Mantle Reality

[JollyElm]

Since there is (let's be honest) a complete obsession with Mickey Mantle in baseball card circles, I would like to get a glimpse of how much of this is based on first-person experience. For example, in the future everyone here can say that they were around to see Mike Trout and Albert Pujols (just to name a couple of players) in action on TV and/or in person while they were active players. How many people here can say the same about Mickey Mantle?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Since there is (let's be honest) a complete obsession with Mickey Mantle in baseball card circles, I would like to get a glimpse of how much of this is based on first-person experience. For example, in the future everyone here can say that they were around to see Mike Trout and Albert Pujols (just to name a couple of players) in action on TV and/or in person while they were active players. How many people here can say the same about Mickey Mantle?

I am old enough to have seen him live in a few games at the old DC/RFK Stadium.

[jason.1969]

I never saw him play. For that reason I don't view him much differently than I do Mike Schmidt or Jimmie Foxx, aside from his ungodly number of WS homers.

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[Neal]

I was 2 when he retired. Never saw him play.

In the late 70s/early 80s, the price guides were all about Mantle. I remember getting my first Mick (64 Topps) and still have it today. I remember thinking "I have a friggin Mantle!"

Mickey Mantle. Great name. Hobby icon.

[Peter_Spaeth]

My brother and I collected in the late 60s. We had dozens of Mantles and everyone else. It never would have occurred to us they could be worth anything.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

My brother and I collected in the late 60s. We had dozens of Mantles and everyone else. It never would have occurred to us they could be worth anything.

+1
Mays, Koufax and Ted Williams were more collected in our neighborhood. Most Mays and Mantle cards were priced the similar until the mid 80s. Then Mantle got hot and the gap seems to get bigger every year.

[jason.1969]

Originally Posted by rats60

+1
Mays, Koufax and Ted Williams were more collected in our neighborhood. Most Mays and Mantle cards were priced the similar until the mid 80s. Then Mantle got hot and the gap seems to get bigger every year.

My recollection from my first couple card shows around 1981 was that Mantle was already priced much, much higher than Mays. Taking some random 1958-1963 card in G-VG as an example, Mays/Aaron might have been $15 and Mantle would have been $25.

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[Empty77]

I answered the poll ("not born"), but before so I actually had to look him up in the almanac to double check his final season---I guess an indication of my indifference to him from a collecting perspective. A minority opinion for sure, but as you implied I feel like the competition is too widespread, and so it would be an enormous resource drain for me away from things I am interested in, so I just stay away. His player set has lots of interesting odd and unusual items, but they remain of interest to me only from afar, in part probably from that lack of direct playing connection.

[lowpopper]

I was not around. However, my father who grew up in the Bronx, talked about
him with god-like status throughout my childhood. This is a man who hasn't
missed a Yankee game on TV/radio since Stengel was manager. Needless to say, I
wore number 7 for all my little league teams. 1995 was the first time I saw my dad cry.

[Bestdj777]

Wasn't alive. My mom is a huge Yankee fan, so she got me started with her stories of her childhood baseball card collection.

[Marchillo]

I was born in the late 70’s, from Boston, loving the Red Sox and hating the Yankees. Yet when I got back into the hobby a couple years ago the first cards I chased where Mantle cards. Starting acquiring them before Ted Williams cards. At this point I have all the Mantle base Topps cards from 56-69 and Ted 54-58 and I’d still go after a 53 Topps Mantle before a similarly priced Ted Williams 54 Bowman or Play Ball card (minus the rookie card).

I don’t seem to have a bias against teams I root against when collecting. I’m primarily a hof collector and hof trumps team affiliation. For whatever reason Mantle is the iconic player to collect and I wanted in.

[mr2686]

My first two years of playing/learning about baseball was Mantle's last two years playing. Even in his twilight, only a shadow of his glory years, even a young kid could see that he was something special, and that every time he came up to bat, anything could happen. Later, with the internet and the ability to see and purchase old film of games, my understanding and appreciation of his abilities grew. I believe, several years from now, somebody on this board will be looking back at when they were a young kid and saying the same thing about Mike Trout.

[ALR-bishop]

I collect Mantle only insofar as I collect sets in which he appears. Grew up a Cardinals fan. Was fortunate to attend the 64 World Series and so did see him play in person. It was memorable for me because the Cards won, and sad because Musial had retired after the 1963 season.

