Follow the yellow Mick road! Follow the yellow Mick road!

[the 'stache]

So, I'm obviously not Dorothy, nor am I the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman or the Cowardly Lion. And, it's not likely that I am I going to "ease on down the road" anytime soon. I'd probably mess up my knee again if I tried. But I have decided, after much consideration, to start what will be a very long journey, indeed. Today, in setting aside $100, I have begun saving for my very own 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. I have taken that first step down my very own yellow brick road.

"When you come to a fork in the Yellow Brick road, take it."-Yogi Berra

And when I finally do arrive at the Emerald City, several years from now, with my money in hand, I am hoping not to see the Wizard, but the Mick Himself, in all his glory. Not young Mick, mind you. I'd hate to show up after my long journey only to learn that he, Yogi, Hank and Billy were out late on another all-night bender at the Copacabana. No, I'm talking middle age Mick, still healthy. Still full of life. And, I'm hoping to find the Mick on a good day, so he will give me not brains, not courage, and not a heart, but a trip back to Kansas. Wait, no. I'm hoping he will help me find a '52 Topps Mickey Mantle! Can you manage that, oh great and powerful Mick?

"Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as a member of the 500 home run club,
I hereby present to you this fine example of my 1952 Topps card, in a PSA 3 grade, without qualifiers!"

This road will not be easy. It will require incredible discipline on my part, as my road to the Emerald City will be a long one. I'm hoping to get to the '52 Mantle before I'm 50. I'm 42 now. It will mean setting aside a little every month for years, until one day I wake up back home, safe in bed after suffering a bad bump to my head.

"Home! And this is my room. And look, you're all here. Yogi, and Hank, and Billy...

Let's see if I can do it. There are many baseball cards I want. Several distractions along the way. A T206 set to build. Clemente and Yount PCs to add to. A '53 Bowman Color set to work on. My '33 and '34 Goudeys. Oh, and those blasted E95 and E96 Philadelphia Caramels. And my T202s. And I really love those Exhibits cards. And postcards, too.

But just $100 a month, a little more when I can spare it...chunks of my tax returns when I get them...I can do it. I will be the little cheesehead that could.

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is pretty much the ultimate prize for any modern baseball card collector. God willing, I have many years ahead of me to work on the rest of my collection. But the Mick is something I'm going to work on. Four years ago, I could have saved for a few months, and bought it. It's funny, though, how bumps in the road change perspective. I appreciate money more now, and when I finally get my Mantle (and I will), I think I'll appreciate it all the more.

So, I look forward to taking this trip, and invite you guys, my friends, to share it with me.

Today, I just bought the tip of the lower left corner! Only $8-10,000 more to go (holy cow, did I just say that??!!)

So, here's my running total.....how much I have saved.....

$100!!!

[ALR-bishop]

[GregC]

Great use of photoshop! I've been doing the same with my change jar, its at $300 cash money right now! I'm hoping to go to the shelter and rescue a '52 Mick that got hit by a truck at this pace.

[MattyC]

Wishing you luck in the quest, Bill. As many as there are, there just doesn't seem to be enough good ones to go around. When you reel it in, it will be a great feeling and an instant centerpiece. There's just something about that card; when I bring my kids to the bank and they want to look at the cards, that's the one they always grab first!

[pawpawdiv9]

I wake up every morning looking at it in my display case, and look at it before i go to bed every night...I had to free it out from my safes.

[ALR-bishop]

That sounds a little creepy Chris. Do you talk to it ?

[Volod]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Wishing you luck in the quest, Bill. As many as there are, there just doesn't seem to be enough good ones to go around. When you reel it in, it will be a great feeling and an instant centerpiece. There's just something about that card; when I bring my kids to the bank and they want to look at the cards, that's the one they always grab first!

Matt - You have me wondering: Do the kids grab the Mantle card because they know of his career, or is it more that they know of its stature as a collectible?

[MattyC]

They are very young (5 and 4), so they just love the blue color of the card, Mickey's name (Mickey Mantle was actually my son's first word; he called him "Mee-Ma"), and they know he was great at hitting homeruns, as I've shown them old clips and Home Run Derby episodes. So it's an aesthetic thing because of the color and of course it's also about the image being something they see their father adores, so they in turn gravitate towards it. In time as they hopefully like watching games with me, I'll tell them all about the greats of the game, Mick included.