Me too :) especially with items I like. The K or no K green both seem to be fairly common after a quick eBay search.

I sorted my PSA set by completion percentage and I rise from 29th to 13th, with 19 more Mantles (15 new) in the queue in Newport Beach. So I'm very close to hitting 50% of the Master Set Registry, even with those new oversized cards being added.

Congratulations, John. That's quite the quantum leap up the Mantle Master Set Registry! -- Brian Powell

Picked up 3 Holiday Inn coasters. Now I have 3. :)

Ben, I think you picked up the large one recently also but I couldn't find the thread where you showed it. I think you said it was an uncatalogued version. Hopefully someone isn't currently churning them out. :rolleyes:

PSA Grades are in:
GOOD 2 1956-57 Mac Boy Decal Mickey Mantle
POOR 1 1962 Post Cereal Mantle-5/Maris-6 Perforated-Ad Back, Panel
FAIR 1.5 1958-61 Jay Publishing Photos-Type 1 Mickey Mantle Batting, Pose to Chest
GOOD 2 1962-65 Jay Publishing Photos-Type 2 Mickey Mantle Portrait
GOOD 2 1962-65 Jay Publishing Photos-Type 2 Mickey Mantle Batting, Pose to Chest, One Ear Showing
VERY GOOD 3 1947-66 Exhibits 1951 Yankees Team
VERY GOOD-EXCELLENT 4 1947-66 Exhibits 1952 Yankees Team
VERY GOOD-EXCELLENT 4 1964 Challenge the Yankees Game Mickey Mantle
EXCELLENT 5 1947-66 Exhibits Mickey Mantle 1st Name Outline in White
GOOD 2 1963 Exhibits Statistic Back Mickey Mantle

The Jay Publishings all got hammered for some reason. Exhibits were okay as compared to what I expected. The Challenge the Yankees card was evaluated by COMC as NM and while it had a little corner wear, got a below expected VG-EX. I think I have posted all these in the thread before, but if you want to see something specific, I can probably dredge up the before scan.
Previous uploads

Fresh back from PSA today. Not sure how the AS garnered a straight 6.

Nice Mike! The brown batting right and mileage charts are beautiful. I don't have the large coaster you show, but I have seen it before. I honestly just thought it was a fantasy piece since the only fake (that i am aware of) from the hotel is a paper placemat that has the similar color scheme and it isn't catalogued anywhere. The placemat is easy to tell it is a fake though since the paper isn't actually textured it is just a scan. What does the the back of the coaster look like? You are probably the best judge if it is a legit item since you have it in hand.

Chris, do you have one?

I still need the batting left coaster...

Nice PSA poppage John!

I have a fake placemat but no coaster. Was disappointed that the placemat wasn’t real though.

Ben, the coaster is textured. I've attached a couple of closeups (darkened a little to help show the texture). It doesn't feel like the brown one in that the brown one feels more like linen than paper and this feels more like paper.

Raymond, that is a gorgeous '59.

Well, the front is anyway - back is dirty and I paid too much.


=

Picked up a nice '59 for my display piece I'm working on.
Actually cracked this one out of a slab, and I'm very happy with the eye-appeal.

It will fit seamlessly into my display I'm slowly working on.
The brightness along the bottom right corner is from the light source when I was taking the picture.


https://i.imgur.com/Bi1MWhfm.jpg


:)

:)don't we all

I bought a Mantle & I don't regret it.

https://i.postimg.cc/MHKTyJMB/20190322-151830.jpg


Had to sell everything. Just bought this one to start over...

From today.

https://i.postimg.cc/kGBnCM2Y/20190429-113259.jpg

Several days ago, I learned about the variations in the small Mantle Dormund post card in this thread. Today, I'd like to pick everyone's brains about the attached Mantle pencil sets.