One of my favorite Topps cards is the 1965 card (134 I think) purporting to show Mantle hitting a "clutch" home run but " in reality" shows him missing on a Gibson fast ball.

[bnorth]

I never seen him play because I was born the year after he stopped playing. I have never collected him because he is by far the most over rated player in the history of sports. His cards/memorabilia are also the most overpriced stuff in the hobby.

I equate Mantle to PSA, far from the best but for some insane reason people pay the most for them. Marketing is some amazing stuff.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I never seen him play because I was born the year after he stopped playing. I have never collected him because he is by far the most over rated player in the history of sports. His cards/memorabilia are also the most overpriced stuff in the hobby.

I equate Mantle to PSA, far from the best but for some insane reason people pay the most for them. Marketing is some amazing stuff.

When you consider all the walks, his numbers are pretty damn good. Bill James ranked him 6th all time. Plus he was the perfect storm: 50s in New York, Yankees, white, switch-hitter, the power/speed thing, the overcoming injuries thing, and all that duende.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by jason.1969

My recollection from my first couple card shows around 1981 was that Mantle was already priced much, much higher than Mays. Taking some random 1958-1963 card in G-VG as an example, Mays/Aaron might have been $15 and Mantle would have been $25.

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Are you in New York? It definitely wasn't like that in the Midwest. I vividly remember going to a show and suddenly everyone was wanting Mantle cards and before that there was very little difference.

[jason.1969]

Los Angeles back then. Definitely a big premium on Mantle cards. And someone here must have that first Beckett/Eckes price guide. I think I got it for my birthday when I was 10 around 1980. It would be a good way to test our memories.

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[MattyC]

Never saw him play. Neither did my brother or cousins.

We all collect him with great passion.

And much like Bryce Harper's dad, I have already passed along the legend of Mantle to my son. In fact he is presently urging me to sell my CJ Shoeless and Cobb to make another bid on a key Mantle piece. Problem is that still won't help, LOL!

With Mantle, it is about way more than stats. The sum is greater than the parts.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by jason.1969

Los Angeles back then. Definitely a big premium on Mantle cards. And someone here must have that first Beckett/Eckes price guide. I think I got it for my birthday when I was 10 around 1980. It would be a good way to test our memories.

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I have it

1956 Mantle 11 Mays 10
1957 Mantle 12 Mays 11
1958 Mantle 9.5 Mays 9
1959 Mantle 7 Mays 7
1960 Mantle 6 Mays 6
1961 Mantle 6 Mays 6
1962 Mantle 6 Mays 6
1963 Mantle 6 Mays 6

There also could be a regional bias. I am in more of National League area, so Mays was held high regard. I remember people questioning why Mays cards weren't worth more, you still hear that today. As time went by a small gap developed between the two, but it was definitely an overnight explosion in Mantle that created a larger difference that seems to grow larger every year.

WAR by year
Year. Mays Mantle
1954 10.6. 6.9
1955. 9.1. 9.6
1956. 7.6. 11.3
1957. 8.3. 11.3
1958. 10.3. 8.7
1959. 7.8. 6.6
1960. 9.5. 6.3
1961. 8.7. 10.5
1962. 10.5. 5.9
1963. 10.6. 2.9
1964. 11.0. 4.8
1965. 11.2. 1.8
1966. 9.0. 3.6

I think this really explains a lot. If you were following baseball in 1955-58, you would probably feel Mantle was slightly better than Mays. If you were following baseball in 1959 and after, you would think Mays was a lot better Mantle. In our neighborhood there were enough 1959 Topps cards available that both my brother and I were able to put together complete sets, but a lot less 1958s and very few 1957s or earlier. I just grew up in an era when Mantle was after his peak and even the oldest kids in our area never saw Mantle in his prime. There definitely seems to be a mystique associated with him playing for the Yankees. It certainly isn't in his numbers.

[irv]

Originally Posted by lowpopper

I was not around. However, my father who grew up in the Bronx, talked about
him with god-like status throughout my childhood. This is a man who hasn't
missed a Yankee game on TV/radio since Stengel was manager. Needless to say, I
wore number 7 for all my little league teams. 1995 was the first time I saw my dad cry.

