Mantle topps

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Zone91

Personally I truly like BVG and yes that Mantle is well priced and is also nice for the grade. You would be lucky to find another one that nice for the grade...I say buy it!!! But do not over bid wait to the last minute to place a bid even better the last 20 seconds.

I also own a 52 Topps graded PSA 4 (looks more like a 5)....like I said when a nice one pops up at a reasonable price buy it!!!

To give you a idea I paid 12 950$ for a PSA 4 (again it looks like a 5) so a BVG in 3.5 at less than 10 000$ is a good buy....plus it looks pretty well centered as well.

If you live outside the U.S have it shipped to you using FeDex priority worldwide you will get it the very next day and is the MOST safe method for such a card. I would NEVER use UPS or USPS for this card.

So you ended up buying the '52 Topps Mantle? I thought you had decided to buy the N302 Dunlop instead.

[Zone91]

4815162342

I made a last minute change and upped for the 52 Mantle....did not want to say it here since you guys already think am I kind of crazy.

The Dunlop is a great card but that specific one had sold for a little over 6200$ a few months ago (probably a real good deal for the buyer)...I was not going to spend 12 500$ on it (yes it is probably worth over 10 000$ but not to me). I told the seller....same guy that sold me the 52 Topps Mantle.

Buy a card over 10 000$ and you will see your mind will play games on you as well....it is a lot of money....you have to make the right buy....EVEN if that means changing your mind a few times. I would have NOT have done so if it was 2 separate sellers.

In the end it made me realize I am going to stick with baseball cards no matter what now and in the future.

If I had not got the 52 Topps Mantle I would have not been happy in the end...and I am very very happy with the Mantle. I will always cherish the Mantle as part of my collection I would have not had the same felling for the Dunlop after a few months maybe (Probably) less.

[jhs5120]

I would wait a bit. It's well centered, but I think you could do better for $10,000. I'm sure a nice one will show up soon enough.

T205 makes a valid point, Mick's 51 Bowman card can be had at a bargain compared to the 52 Topps. Personally I would consider both to be "rookie" cards, but as previously mentioned, the 1952 Topps image is an iconic piece of baseball history.

However, if you choose 51 over 52 I suggest the 1951 Wheaties Premium photo.. It's a much nicer pic of Mantle than the 51 Bowman IMO.

[MattyC]

$9600 for the BVG 3.5 is not a great deal. It's not an outrageous price either, to be sure, but again it's not a bargain. For reference, a PSA 3.5 with admittedly far less eye appeal sold for around $8300, if memory serves me right. Patience is key with a card like this, which does surface. Cards that hit market very infrequently, in those cases a quick trigger and paying a premium are very understandable.

Most readily available examples of the #311 do have serious eye appeal issues such as surface loss or poor centering, thus when one with eye appeal does pop up, it can be tempting to pay a premium-- but in this case, IMO, the premium is just a tad too significant. You are in PSA 4 territory at 10K.

[Zone91]

Try and see if the dealer is willing to sell it for a lower price with a buy it now option....I have had luck with this in the past quite often when I used to collect rare coins. Do not show to much hype over the card otherwise this option is out the window.

[glchen]

Originally Posted by Zone91

4815162342

I made a last minute change and upped for the 52 Mantle....did not want to say it here since you guys already think am I kind of crazy.

The Dunlop is a great card but that specific one had sold for a little over 6200$ a few months ago (probably a real good deal for the buyer)...I was not going to spend 12 500$ on it (yes it is probably worth over 10 000$ but not to me). I told the seller....same guy that sold me the 52 Topps Mantle.

Buy a card over 10 000$ and you will see your mind will play games on you as well....it is a lot of money....you have to make the right buy....EVEN if that means changing your mind a few times. I would have NOT have done so if it was 2 separate sellers.

In the end it made me realize I am going to stick with baseball cards no matter what now and in the future.

If I had not got the 52 Topps Mantle I would have not been happy in the end...and I am very very happy with the Mantle. I will always cherish the Mantle as part of my collection I would have not had the same felling for the Dunlop after a few months maybe (Probably) less.

