Help with Mantle photo pack

[Brian]

I've recently taken an interest in some of the more arcane Mantle cards/postcards/photo premiums. Some of them are pretty cool, IMO.

I picked up this photo. It's not in the best shape, but I like it. I've seen it variously described as a 1956 or 1960 NYY Action Pictures photo. I believe this is probably the 1956 Action Pictures photo.

Any thoughts or opinions?
Does anyone else collect some of the less popular Mantle photos and premiums that are more like photos than cards? If you care to share, that would be great!

Thanks, Brian

[Bestdj777]

I am not opposed to them but there are a couple of drawbacks—there isn’t a lot of information out there about them, there are seemingly an infinite number of different oversized items making it difficult to ever complete anything, and the size makes it harder to collect/store them in any quantity. I’ve still got a few though. (I’ll defer to some of the other Mantle collectors on the specifics of yours as he has meticulously catalogued them).

[Brian]

Holy cow--very impressive!
Brian

[AustinMike]

Originally Posted by Brian

I've recently taken an interest in some of the more arcane Mantle cards/postcards/photo premiums. Some of them are pretty cool, IMO.

I picked up this photo. It's not in the best shape, but I like it. I've seen it variously described as a 1956 or 1960 NYY Action Pictures photo. I believe this is probably the 1956 Action Pictures photo.

Any thoughts or opinions?
Does anyone else collect some of the less popular Mantle photos and premiums that are more like photos than cards? If you care to share, that would be great!

Thanks, Brian

Hey Brian,

I love to collect the less popular Mantle photos and premiums. Unfortunately, they are becoming a little more popular driving up the prices.

In regards to your photo, it's hard to tell what year it is from. If the picture comes from a set, the best way to tell is by getting the whole set and determining the year of the set based on the players in the set. But, even this method is not foolproof. I have Yankee "Action Photos" sets, that I believe, are from 1956 and 1960 that include that general photo of Mantle. If you notice, the cropping of the photos is different. Look at the shadow of Mick's hands on his left shoulder. In the first photo, which I think is from 1956, the shadow does not touch the edge. In the second photo, which I think is from 1960, the shadow does touch the edge. I also have another similar photo that I do not believe comes from one of the sets. It has a glossy type surface and I think is an actual photograph. It is the third photo (sorry for the bad photo, it is framed). Notice the shadow of the hands is even farther from the edge than the first photo. I have no idea what year this is from. (PS - all of the photos are 8"-by-10")

Your photo has the shadow touching the edge even more than my "1960" photo. So it obviously is from a different printing than any of my three photos.

[AustinMike]

Here are some premiums that I have.

[Brian]

Thanks a lot for the info, Mike. You have some great photos! I really love the premiums you posted. If you have any duplicates, you know where to find me....

One question: I assume from what you said that your "action photos" from 1956 and 1960 are matte, not glossy? My photo is definitely on the glossy side. I believe it is a photo from 1951--how can you not like a rookie-era photo? I got an itch for these Mantle photos/postcards/premiums a bit late, because you are right, they have really started to take off. I also picked up a couple of Dormand postcards--I especially like the bat on shoulder variation.

Thanks again, Brian

[AustinMike]

Originally Posted by Brian

Thanks a lot for the info, Mike. You have some great photos! I really love the premiums you posted. If you have any duplicates, you know where to find me....

One question: I assume from what you said that your "action photos" from 1956 and 1960 are matte, not glossy? My photo is definitely on the glossy side. I believe it is a photo from 1951--how can you not like a rookie-era photo? I got an itch for these Mantle photos/postcards/premiums a bit late, because you are right, they have really started to take off. I also picked up a couple of Dormand postcards--I especially like the bat on shoulder variation.

Thanks again, Brian

Hey Brian, no problem.

I wish I had a lot of duplicates, but I don't. I don't think I have any duplicates of premiums, but I know I have a few of some other items. The problem is it would take me a while to find any of them. The organization of my collection leaves an awful lot to be desired.

It sounds like yours is an actual photo and not from an "Action Photos" set. The Yankees issued PR photos and I think this may be one. Later in the 50s they started stamping the back with the player's name, position, and "New York Yankees." They were most likely sent to news agencies. They might have also been sent to people who wrote in requesting photos. I'm just guessing on the last part. I do have one interesting photo (8"-by-10") that was sent as a PR photo probably to news organizations and also used as the basis of a photo (5"-by-7") sent in response to requests for photos. I wish the envelope had a date, but unfortunately it doesn't. I think 1957 (according to one website) or 1958 (according to another website) was the last year of 3 cent first class postage. So we know it was sent by then.

Yes, the Dormand postcards are probably my favorite postcards, especially the bat on shoulder version. As you may know, there are three different of the bat on shoulder version. A jumbo size (9"-by-12"), a large (6"-by-9"), and the normal size. There are also three versions of the normal sized bat on shoulder postcard. One with green print on the back with a "K" in the lower left, one with green print on the back without the "K", and one with blue print on the back (thanks to Ben for noticing this version). Happy Hunting!!

[Brian]

Thanks, Michael--you are indeed a fount of knowledge!

I think you are right about my photo. No idea when it was printed/distributed, but fun to speculate.

I knew about the different sizes of Dormand but did not notice the 'K' versus non-K variation. I have the non-K variation. The large/oversized ones are really scarce and in demand, but for the normal-sized ones, is one variation more scarce than the others?

There seems to be a near-endless variety of Mantle photos and premiums, and ones that I have never seen before pop up nearly every day. Very interesting......

Brian

[AustinMike]

Originally Posted by Brian

Thanks, Michael--you are indeed a fount of knowledge!

I think you are right about my photo. No idea when it was printed/distributed, but fun to speculate.

I knew about the different sizes of Dormand but did not notice the 'K' versus non-K variation. I have the non-K variation. The large/oversized ones are really scarce and in demand, but for the normal-sized ones, is one variation more scarce than the others?

There seems to be a near-endless variety of Mantle photos and premiums, and ones that I have never seen before pop up nearly every day. Very interesting......

Brian

Thanks Brian. Although I think I'm more of a puddle of knowledge. A small puddle at that.

I doubt if anyone knows if one version of the normal-sized postcards is more scarcer than the others. I certainly haven't been tracking them to see. Maybe someone else here can chime in on that. I suppose the good news is that means there isn't a variation in the value of the different backs. I don't think one has a premium over the others.

If you haven't checked out the dedicated Mantle thread, you should. A vast variety of Mantle items are posted there. A lot of knowledge also.