My Great Uncle Sam was an avid Yankee and Mantle fan while I was growing up but I really never knew that until it was too late.
My Father, who also has limited stories/knowledge due to the distance between them (Pontiac Michigan and Southern Ontario) has told me some stories that my Great Aunt Eileen has shared with him about my Uncle Sam's obsession.

It's unfortunate the age gap was so huge that I never got the opportunity to talk about Mickey Mantle, the Yankees, or baseball in general with him. What I'd give for that opportunity today!

[skil55voy]

I was born in 1955. I saw Mantle play 4 times at Tiger Stadium 1964-1966.

[58pinson]

Born in '48, northern NJ. Saw him play a fair number of times. That said, grew up a Yankee hater. There was only one centerfielder in NY to me, Willie Mays. Then there was the day the music died, so to speak, and the NL teams headed for the coast. In retrospect I've no problem giving him his due. Maybe I've mellowed as I've aged.

[commishbob]

My first memories of him come from watching the '57 Series with my Mom and grandfather. My Dad took me to Yankee Stadium almost weekly beginning in 1960 so I saw him play often.

And I can say with first-hand knowledge that there was an obsession with Mantle cards back then. I recall discussions in my North Jersey schoolyard about how Topps wasn't distributing Mantle cards in our neighborhood stores to encourage more pack buying.

[GasHouseGang]

I was nine years old the last year he played, but since he didn't play against the Cardinals, I don't remember seeing him in a game. I'm sure he was on TV and I just don't have any memory of watching him and the Yankees play. They were probably on some Saturday "Game Of The Week" or something but those memories are hazy.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Mantle's OBP and OPS were higher than Mays. Same SLG. Only a 4 point difference in BA.

[Hxcmilkshake]

Im not old enough but my Dad was, that's good enough for me. My first Mantle was a Topps 64 i bought from the Durham fair for $23 I think sometime in the early 80s and my Mom thought I was nuts

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[irv]

Originally Posted by Hxcmilkshake

Im not old enough but my Dad was, that's good enough for me. My first Mantle was a Topps 64 i bought from the Durham fair for $23 I think sometime in the early 80s and my Mom thought I was nuts

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The Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, or some other Durham I am not aware of?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Region...lity_of_Durham

[Hxcmilkshake]

Originally Posted by irv

The Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, or some other Durham I am not aware of?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Region...lity_of_Durham

Further south...Connecticut!

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[irv]

Originally Posted by Hxcmilkshake

Further south...Connecticut!

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Gotcha. I thought you just might be from my neck of the woods?

[Rookiemonster]

I did not see Mantle play. I’ve told this story before but I grew up with my grandparents. They were born in the twenty’s. My grandmother live Babe Ruth and the Yankees. She also liked Joe DiMaggio mainly because she thought he was dreamy lol. My grandfather liked The Brooklyn Dodgers and hated baseball after they moved. He loved Duke snider and Roy Campanella. He went to a lot of different games. He said that Mays was the best he ever seen and that snider and Mantle were also great. But there was something different about the way Mays played. My Grandmother said Mays was great but she preferred Babe Ruth.

I’m a Yankees fan.
My only want for Mantle cards was only grown from Beckett price guide.I would dream about owning the 52 ! The Griffey and Mantle upperdeck auto! Etc. I would just look at the highest price cards and want them. So most of the time it was a Mantle card. I have a few nice Mays card because of my grandfather talking about him as the greatest And my own research. But if you asked me when I was 10. I would have asked for the mantles !!!

[CobbSpikedMe]

Like Dustin, I was turned on to Mantle when I was a young collector mainly due to the prices he commanded. It was a dream of a 10 year old to one day have a real Mantle card. I've since acquired several but I'll always remember getting that first one. A 1966 Topps. I couldn't believe it when I got it in hand. I was thrilled to have one. I was shocked that I pulled the trigger on it since at the time my card budget was even smaller than it is now. I'll always have that Mantle.

AndyH

[mickey7mantle7]

I was born in 78

I wasn't that fortunate to have seen him play or even recollect a time i should have went to a signing.

I really started to collect Mantle around 2008 when i re-entered the hobby. I was stationed in Alaska at the time and it pretty much helped me get through that 3 year tour. My baseball guy growing up was Ryno.

When i started back up again (wanted to collect an icon) so i basically picked him and the rest is history. I've read and have seen almost anything he's been in or on. I guess what led me more into him was his history with alcohol and what not. Growing up with an alcoholic father i could relate to his story and past.

