[brian1961]

Pardon the late response. I have been busy at work. If you only know of two collectors on this board who own the 1961 Topps Dice Game Mickey Mantle, that only serves to underscore what I am saying---it is a beautiful prototype card that was never fully completed (made into a flexichrome colorized card by Topps), was never issued or sold to the public, even at the favored few Brooklyn candy shops that Topps would use to test-market their products (i.e. 1969 Topps 3-D). As such then, it is unfair and improper to place it on a list of Mickey Mantle cards that would comprise a master set.

Honestly, as I type these words, I can see the validity of including the Dice Game in a "Master Set" listing, on the premise of "then where would you place such a rare Mantle card?" A master listing refers to all Mantle cards, period.

It's a tough call. Prototype cards are more like icing on the cake. Even if you lived in Brooklyn during 1961, and shopped at those candy stores or a toy outlet, the Dice Game would not have been available for sale. That's why I cannot put such cards on the same level as the exotic and esoteric regional--food issues. Those were legitimate cards offered with the sale, or used to promote, a particular product. Sometimes they turned out to be easy, such as the 1954 Red Heart, because there was a well-advertised offer on how to purchase each of the three small sets. Furthermore, the leftovers were retained by the company, whereby interested collectors could purchase them even into the early 1970s. At other occurrences, such as the Stahl-Meyer Franks, trying to get an unblemished clean fresh new card was a very challenging proposition even at the time they were available to the public.

Would I be typing these same words if I owned a Dice Game card? Yes, but I would not say what I am about to. Permit me to get unpopular for a moment. In the final analysis, I do not think that prototype cards are anywhere as important as most collectors believe, nor as valuable. We have a huge cadre of Mantle collectors glamorizing the Dice Game, when in reality what actually exists is an uncut sheet, a very few properly cut and graded specimens (not of Mick, except for one or two of the following), several with Gelman staple holes on them, and a few hand-cut cards. That is why I depict them as a "Pipe Dream". Again, they are still valuable, just not as valuable nor important as some were led to believe.

To me, it is much more impressive to find an uncommon card that was legitimately issued, in very uncommonly high grade condition. That is why Bruce Dorskind makes such a big deal over his "America's Toughest Want List". Bruce and other collectors really dig those cards that are anywhere from reasonably to profoundly difficult to find, and then to find them in top grade respective to the issue. Stay with me, please. During Post Cereal's final year of their major cereal card promotion, 1963, they severely reduced production to 300,000,000 total cards. Of the 200 players, 25 were short-printed in varying degrees. Now, take the time to look at the graded card populations of them. How minuscule they are, compared with the sheer original figure produced, as well as compared to the Topps. For some of them, there is not even one graded Mint example.


There are ample '63 Post or JELL-O examples that were cut within the black border, making them Authentic at best. Still, in the graded card world of today, where the bigger money is placed or invested, if it is not graded, it is not as highly valued. Hey, at least you can handle them, enjoy them up close and personal. There's a lot of enjoyment in that. They just will not achieve a high monetary value. True, a few collectors collect the complete panels, but one, that is no guarantee the cards would grade out at Mint even if they were cut perfectly, and two, the hobbyists who love uncut panels generally want them to remain that way.

From the list of cards and items you personally own, you obviously have a very high regard for the Topps test issues and prototypes. They are most assuredly a definite niche category, and a highly respected one at that. Hey, they are indeed hopelessly rare. I do not know if you are given to such things, but if you enjoy writing, research those babies and put together an article about them for SCD. That would make for a very interesting and exciting contribution to our hobby. If you wish anonymity, since ..., give yourself a pen name like Johannes Mochannes Macheski. Potential crooks would go nuts trying to hunt you down. Loads of laughs.

Salute. ----Brian Powell