I agree here. Personally, I think the Mantle was a better buy than Dunlop especially since you've always wanted one.

[Matthew H]

Side note: BGS used to be, by far, the toughest grading company on the planet. They created BVG and downgraded their grading scale so that they can compete with PSA/SGC. I had some postwar cards in the old BGS holders that would easily upgrade two full grades if they were crossed-over.

As a raw card collector, I hate having to crack a BVG slab... But the cards are well protected. Much better then the other TPGs. The holders also don't damage the card edges (what an amazing concept)

-Matt

[ullmandds]

WOW! That Mantle is a BLAZER!!!!!!!

[Zone91]

One more thing you most consider there are people including myself that DO NOT buy mid grades (ex: 3.5 or say 4.5)....I just can't do it it bugs me to much.

The other things is the seller will always say it looks more like a 4 and the buyer will always say the opposite it looks more like a 3.

[Bestdj777]

I would not have any hesitation with the fact it is in a BVG holder. I have purchased several mantles in BVG holders, including my rookie. My only advice would be to avoid going with a buy it now. Not sure the actual value of a 3.5 but know that every single one of the buy it nows for the lower grades are higher than they should be by a significant margin. Good luck, they are beautiful cards in person.

[Forever Young]

Originally Posted by Zone91

One more thing you most consider there are people including myself that DO NOT buy mid grades (ex: 3.5 or say 4.5)....I just can't do it it bugs me to much.

The other things is the seller will always say it looks more like a 4 and the buyer will always say the opposite it looks more like a 3.

What did you buy and how much was it? I assume your avatar is the card but it is too small. I like mid-grades of older cards as that is what I remember at all the shows(high end) before the slabbing started. All of a sudden, high grades are all over the place. You can tak that however you want to. I would rathe rhave a beautiful midgrade(centered/good color) than a high grade that I am unsure of trim job, soaked, ironed or touched up in any way.

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by Forever Young

I would rathe rhave a beautiful midgrade(centered/good color) than a high grade that I am unsure of trim job, soaked, ironed or touched up in any way.

I second that sentiment all the way. I love buying lower or mid grade examples of a card that usually commands silly money in high grade. I especially like my older cards to look the part; I'm naturally wary of any very old card that is in very high condition. With those mint and gem examples, in general I will always wonder if an expert doctor slipped one past the goalie. Also, I prefer a low grade card whose value is tied directly to its being low pop across all grades to a high grade card which costs the same, but the value is all in the grade/condition.

Regarding Zone's post, I wonder though if by "mid grades" he really meant "half" grades.

[cubsfan-budman]

Just my humble opinion, but to follow up on my original post:

When purchasing a high dollar card like that, the main concern should be authenticity, not the company that slabbed it. There was no reason to do a ton of research on the authenticity of the 52 Topps Schoendienst that I bought...so I just bought any slabbed one that was at the right price point for the condition I wanted.

Buying a Mantle is more and less complex, in my mind. More complex because you need to either have enough expertise to verify for yourself that it is real or leverage someone else's expertise that you trust to do the same. Less complex because you can buy any that you like regardless of TPA (or raw), once you're convinced it's real.

[Zone91]

Forever Young

I purchased a great looking 52 Topps Mantle in PSA 4 (looks like a 5 for sure) and paid 12 950$. Just got the card a few hours ago it looks truly awesome!!!

No my avatar is a PSA 9 not mine and never will be.

[cyseymour]

Generally speaking, 80-90% of cards won't get a half grade, it is reserved for cards that are very high end for the grade. I don't know whether that is the case for BVG, but I have read it is the case for PSA. So a half-grade bump really does add considerably to the price. Personally, I would have no hesitations about buying a card that has a half-grade.

Same for BVG, especially post-war. It is a nice holder and BVG is pretty popular post-war. How they sell compared to PSA price-wise, I don't know. It's your call on the card, but imo it is pretty decent looking for the grade. Wish he had a scan instead of photos, however.