Call it weird or what not.


Cool thread. Nothing like seeing these sorts of threads about a great guy.

PS: cool stories so far from everyone who has shared.

[mickey7mantle7]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I never seen him play because I was born the year after he stopped playing. I have never collected him because he is by far the most over rated player in the history of sports. His cards/memorabilia are also the most overpriced stuff in the hobby.

I equate Mantle to PSA, far from the best but for some insane reason people pay the most for them. Marketing is some amazing stuff.

Boooooo!!!!!

[mickey7mantle7]

Originally Posted by rats60

I have it

1956 Mantle 11 Mays 10
1957 Mantle 12 Mays 11
1958 Mantle 9.5 Mays 9
1959 Mantle 7 Mays 7
1960 Mantle 6 Mays 6
1961 Mantle 6 Mays 6
1962 Mantle 6 Mays 6
1963 Mantle 6 Mays 6

There also could be a regional bias. I am in more of National League area, so Mays was held high regard. I remember people questioning why Mays cards weren't worth more, you still hear that today. As time went by a small gap developed between the two, but it was definitely an overnight explosion in Mantle that created a larger difference that seems to grow larger every year.

WAR by year
Year. Mays Mantle
1954 10.6. 6.9
1955. 9.1. 9.6
1956. 7.6. 11.3
1957. 8.3. 11.3
1958. 10.3. 8.7
1959. 7.8. 6.6
1960. 9.5. 6.3
1961. 8.7. 10.5
1962. 10.5. 5.9
1963. 10.6. 2.9
1964. 11.0. 4.8
1965. 11.2. 1.8
1966. 9.0. 3.6

I think this really explains a lot. If you were following baseball in 1955-58, you would probably feel Mantle was slightly better than Mays. If you were following baseball in 1959 and after, you would think Mays was a lot better Mantle. In our neighborhood there were enough 1959 Topps cards available that both my brother and I were able to put together complete sets, but a lot less 1958s and very few 1957s or earlier. I just grew up in an era when Mantle was after his peak and even the oldest kids in our area never saw Mantle in his prime. There definitely seems to be a mystique associated with him playing for the Yankees. It certainly isn't in his numbers.

Very telling. Agree.

[geosluggo]

I was born in 1964, too young to ever see him play but cannot remember a time in my life that I didn't know the name "Mickey Mantle." When I started collecting as a kid in the 1970s, Mantle cards were definitely sought-after, but seen -- at least among my circle of friends -- as on par with Aaron, Mays, Koufax. (I was and remain a huge Clemente fan but I don't recall Clemente cards taking off in the first few years after his death.)

I became aware of the Mantle mystique in 1985 when one of his several autobiographies came out, "The Mick," and I heard he'd be signing books at a store in Washington, D.C. I figured it'd be cool to stop by and get his autograph, but remember showing up to find a line of middle-aged men extending out the store and around the block. It's these guys and their disposable income that drove the Mantle card and memorabilia market into the stratosphere.

I re-entered the collecting world about 10 years ago and started finishing off pre-1968 sets. As any collector knows, Mantle cards are always the toughest to find at reasonable prices. I know it's not Mick's fault and I have much respect for the law of supply and demand, but I'm just not a fan of the guy because of the prices of his cards.

I now have all the Topps sets back to 1956. I'm thinking about going after 1955 Topps or Bowman set next. I like the Bowmans better, but the idea of finding a Mantle causes me dread. And there's no Mantle in the 1955 Topps set.

[Exhibitman]

Mantle will always outshine Mays for collectors because:

--Mantle played for the premiere team in the sport and spent his entire career in the media capital of the USA; Mays played for the least successful NY team and they left partway through his career for a secondary city.
--Mantle was spectacular, good and bad. Mays was steadier. Mantle was better than Mays at his peak but had a much shorter peak. It's better to burn out than fade away...
--Mantle had a peak era as his team won. Mays did not put together a streak like that until he was already in SF, and they didn't win.
--Context counts. Mays had the bad luck to have his peak streak during the strongest era for pitching, so his raw stats (other than the 1965 totals) didn't look that spectacular even though they were elite in context.
--Mays never had a 1961 Roger Maris teammate. Mantle was fortunate enough to have Maris in 61 and for that year to end up being the last legendary Yankees team.
--WS results head to head: Yankees 2, Giants 0. 1951 and 1962.
--Mantle was handsome and white in an era where few black athletes would be chosen for endorsements not aimed at the black community. His marketability and awareness of Mantle were greater than for Mays.
--Mays was overshadowed towards the end of his career by Aaron's home run chase.