In the attached photos, the set on the right is the red packaging set that is available frequently on ebay and in auctions. The set on the left I picked up and was told it was a version sold at Yankee Stadium back in the day. After receiving the pencil set, my first thought was that it is the normal packaging minus the red color. But on closer inspection, there are a few other differences. (1) In the closeup, you can see the fielder extends more into the Mantle photo on the red version versus the red-less version. (2) Mantle's photo is cropped differently between the two packages. On the red version, you see more of the uniform to the right of the stripe on Mantle's right shoulder than on the red-less version. And finally, (3) the green "grass" in the field on the red version doesn't seem to be as dense as on the red-less version allowing more white to show through the green specs.

So, the ultimate question, is this a true variation of the Mantle pencil set or a very clever fantasy piece? Does anyone else have one or has anyone else seen one?

Doubt anyone is making any fantasy pieces of this as they aren’t particularly valuable. To be honest, yours just looks faded/dirty to me. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were minor printing discrepancies throughout the issue. I don’t think that color/style is appealing enough that they’d issue it using that when they already had a nice design they could have used.

Hey Chris, thanks for chiming in. I agree, I don't think it's a fantasy piece. Like you said, it's not a valuable item. However, I am open to that being an option. I also thought about fading, but I can't imagine how the red would completely fade out without anything else appearing faded. So, I think it was just printed without the red, either by accident or on purpose. I was hoping someone else had one like it or had seen one like it. I also agree that without the red it isn't as appealing. However, you're assuming the red versions were manufactured first. What if the red-less version was first and then for later versions they printed it with red? Past auctions have had display boxes with red sets in them. This would be more likely to occur if the red version was made last and the display boxes are overstocked items. But, who knows for sure?

Really
 

Really love both those 59s, just picked this up. Been a while since I got a card for the PC that I was this excited about.....

Great card, Greg. Love the "game face" image; can just imagine him staring down Bob Gibson in the World Series with that look. I bought the PSA Authentic (tape) 1960 Post Mantle from eBay a few weeks ago. Most I've spent on a card ($1500).
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/vhsAA...9NL/s-l800.jpg

John, I remember seeing that on ebay and thought it was a very nice looking PSA 1. If I didn't already have the '60 Post Mantle, I would have been very tempted to get it. It definitely beats the Mantle I've attached that I found on the PSA website in a registered Mantle master set. I have to wonder, how in the world did the attached get a number grade?

Mike,
I don't have the pencil set to compare with, but they both look legit to me. I guess the non-red could have faded and print issues just led to the offsets, but who knows... The joys of oddball collecting!

That post was graded pre-Jumbo is my guess why PSA gave it a number grade.

And Greg, good to know my dupe Phillies Cigar is in a good home :)

Nice pickup John!

delete

John, sincere congratulations on your hunting down the over-the-top elegant 1960 Post Cereal Mickey Mantle. Yours is simply beautiful. Hope you truly enjoy a recent book you purchased, and I trust the second chapter will complement this purchase of yours.;)

Austin Mike, I cannot help thinking the PSA grader must have evaluated that '60 Post Mantle from sheer ignorance, which in this case is not bliss.

Have a swell day, guys. --- Brian Powell

Lovely 58 Mick and Post cereal examples!

It does present nicely. I'm still on Chapter 1 though.
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1964...&size=original
1964 Topps - [Base] #331 - A.L. Bombers (Roger Maris, Norm Cash, Mickey Mantle, Al Kaline) [Near*Mint‑Mint]
Courtesy of COMC.com
Bought this sharp and centered one a week ago and COMC considers in NM-MT.

"I'm still on Chapter 1 though." -- John

LOL!:D John, I'll tell ya. An early customer was a buddy at work that's been a Yankee fan since I was a kid. He reads slowly, and sporadically. I've been trying to encourage him and egg him on to read chapters 3 and 13, since he loves Mickey Mantle so much. It's been 3 years....... but I love my buddy, Andy! My first customer, however, devoured it in a couple weeks, and the gentleman told me it's helped him three times. My darling wife loves it, bless her heart. Just an old author hoping collectors like his book, and hoping others would buy it and give it a whirl.

By the by, bud, do you love the fantasy card?

