What are your top 5 Mickey Mantle cards?

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Brian---you won't get any arguments from me. All I meant to point out was that I know a couple of people on the board who have the Dice card. One also has the 63 Mantle Mask, another tough item, even though I assume anybody collecting Topps cards that year could have gotten one.

I do not collect Mantle per se, or test issues per se. I originally did all Topps sets, packs, insert sets and issued test sets. Now I fool with unissued Topps test sets and variations. Some are indeed rare. The Dice are one. The 66 Punch Outs another. The 71 Rookie Artist's Proofs another. The 70 Cloth another. These last 3, in my experience, may be tougher, or at least as tough as the 61 Dice. So too might the 3 unissued 1951 Current All Stars that just sold in Legendary. The 68 Discs and 56 Hocus Focus are tough too. Then there are those 3 1960 proof cards......

By the way, thanks for your insights on these great hobby items

Dear Al, I apologize if I sounded too argumentative, though as most collectors, we feel strongly about certain things. Honestly Al, it is frustrating that with all of the huge growth in the value of the various assortment of Topps products, the company has not taken the trouble to document their respective histories, while providing some insight, print numbers, where they were distributed/sold and so on. I do believe such a book would sell nicely, even today. It would not make the New York Times bestseller list, but the hobby would welcome it with open arms.

Alas, I don't think it will happen. Bill Haber was only 53 when he passed away in the early 1990s. Besides the huge loss to his family, I think he would have been a prime candidate to write such a book. At this point, I sadly feel Sy Berger is probably too aged to recall such minute details, although sometimes these are the very things older people can recall vivid details of, though perhaps not the exact numbers.

I love the Topps Current All-Stars of Konstanty, Roberts, and Stanky. I do not own them, but feel they most assuredly cannot be whisked under the carpet. They truly are part of the set, looking precisely as the others. I wish I knew the truth behind why Topps did not include them. A very few got out. They are worth a fortune, or at least five figures each.

Now as for the 1966 or 1967 Topps Giant All-Stars, if they were sold at the Brooklyn candy shops, they are a legitimate test issue. Maybe they are not as graphically compelling, as cards go, but they have a nice dramatic aura to them with their black surrounding area. This gives each card a shadow box affect, which enhances their visual appeal. I have never owned one, but I sure acknowledge their rarity, and anyone who owns a specimen of any player can feel justifiably proud of this collecting achievement.

Furthermore, with a giant head against a black background, they would make a terrific visual display in a portfolio of Topps test issues, or a collection of a particular player.

My fifteen cents--as usual. --Brian Powell

[ALR-bishop]

I too am disappointed Topps did not create a position for an historian that would have had access to and be commissioned to document and write about all Topps issues over the years, including the test stuff. I agree that it is not likely to happen now. Whatever Woody G knows or remembers, he does not seem to want to talk about it in detail anyway.

I have 20 of the 24 Stand Ups from 1967. There are at least two full sets represented on the Board. They are tough, but the Dice, 70 Cloth, 55 Stamps and 71 Artist's Proofs are, I think, tougher.

I think the 3 rare Current All Stars were pulled due to the ongoing early contract disputes with Bowman. I doubt they ever were actually distributed....so since I have the other 8, I prefer to consider that set complete ....out of desperation....sort of like I hope my 68 Plaq and 67 Punch Out sets are complete because the SCD checklists are wrong

You obviously have a lot of knowledge about old Topps stuff ( I am still collecting Topps to this day and think there are some interesting issues in the 70s and 80s too ), so it is great to make your acquaintance . Another poster here, Dave Hornish ( dsh) is a great resource about such stuff. He would be a great man for the Topps historical job. Have you seen his blog ?

[hcv123]

1) 1967 Stand up
2) 1959 Bazooka
3) 1953 Bowman color
4) 1953 Stahl Meyer
5) 1953 Topps

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

I too am disappointed Topps did not create a position for an historian that would have had access to and be commissioned to document and write about all Topps issues over the years, including the test stuff. I agree that it is not likely to happen now. Whatever Woody G knows or remembers, he does not seem to want to talk about it in detail anyway.

I have 20 of the 24 Stand Ups from 1967. There are at least two full sets represented on the Board. They are tough, but the Dice, 70 Cloth, 55 Stamps and 71 Artist's Proofs are, I think, tougher.

I think the 3 rare Current All Stars were pulled due to the ongoing early contract disputes with Bowman. I doubt they ever were actually distributed....so since I have the other 8, I prefer to consider that set complete ....out of desperation....sort of like I hope my 68 Plaq and 67 Punch Out sets are complete because the SCD checklists are wrong

You obviously have a lot of knowledge about old Topps stuff ( I am still collecting Topps to this day and think there are some interesting issues in the 70s and 80s too ), so it is great to make your acquaintance . Another poster here, Dave Hornish ( dsh) is a great resource about such stuff. He would be a great man for the Topps historical job. Have you seen his blog ?

Congrats on all your amazing rare Topps stuff. No Al, I have not seen Dave's blog. It's probably pretty good.

As for the 3 ultra rare Current All-Stars, you hit the nail on the head---they were never issued. Problem is, they definitely belong. Be that as it may, you should count your set complete. Acquiring any of the three is just icing on the cake.

I did a check on the three players once, but forget what I came up with. Compare who was in the Bowman set, Al, as well as who was in the Topps Red and Blue backs. I thought I remember a surprise finding. I think Bowman had two pay levels, just as Topps did--exclusive and non-exclusive. Now that all three of those guys are dead, we may never know. I recall thinking about that when Robin Roberts died.

Woody Gelman did send out some of those 3 Current All-Stars to very selected friends or traders. As I recall, some were die-cut, and some did not have the cut. Sounds similar to the variations in the Giant Stand-up. Either one is valuable. I like them without the die-cut; this way, they will not come apart. However, the cut produced what the designer intended for in the first place. We collectors would rather just have the card, period, fully intact.

Thanks for the encouragement. It helps our hobby to share info.

Take care and keep cool down there in San Antone. Respectfully, Brian Powell