And last but not least, Mantle has a card in the 1952 Topps high series; Mays is in the semis.

[Joe Hunter]

Mantle was my favorite player from the late '50's until he retired. I saw him play a couple of times in KC in the early '60's. I grew up in Cardinal country, so Musial and Boyer were my next favorite players. Got my first Mantle card from a pack in 1959. I have no idea what happened to it. I got my first Mantle in-person signed baseball in Overland Park, KS in the mid-80's. I still have it.

[jchcollins]

I started collecting cards at age 9 in 1986. At the time in the hobby, Mantle was the single most popular thing on the planet, despite the fact that he had already been retired for nearly 2 decades. Kids of my generation knew way more about Mickey Mantle than they did Babe Ruth, I can tell you that much. My first Mantle card was his '58 with Hank Aaron, which I picked up at a shop no doubt with my mother's help along about '88. I will agree as others have said, there is something unique about him and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I think it has to do with the fact that Mantle, unlike any other player - existed at the absolute climax of baseball, time and place in history - New York city in the 1950's. Had he been a Cleveland Indian in 1945 or a New York Met in the 1970's, I think we would view him today much as we do any other superstar. For kids everywhere 60 years ago, and doubly so for kids in random areas of the south or the midwest where there was as of yet no major league baseball - Mantle was the guy you followed. I will agree that the hype and prices for his cards and other memorabilia is disproportionate in comparison to others of his generation, but the intangible is part of that magic.

[Volod]

Saw him play a few times in the old Cleveland Muni stadium. He was not only the enemy, but the embodiment of all things feared and hated by Indians fans, even though I don't recall him doing a lot of great hitting there. Maybe the tough pitching the Indians enjoyed during most of the 50's figured into that. I remember one game in 1958, must have been very late in the season because there were white chalk lines on the outfield grass from a Browns game and between innings, Mantle kidded around with the bleacher fans, getting down into a three-point stance, as if about to run a football play. That bit of playfullness stuck in my mind for some reason.

[tjenkins]

I was born in 1963 and never got to see Mantle play in person (I just missed him). He was my Dad's favorite player so I can vaguely remember him playing on TV. I attended my first actual MLB game Saturday May 24th at the Old Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis when the Twins beat the Yankees (2-1). Even though I was only 6 years old I do remember most of the game. Their was lots of chatter about Mickey Mantle retiring during spring training because he said he couldn't hit anymore. I remember my Dad talking about it. His replacement I believe was Bobby Murcer, he got two hits that day. Harmon Killebrew was my favorite player and he got one hit in the game. Jim Kaat on the other hand pitched what I thought was a sensational game. He quickly became my favorite pitcher.

[50sBaseball]

I saw Mickey Mantle play in Fenway Park in 1959 (age 12 almost 13) and though the Red Sox (and Ted Williams) were not having a great year, neither were the Yankees. But it was, and still is, the Rivalry. And it was the presence of two legitimate superstars. I was a Red Sox fan, but had great respect for Mantle and treasured his cards.

In another thread about how friendly pro athletes were to us in person, I noted that at this game Ted Williams kindly posed for me with a bat on his shoulder so I could take a picture with my modest camera. (A quick primer on 1950s era inexpensive cameras: one put film in the camera, one could take about 20 photos, and then one took the film to be developed and prints made from negatives. BUT, one had to remember to manually advance the film, or one took two pictures on the same piece of film; these were "double exposures.")

I was taking pictures of Fenway Park near the visitors' dugout, and who happens to come out but Mickey Mantle. He was no more than 4 or 5 feet from me. I asked if I could take his picture. He said, "Sure, kid," and posed for me. BUT, I was so excited to see him that I forgot to advance the camera film manually. My Mickey Mantle picture was a "double exposure" with a view of Fenway Park.

Mantle's cards were valued highly in the 50s because he was a superstar, and if one had the opportunity to trade for a Mantle card, one paid dearly. I had the Topps 53,56,57,58 and 59 cards as a kid, and picked up a few 60s ones later. Mantle was a stud.