All the best to you, and all "youse guys"!;) --- Brian Powell

P.S. John, observing the scan of your gorgeous Post Cereal, I think I detect a pinhole where the tape at the top had been. I love it, 'cause it illustrates what I wrote of those great '60 Posts; that is, what a young boy would do with a huge gem as this. As I titled my second chapter: "THE MAJESTIC GIANT SEQUOIA MANTLE" !

Picked up a low-end example of a '58 ALL-STAR to go into the Mantle display I'm working on.




https://i.imgur.com/AMu3nT3m.jpg



Only going to include a couple more items, then my "display project" is done.


:)

Finished two chapters and really enjoying it; it's definitely written in a prosaic style I'm not used to, so I'm trying to take it all in. The fantasy card is really nice.
I picked this up yesterday, but relisted it in case someone loves it more or wants to try to trim it closer to the borders and possibly increase the grade.
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1965...197d&size=zoom

I know they're pretty rare, so leaving it out there for a richer buyer than me would allow me to buy more cards for the set or upgrade some lower tier ones.

Grabbed this one as well:
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1965...c434&size=zoom

And a nice 1965 Topps Team Card:
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1965...b3ac&size=zoom

Nice 51 bowman mantle psa 2.

Picked up a couple more Holiday Inn items.

A mechanical pencil and a bar of soap.

Nice ones Mike...

On the HI subject I just got back my nicest full matchbooks from Beckett.
A good way to protect them imo. They recognized variations too :)

That’s fantastic. A nice alternative to breaking them down and sending in just the covers.

Wow! That's great Ben. It's nice to know that you don't have to destroy matchbook covers to get them graded if you want them graded. It's also nice to know that they recognize the variations. Good for Beckett.

Edited to add: I do wish they would have slabbed them open so that you could see the inside.

Me too...I sent them as open books and they closed them. The matches inside these books are pristine as well :) Oh well.

A non-mainstream Mickey Mantle of significance
 

I was watching the spring, 2019 Huggins & Scott auction closely. They were offering a 1954 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle in PSA 1 POOR. In spite of its lowly grade, it has a lowlier PSA pop of 17 for the year. Though there were plenty of creases, a few stains, and the factory lot inventory number stamp (that landed in the exotic purple background beside Mick's cheek), the card presented very well, with the heart of the card---Mickey's face, hat, and neck virtually unmarred. With the required juice, the card sold for $6,519.

That's a very impressive price for a PSA 1 Mantle. To put it into perspective, earlier this year a 1954 Stahl-Meyer Willie Mays went for $1,320, or about 20% of what the Mantle auctioned for. While the '54 Stahlie of Mickey Mantle is considered his toughest Stahl-Meyer, the '54 Willie Mays Stahlie was the only year they issued Say Hey. Very interesting.:)

--- Brian Powell

There's something so quaint, and almost surreal about a bar of Ivory Soap saved from a visit to Mickey's Holiday Inn. Naturally, the key is the wrapper, but what a conversation piece. Nice pick-ups, Mike. ---Brian Powell

Hey Brian, hope you had a great holiday weekend! Thanks for the kind words regarding the soap. It's amazing that at over 60 years old, it still lathers up real nice. :D I think there are 4 brands of Mantle Holiday Inn soaps and I now have 2 of them. I think there are also a couple of different sizes although I don't know if all four brands come in different sizes or if it's only 1 brand that is a different size or what. But, that is part of the fun ... discovering what's out there.

Mike, you're amazing. My family and I spent the night at Mickey's Holiday Inn during the summer of '62--nice memory. I wish I could be more specific, but I believe SPORT magazine did a short, but picture-loaded piece on Mickey's hotel in the late 50s, not too long after it opened. If you don't happen to have it, it would be a perfect companion piece to your HI hoard. Have good day, bro. ---Brian Powell

Don't know if it was posted already but here is mine. Nothing special, but it was the first Mantle I ever picked up.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...779a5a49_c.jpg

Welcome to the board. You never forget your first... ;-)

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1297252
PSA unofficially responded on Net54 that they will review all these cards for free under their grade guarantee!
Check your registry set Mantles. I will not buy any graded cards until this scandal is resolved to my satisfaction.

