Mickey Mantle Baseball Card

May 13, 2008 8:49 PM

I'd like to purchase an authentic Mickey Mantle baseball card from the 50s...long story which i won't go into, but know nothing about them, just want one. Reputable sources? Should I be looking for something particular...???? Price range to be expected?
posted by america4 to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 comments total)

Funny, I made an ask mefi thread a while back asking the reverse of this. The price can end up a lot different depending on the grade and certification (getting cards appraised officially is expensive, as I found, but makes them much easier to sell for higher amounts). E-bay is probably your best bet.

Or, I still have mine! I could check and see which Mantles I have and we could work out a price fair for us both... I still haven't sold mine because of the prohibitively high appraisal fees. If you're interested, PM me and I can check out what all I have tomorrow.
posted by white light at 9:04 PM on May 13, 2008

Here's that thread, by the way, interesting price/grading details inside.
posted by white light at 9:09 PM on May 13, 2008

although i use ebay a lot, for a baseball card, it's the last place i'd use. credibility = 0 in my book, regardless of the ratings. not what i'm looking for, looking for feedback on a reputable source.
posted by america4 at 9:10 PM on May 13, 2008

Expect to pay a heck of a lot for one.

Cards are graded on a scale with Mint at the top, then Excellent, Very Good, Good, and on. Anything below good is virtually unsaleable, save really old cards.

The 1952 Topps Mantle card is one of those Holy Grail collectibles; even good condition cards go for thousands. Prices go down from there as the years progress. You can get a 1959 Topps Mantle for a few hundred bucks.
posted by dw at 9:18 PM on May 13, 2008

Do yourself a favor and buy a card that's been graded and encapsulated by PSA or SGC. There's absolutely nothing wrong with going to eBay for cards; in fact, it's where the bulk of sportscards transactions are made, although it's definitely all about seller reputations. You could also try Naxcom (which has a guarantee) although you might wind up paying more than on eBay. Prices for a 50s Mantle vary from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the issue (the 1952 Topps card, in particular, carries a special premium). My personal favorite is the 1953 Bowman Color.
posted by symbebekos at 9:32 PM on May 13, 2008

Condition is everything
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 10:25 PM on May 13, 2008

S&P Auctions does the sales of sports collections for Sothebys. I used S&P when I sold off a great deal of my cards.
posted by terrapin at 4:45 AM on May 14, 2008