1952 Topps Mantle vs T206 Wagner

[Johnny630]

Mantle

[mrreality68]

I would go with the Wagner and I actually like the look of the card.
Both are great cards but I believe the upside potential on the Wagner is still greater than on that Mantle(although both have upside potential)

Lower inventory and great demand for them.

The Mantle has a lot of inventory (not at that grade) but a lot of inventory and even with great demand there is so much total inventory easier to get a Mantle vs a Wagner

[notfast]

Wagner and its not close for me.

[hcv123]

If the question was Mantle or Wagner as a player long term - from a value perspective my answer would be Mantle because I think he will have more staying power 50-100 years from now.
BUT, that wasn't the question.
The T206 Wagner I believe will retain its iconic status for generations to come and has status in its own right that is larger than Wagner himself. So will the 52 Mantle.
While I agree in an absolute sense there are more Mantle's than Wagners, when you throw those 2 specific cards into the mix, you are comparing one of the best quality 52 Mantle's against one of the worst quality T206 Wag's.
I've gotta go with the quality on the Mantle over the Wagner.

[bnorth]

The Wagner al day. I have owned many beat up and trimmed tobacco cards. I couldn't care less about centering but hate cards with a tilt to them. Unless it is a horrible picture that is one ugly Mantle.

[Tyruscobb]

There are less than 60 known T206 Wagners. It is the world’s most iconic sports card. ‘52 Mantles are relatively plentiful. Across all the TPGs, there are more ‘52 graded Mantle 8s than there are Wagners.

Give me the Wagner. Value aside, I’d even probably take the Wagner that is almost cut in half over this Mantle.

[111gecko]

Wagner..just because of the scarcity. ('52 Mantle is still my favorite card though)..

Love this question though as it brings up an interesting point:

How many Mantles vs. Wagners are still in homes/barns/buildings that haven't been graded or known of?

My vote would be there are less than 5 "unknown" Wagners vs. 100s if not a couple thousand Mantles sitting in boxes.

[parkplace33]

The mantle and it’s not close.

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by parkplace33

The mantle and it’s not close.

Agreed. If it at least had the borders I could see going for the Wagner. I believe that are only 3 52 Mantles graded a 10, and 6 graded 9. There are more than 9 t206 Wagners nicer than that copy. Setting my personal bias as a Mantle collector aside, I wouldn't spend 1.5m on that Wagner even if I had it.