1952 Topps Mantle - Opinions

[GasHouseGang]

I saw this card for sale, and was trying to determine if it's real. I've examined it using the guidance on one of the websites that discusses what to look for in counterfeits, but it doesn't have any of the obvious clues, and I can't tell. Honestly, the biggest problem I have with the card is that it was graded by KSA. If it's a fake, it's a pretty good one. Opinions?

[ALR-bishop]

I have both variants of the 52 Mantle. On the wavy star line version like this one it should have a truncated e in the auto, tails on the upper right and left black border frame, the black line around the team logo should not be solid, and the stitches on back should point right. All those seem consistent here. But this variant also always has a stray white pixel along the left border about even with his cap. I do not see that here but the card is scratched up some

[GasHouseGang]

Al,
I used Josh Alpert's website at

http://home.comcast.net/~52mantle/

to help perform a comparison and I looked for the same items you mentioned. I thought it seemed strange that on this example the front seems off center but the back isn't. One other thing I noted was a stray black line at the bottom of the red box on the card back, just below the baseball containing the card number. I didn't see that line on the examples given on Josh's website.

[7nohitter]

KSA is a reputable grading company, based in Canada. They have a strong hockey following.

[GasHouseGang]

Andrew,
I really wasn't trying to turn this into a KSA bashing thread, I just wanted to discuss if this Mantle was real. However, since you mentioned it, KSA has been discussed before. One of our members, FUBAR from Vancouver, B.C. said back in August:

"KSA was similar to PSA when grading first came out, their flips are similar, they used to be strict graders. Over the years, their reliability has gone way down and their grades have gone up to a point where most do not trust them anymore. If the cards are hockey, then i would feel ok accepting them. But i wouldn't trust them for anything else. Yes i own a couple KSA graded cards as that was readily available for a long time here in Canada."

So, back to the original question. Is this 1952 Mantle real?

[ALR-bishop]

David---my variant of this card (which I have had since 1967 when it could be had for $ 25...I had to pay a lot more for a graded copy of the other variation 4 years ago ) does not have the black line either, and as I mentioned it is hard to tell if it this one has the usual left side pixel near the border due to the scuff marks.

I know Josh from another board and can ask him to take a look over here if you like

[GasHouseGang]

Thanks Al. I just wanted to try to figure out if this card is good and I thought people on this board would be interested in the subject. There are an awful lot of fakes out there.

[GasHouseGang]

Well, the auction for this card ended last night for $3800, not counting the juice. So either someone got a good deal, or totally ripped off. Here's the link.

http://www.classicauctions.net/Defau...d=64&lotid=767

[ALR-bishop]

It's a tough with this card. There are a lot of them, and a lot of decent fakes. I bought my first 52 Mantle in 1967 from the Card Collectors Company in NY, well before grading appeared on the scene. I got the second one, the variation, a few years back from Levi. I paid a lot more for that one , a PSA 8OC, but was pretty sure it was a good one given the seller

[GasHouseGang]

I agree with you Al. That's why I don't think I would ever buy one that wasn't graded by one of the big three TPG's or was being sold by someone that I absolutely trusted. The fakes are just too good.