[drmondobueno]

1. His legs were bad. After hurting his leg in 1951, he played in pain the rest of his career.

2. Both his father and grandfather died young, in their forties, and Mick was terrified the same was happening to him. He admitted later in life he did not take care of himself, and drank a little.

I am sure baseball historians could put things much more accurately than I have. I remember conversations between my dad and uncle talking about how Mick looked like he was always hurting when he ran. This was around 1959-1960. At the time I was a Yogi fan ( how many world series championships ?) at the age of seven and later would wear a Maris jersey before I saw Clemente play. Never saw Mantle in person but saw him play dozens of times on the tube. Mays was healthy, Mantle wasn’t.

[50sBaseball]

Keith posted an excellent thought to understand the mystique of Mickey Mantle. Indeed, Mantle played hurt most of his career and still put up incredible statistics. In a World Series game on October 6, 1951 -- 2 weeks from his 20th birthday -- Mantle injured his knee and had to have surgery to repair torn ligaments, the first of five knee surgeries over his career. Mike Lupica wrote a story in Newsday (6/10/1995) relating these facts and the fact that by the end of Mantle's career the cartilage in both knees was pretty much gone. Lupica noted that Mantle said in his book, "All My Octobers," that after the 1951 injury "I wouldn't play another game the rest of my career without hurting."
Mantle was a stud.

[tedzan]

I watched (on our TV) Mickey play from his rookie year in 1951 thru most of his career. Believe it or not, throughout the 1951 season Mickey was booed quite often.

It wasn't till the 1952 season when most baseball fans became quite excited over this 20 year old rookie. He had a great season in 1952 with 171 Hits and 23 HR's.
Scored 94 Runs....87 RBI's....and, batted .311.......what a coincidence, Mickey's BB card number in 1952, how did TOPPS know that ?

The most exciting game I saw as a young kid was on Oct 8th 1956. The day Don Larsen pitched his Perfect No-Hitter in the World Series vs the Dodgers. That day,
Mickey hit a HR. Plus, he made an unbelievable running catch of a 440-foot drive by Gil Hodges in deep Left-Centerfield (near the Yankee Stadium Monuments).

I could fill up this page with my Mickey Mantle stories. But, I'll leave you with this event......in July of 1973, my young daughters (avid Yankees fans) and I went to
the Oldtimer's Game. We saw Mickey hit his last HR deep into the Left-field seats at Yankee Stadium.


Here is the very Mantle card I acquired in the Fall of 1952. I paid a nickel at our neighborhood candy store, and opened up a Topps waxpack expecting to get Mickey.
I will never forget that day, as I very carefully shuffled thru the cards and Mickey was in the middle of the stack.

Also, I was very fortunate, as my folks stashed all my Sports and Non-Sports cards in our attic when I was in the Air Force.








I saw Mantle hit a number of 500+ foot HR's , but this one was one of his greatest.




TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[nat]

"My Mickey Mantle picture was a "double exposure" with a view of Fenway Park."



You can't say something like that without showing us the picture!

[50sBaseball]

"NAT" -- your request to show the double exposure photo of Mickey Mantle and Fenway Park (August 1959) sent me on a search, and surprisedly I found the photo! Included the Ted Williams photo as well.
Would appreciate any technical support as to enlarging the photos. Thanks.

Jim

[Puckettfan]

Originally Posted by CobbSpikedMe

Like Dustin, I was turned on to Mantle when I was a young collector mainly due to the prices he commanded. It was a dream of a 10 year old to one day have a real Mantle card. I've since acquired several but I'll always remember getting that first one. A 1966 Topps. I couldn't believe it when I got it in hand. I was thrilled to have one. I was shocked that I pulled the trigger on it since at the time my card budget was even smaller than it is now. I'll always have that Mantle.

AndyH

I have nearly the exact same feelings about the Mick. I feel like most collectors have a "first Mantle" story. Its a right of passage, like a first kiss, in our hobby.

I was born well after his career but when I started collecting vintage as a kid in 1989, he was all anyone would talk about. It was also my dream to one day have one. My first was a 58 Topps beater when I was 11ish years old. I was blown away when I actually held the card in my hand the first time. He had always seemed out of reach.

I have since acquired, kept, and sold many Mantles. But...I still have that 58 and it stands with other 'better' cards in my permanent collection.