[Seven]

I've been slowly piecing together a Mantle run, it's something of a life long collector goal. Unfortunately the 51 Bowman and 52 topps are out of my reach right now, but I know collecting is a marathon, not a sprint.

Grades, mean very little to me, for the earlier Mantles, raw, lower grades or even ones slabbed as Authentic, make things a little more reasonable, especially with the current budget I'm operating on. A part of me doesn't necessarily love the idea of grabbing altered cards, but with my current budget being what it is, and with Mantles at a minimum, maintaining their value it, I have to keep all options open.

Here's where the conundrum comes in. I can't decide between buying the 52 Bowman next, or the 53 topps. Both have similar price points. Both are beautiful cards in my opinion. I have days where I go back and forth between which one I want to purchase. I came close to pulling the trigger on a raw 52 Bowman at the Philly Show, but it had a pinhole and the seller was asking for $1600 which was a little steep for me, especially considering the pinhole.

I have a feeling I should go with the 53 because it's the more popular of the two issues, but at the same time, I'm thinking the 52 bowman might rise because the 52 topps have become so expensive. Would love to hear some more experienced collectors takes on this.