Posted this on all my sets on the registry:
https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...00&oe=5D57F914

If anyone wants to make offers on my Mantle cards, send me a message. I think I was #23 before turning them all off this morning.

Man those 52 Topps Mantle prices were crazy.

34k for a 2.5 that’s not even centered!

Posted this earlier in the pick up thread. My first Red Heart Mantle.Attachment 356353

Final card for me to complete the Topps and Bowman run. Saved my least favorite for last.

Congrats on completing the run! I share your sentiment re: the 1955 Bowman.

Thanks Chris. If I hadn't decided to complete the run would never have bought one lol. But it made no sense to me to stop one card short.

Picked up another "low grade/high eye appeal" card for my Mantle display I'm working on.

I've been chipping away at this for a few months. Its taken longer than expected due to a couple "life issues", but i'm just about ready to bring everything to get it "pieced together".

I'd been looking for a couple "outside - the - box" items, and not your normal run of the mill basic Mantle run cards, combined with keeping the cost down on my project.
I always liked this particular image, for a variety of reasons.
Not only does he look happy, (which he did NOT always) , but I wanted something that dated itself from back in that time frame, not just another Mantle card.
One of these Post issues was right in my wheelhouse.

Down to needing 2 more items, then I'll be finished.


https://i.imgur.com/4N6iNdrl.jpg

Got this for a measly $40 + shipping, so for that price and eye appeal, I couldn't resist.
:)


This is going to have to be freed from its slab.
I've cracked out a couple PSA cards.....any tips on breaking this one out?

Found this at an antique store on Friday. Paid $4 for it. Best I can tell it's a post card from the stadium souvenir shop. That's what it says on the back anyways. It's got Mick and Musial.

I know it's not a card, but still kind of cool especially if it's actually from Yankee Stadium and not a reprint.

https://i.imgur.com/nGaH9sY.jpg?1

Found a cool Mantle piece. Not sure how to post pix from phone. Who can post it for me ? Thanks Scott

SGCs are the easiest. You should be able to run a butter knife or flathead screwdriver along the ridge on the side a few times and it will pop open.

My impression has always been that these were sold in the stadium. There seem to be a ton out there of this and other designs, so it’s possible they are either a fantasy piece (hard to believe as they are typically worth less tha. $10.00) or were produced over a long period of time so as to saturate the market. I don’t think any of mine are used/postmarked so I haven’t been able to confirm the date on them.

Nothing much - just 'restocking':

Attachment 357649Attachment 357650

Attachment 357651Attachment 357652

The Mick from a 1962 Post Cereal Supermarket Display!
 

Hi Guys:

Awhile back I obtained the below 1962 Post Cereal Supermarket display pieces showing the Mick!

First is a double sided 2' x 3' display banner with Mick on one side and Maris on the other. These were designed to hang over a wire above the display. This would look SUPER framed! It is available for sale or trade in the right deal. PM me if interested. The photo attached is much smaller compared to the others, but in reality it is much bigger

Second are a few photos of a whirl around display that had oversized cards including Mantle. The fold in the Mantle card is on purpose so the piece can be curved in order to create the whirl around display as shown in the lower photos, and also for shipping purposes.

Finally I have posted two photos of what the supermarket displays could look like featuring both the banner and the twirl around display.

That is simply amazing. What a great piece ! Scott

Picked up this beater today. Loved hard.

Closing out the month with some nice raw Mickeys:

Attachment 358290Attachment 358291

Attachment 358292Attachment 358293

Attachment 358294

Minty fresh Mac Boy


https://i.postimg.cc/9QnJxhsY/20190702-145226.jpg

Grabbed yet another "well worn" but decent eye appeal Mickey Mantles for my project.

This was always one of my favorite cards of his.


https://i.imgur.com/L5QYU8Gm.jpg


Almost done with this display I have been working on. Its dragged on a bit, but I am down to needing 1-2 items tops.

