DiMaggio vs Mantle at card shows

[Shoelessseb]

I’m currently reading Morris Engelberg’s book about Joe DiMaggio and he says how great he was with the fans at card shows. That he took the time to look you in the eyes and say a few words before signing your item. He also says that Mantle didn’t do that and it was strictly business for him. Honestly I was under the impression that it was the opposite and that Mickey was much more friendly. What was your experience with those two legends ?

[Lordstan]

I have no idea what he is talking about. I was a dealer from 1978 to around 1992. I saw both of them 5-10 x per year during that time frame.

Dimaggio COULD be very nice, if he was in a good mood, but that was very sporadic. 2 stories exemplify how he could be. 1) At a show at the Ft Washington Motor Lodge(done recall the exact name) in 1982, I was a 16yr old who had 107 items to get signed. Most were for resale, but many were for pc. The promoter, Frank Garo, closed the door to the room while he signed my items. He chatted with me very cordially, as I asked him about Lou Gehrig. I left that room thinking he was the nicest guy. 2) At one Ed Keetz show, probably 1986ish, in Albany, Dimaggio actually wouldn't sign any more for me until I brought my collection binder up to his table and proved to him that I collect HOF yearbooks and would get the covers signed by HOFers. Below are photos of two of the items he stopped signing until I showed him the binder with the rest of them
Mantle, otoh, was fairly chatty, even when drunk. Now he wasn't always in a great mood, but more often than not, he would look at you and smile and chat a couple seconds. Also, he never signed a bad graph that I saw. He could be falling down drunk and still always chose the best spot to sign and his sig was always perfect.

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[Jay Wolt]

In the late '80's I went to a card show in Atlantic City
& got auto's from Joe Dimaggio & Ted Williams, both were great & chatted w/ me.
Saw Mickey at a show in NYC & he seemed that he wanted to be elsewhere.

[milkit1]

That was the exact opposite in all my experiences. Dimaggio was very quiet and may look up at you but that was about it. Mantle was very pleasant and would sign whatever you wanted. I do remember that when I first got him around 1988, his price was slightly higher than everyone else (but still super low). I remember getting a book that shows his farthest home run picture and he even said he should add the HR distance

[BearBailey]

That is how my experiences were with them, Joe D was pleasant, Mickey was rude, I just remember thinking I had to mow 2 lawns to get this jerks auto.
Everyone has bad days, but when you have great experiences it made me like those players much better. Brooks Robinson was the nicest most genuine athlete I have ever met, sadly I will always remember Mantle as a jerk. I have heard several bad stories about Willie Mays, but my 2 experiences with him were Great, so personal experience trumps all and you will probably hear lots in between.

[mr2686]

I found Dimaggio to be a bit quiet but nice. Mickey was always nice and I still have a smile on my face from when I shook his hand. Mays, well, I had to get his auto 3 separate times and it pretty much ruined my collecting of him.