black light, and a nice ruler that I used in examining the Montana.
I carefully compared the Deberg to the Montana. I looked at the cards simultaneously under the magnifying glass, paying attention to the printing. I then looked at other things, like the stock the card was printed on, etc. I figure nobody in their right mind would forge a $2 Steve Deberg card, so I knew that was an original. And after comparing the cards, I felt comfortable that the Montana was an original.
Now, a 1957 Topps Mantle in nice condition is going to be much more expensive than the $120 I spent on the Montana. But there should be several 1957 Topps baseball cards available on Ebay at affordable prices. It doesn't really have to be in great shape, either, does it? You might buy one to compare to the Mantle when you get it. Then keep that other card to compare to any raw '57 Topps baseball card you might buy in the future. If you keep doing that as you buy high value vintage cards, you should create a "control group", so to speak, that will always give you a little more peace of mind. Even the most expensive sets, like the '52 Topps, have affordable cards which you can add to your collection.
As for this card, there's nothing jumping out at me which would send up red flags. The edges and corners look pretty clean, the centering is off and the surface looks a little scratched up. But from what I can see, this is a pretty nice raw Mantle.
Look at the seller's feedback rating. Look, too, at
what they've sold in the past. Do they deal a lot in really nice raw vintage cards like this? That in and of itself isn't a red flag either way, but if the only vintage card they've ever sold ends up being a $600 1957 Topps Commerce Comet card, it might make me pause just a little. Also, does the seller offer a return period?
That's actually the first Mantle I'm looking to buy, so nice choice! Let us know what you do. And welcome back to the hobby!