:)

https://i.postimg.cc/zffsjgLG/20190709-114937.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/kgdwTDc8/20190710-113645.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/wv3k1NqK/20190710-113600.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/T1Dq9X5C/20190710-113614.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/bJM9kvrZ/20190710-113629.jpg

Got this one in the mail today. It's my first since I had to sell all of my vintage some years back (didn't have a Mantle anyway). Just getting back into vintage now, and this is one of the first pickups. Not the greatest condition. Probably VG-Ex, maybe. Anyway, thanks for the look..


https://i.imgur.com/et4H9KH.jpg

1963 Sports Service New York Yankees Mickey Mantle
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/1963...696d&size=zoom

Noticed there are zero Mantles in the PSA Pop Report. Only a single Berra and single Ford. https://www.psacard.com/pop/baseball...yankees/154240
Makes me think they're pretty rare. Unless they're so oversized they just recently added holders to fit them.

Looks like this was a company that sold picture packs through the mail. They're not in the Standard Catalog 4th edition, but are checklisted elsewhere on the internet. Obviously well-loved and treasured by the original owner.

I still have a $100 voucher from PSA, so maybe I'll send in my last submission (for quite a while) on their dime. Always fun to add one to the pop report.

What distinguishes this from the 1966 Team Issue with the same image/writing? Anything on the back identifying it as a 1963 Sports Service?

Good question; back is blank.
Seems to have the same image and type font/size. It could very well be the 1966 Yankees Team Issue.

Here is where I found the images/checklist:
https://www.tradingcarddb.com/Galler...-Yankees-Set-B
Edit: Guys that were not on the Yankees in 1966 in this "set": Berra, Stafford, Ralph Terry.

Edit: Looks like there is also a 5x7 version of the same set. So I'll have it sent to me and see how big it is.

https://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images...66Pack7620.jpg

Maybe the Yankees bought their photos from the Sports Service guy.

I’d be curious as to what you learn. Thanks for the additional info.

John, I'm curious as to the size of the photo. I have that very same photo in 4 different Yankee team sets - 1962, 1965, 1966, and 1967. Of course the years I assigned each set is based upon the players in the sets and could be off. The Mantles are identical with a couple of slightly different croppings. I measured 2 of the photos (1965 and 1966) and they are 4-3/4" by 7". I always assumed these were sold at the stadium and therefore called "team issued" by the guidebook. I had seen the link you posted before and I assumed the Sports Service sets were the "team issued" sets. Yeah, I know what happens when you "assume" something. ;) I'm heading out for the weekend but will post pictures of the Mantles I have showing the slight cropping variations next week. I'll also list who is in each set and the reason for the years I assigned.

...with 8% E-Bucks today:

Attachment 360771

Snagged this on Ebay a few days back.

Going to slide right in to my Mantle project.


https://i.imgur.com/bMCfIBkm.jpg

Took the picture at a bit of an angle to keep the glare down, so it looks a tiny bit off left to right.

John, the "Sports Service" Mantles I have are shown below. Looking at my checklists, it appears that I had used the Tradingcard site to improve my listings. As shown below, your Mantle could be from either 1963, 1965, 1966, or 1967 (the first 4 shown). As shown, 3 of the 4 photos appear to be identical. The other (1965, upper right) has a slightly different cropping. In it, Mantle's right sleeve does not touch the border, but it does on the other 3. Another difference is that the 1963 version appears to be printed on slightly glossy paper whereas the other 3 years are not printed on glossy paper.

The last photo shown is from the 1964 set.

I don't have the 1968 set so I don't know what that one looks like. I also don't have 1 of the 1963 sets listed or 2 of the 1966 sets listed, so I don't know what they look like. I would imagine that they are the same as the ones I've posted.

Another curiosity to me is that the photo from 1964 is different from the other years. I wonder why that is.

Snagged this nicely centered '69 Mick from fellow board member Dboneesq and thanks again for the smooth deal.



https://i.imgur.com/cjtZkqDm.jpg


:)

Love the jumbos!

Anyone here the lucky winner on the 52 star-cal decal last night on the heritage auction? It was a real beaut!


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