Debating Which Mantle to Go For.

[Seven]

I've been slowly piecing together a Mantle run, it's something of a life long collector goal. Unfortunately the 51 Bowman and 52 topps are out of my reach right now, but I know collecting is a marathon, not a sprint.

Grades, mean very little to me, for the earlier Mantles, raw, lower grades or even ones slabbed as Authentic, make things a little more reasonable, especially with the current budget I'm operating on. A part of me doesn't necessarily love the idea of grabbing altered cards, but with my current budget being what it is, and with Mantles at a minimum, maintaining their value it, I have to keep all options open.

Here's where the conundrum comes in. I can't decide between buying the 52 Bowman next, or the 53 topps. Both have similar price points. Both are beautiful cards in my opinion. I have days where I go back and forth between which one I want to purchase. I came close to pulling the trigger on a raw 52 Bowman at the Philly Show, but it had a pinhole and the seller was asking for $1600 which was a little steep for me, especially considering the pinhole.

I have a feeling I should go with the 53 because it's the more popular of the two issues, but at the same time, I'm thinking the 52 bowman might rise because the 52 topps have become so expensive. Would love to hear some more experienced collectors takes on this.

[Gorditadogg]

You're overthinking it. I compared pricing on my Mantles from 2 years ago to now and they all moved about the same. High grades vs low grades, 50s vs 60s, $300 cards vs $3000 cards, none of it made a difference. Every group went up the same percentage.

The 52B and 53T are both nice cards. Get one that appeals to you and enjoy it. You will get the other one soon enough, I bet, so don't worry about it.

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[Casey2296]

53 Topps Mantle is one the top 5 most beautiful baseball cards in my humble opinion. I prefer it over any other Mantle including 52 Topps.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

53 Topps Mantle is one the top 5 most beautiful baseball cards in my humble opinion. I prefer it over any other Mantle including 52 Topps.

53B is my favorite. I agree 53T is a nice looking card but 52B is a great looking Mick too. I never really liked 52T either- borders are too big, the background color is usually muddy and Mickey has his mouth open.

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[rats60]

I think if you are doing a run, you need to leave yourself options. Instead of looking for one particular card, be open to buying either and take the first good deal you find.

[Exhibitman]

I voted 52 Bowman on purely sentimental reasons. I got my first one at an auction at a monthly card show of the West Coast Card Club in 1978. Cost me plenty: $3.25. Forty years later I picked up one in very similar condition:



Cost a bit more

[Seven]

Originally Posted by rats60

I think if you are doing a run, you need to leave yourself options. Instead of looking for one particular card, be open to buying either and take the first good deal you find.

I think this is the most reasonable approach, I do have my eye on a few auctions at the moment. Will monitor the prices,and hopefully hit something!