PSA 9 52 Topps Mantle sells for $5.2M

[yomass]

Would it be impolite to point out that the 52 Mantle is a double print?

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by yomass

Would it be impolite to point out that the 52 Mantle is a double print?

like the 52 jackie robinson...like the 33 goudey ruth batting...like the red t206 cobb. It seems to help!!!!

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by yomass

Would it be impolite to point out that the 52 Mantle is a double print?

Yes, it is very impolite to say that the market will not skyrocket forever, that the Mantle was not a steal at that price, or in any other way question these investments. Perhaps after you gain some experience in this arena you will realize this.

[chriskim]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Yes, it is very impolite to say that the market will not skyrocket forever, that the Mantle was not a steal at that price, or in any other way question these investments. Perhaps after you gain some experience in this arena you will realize this.

Could not agree more! But this transaction will pump the value of 8s to one million$.

[GaryPassamonte]

Originally Posted by yomass

Would it be impolite to point out that the 52 Mantle is a double print?

Yes, the card is a double print, but what is the total population of the card as compared to the current demand? I think there are something like 2000-3000 graded. Let's say the total population is 10000 cards and that may be a stretch. Obviously that is a very small amount of cards to supply such a huge demand and I don't see the demand going down. The 1952 Mantle is not just a baseball card. It is a piece of Americana and is pursued by both collectors and noncollectors alike.

[oldjudge]

Just imagine what the card would be worth if it was of the greatest Yankee center fielder ever, instead of the second best.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Just imagine what the card would be worth if it was of the greatest Yankee center fielder ever, instead of the second best.

Hee Hee, nice one, Jay. Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio...

[riggs336]

Speaking of DiMaggio, I imagine most collectors who saw him in his peak years 80 years ago have gone to that REA auction in the sky. Yet we haven't seen a waning desire for his items. To assume this will happen with Mantle is probably wishful thinking at best.

[notfast]

I feel like there’s a bunch of salty hot takes in this thread.

Why? Shouldn’t we all be happy the industry is booming and buzzing like this.

I am.

[LincolnVT]

I'm not a Yankees fan, but Ruth and Mantle are household baseball names...known by name better than some U.S. Presidents. Heros of their times and on winning teams. We all know names like Wagner any Musial but the majority of Americans don't. This is why cards with household names may appeal to investors like this outside of the hobby. Safe.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by notfast

I feel like there’s a bunch of salty hot takes in this thread.

Why? Shouldn’t we all be happy the industry is booming and buzzing like this.

I am.

My favorite part is it being called a "waste of money". Buying an extremely prized and established collectible that could easily keep gaining ground....that's just tossing your $ in the sewer

[Fred]

Originally Posted by notfast

I feel like there’s a bunch of salty hot takes in this thread.

Why? Shouldn’t we all be happy the industry is booming and buzzing like this.

I am.

Yeah a bunch of salty dogs on the board. Many years ago when this was a hobby, it was nice to be able to obtain a card without having to get a second mortgage or feel bad for hiding it from the wife (ok, so we used to do it then, also).

With the evolution of card grading for the hobby came an escalation of prices because of the flip/label number game. Sure, the population is low at the upper ends of the scale but those prices also impact pricing at the lower end of the scale and thus there is an impact on a lot of collectors.

I still think of collecting as a hobby rather than an investment. I would hate to think that my pleasure in having/owning a card is diminished because it dropped in value. At that point, I'd just quit collecting this stuff.

For the investors in this hobby, enjoy the ride. If it all comes crashing down and you don't care about the reduced value, then you'll probably figure out that you're truly a collector a heart.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by notfast

Shouldn’t we all be happy the industry is booming and buzzing like this.

Prices like this scare me, as a collector, because I worry that I am going to be shut out of a whole range of additional cards due to price increases. I've wanted a 52 Mantle for a while and with this price on a 9, what's a 2 going to cost? Should I drop $20K-$30K for a beater now, just in case? Not just Mantle--look at the 1952 Topps Robinson lately. My beater is a four-figure card now. I questioned spending $700 on a PSA 3 1954 Aaron a few years ago but I did it; now a $3,500-$4,000 card. I got so frustrated with pricing in the late 2000s that I stopped collecting baseball cards almost entirely and shifted to the other sports and to baseball ephemera because they were cheaper. It feels like it is happening all over again. That's why I cannot applaud the latest, greatest sales.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by notfast

I feel like there’s a bunch of salty hot takes in this thread.

Why? Shouldn’t we all be happy the industry is booming and buzzing like this.

I am.

I'm on a fixed income, there's only so much I can spend to begin with. Collecting cards is a Hobby, not an investment opportunity for me. I don't plan on selling or flipping my cards to make more money off of them. Would I possibly consider selling some cards to finance the purchase of another? Maybe but I'd still be upset about doing so.

These sky rocketing prices make some of my collecting goals downright impossible. I cannot afford to drop 15K on a PSA 1 1952 Mantle. I do not have that type of money. I love the hobby becoming stronger, but when we start looking at cards as an investment opportunity rather than just something to collect and discuss, I feel like we start losing the soul of the Hobby.

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by notfast

I feel like there’s a bunch of salty hot takes in this thread.

Why? Shouldn’t we all be happy the industry is booming and buzzing like this.

I am.

You must be new here

And I bought a box a couple years ago of 89 UD just to rip for fun. They were only 100 bucks at the time. I did not get a Griffey, but still had 100 bucks worth of fun bring back childhood memories.

[maniac_73]

Originally Posted by riggs336

Speaking of DiMaggio, I imagine most collectors who saw him in his peak years 80 years ago have gone to that REA auction in the sky. Yet we haven't seen a waning desire for his items. To assume this will happen with Mantle is probably wishful thinking at best.

Or the Babe

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by riggs336

Speaking of DiMaggio, I imagine most collectors who saw him in his peak years 80 years ago have gone to that REA auction in the sky. Yet we haven't seen a waning desire for his items. To assume this will happen with Mantle is probably wishful thinking at best.

Agreed. How many board members remember watching Cobb play as a kid? Wagner? Gehrig?

I think Mantle collectors will be fine in the short and long term.