Mantle, Mays or Aaron?

[devo]

First of all, I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to vintage baseball. One thing that I have not quite been able to understand is the difference in value between the 52 Topps Mantle and 52 Topps Mays cards. What am I missing here? I can understand that Mantle is worth more because of the rings and Yankee connection, but how is his 52 Topps worth dramatically more than Mays? I would have thought they'd at least be somewhat close.

Back to the poll question, which card do you guys think represents the best value for the future? The 1951 Bowman Mantle, 1952 Topps Mays, or 1954 Topps Aaron?

Also, typo in the poll. I meant "which card will be the highest VALUED in the future"

[Bretsky]

Pretty sure the 52 Mantle is short printed and Mays I think is not. I voted for the 51 Bowman as this card seems to rise higher than the Mays.

[Firerunner4]

Production numbers of Series 6 of Topps' inaugural release are believed to have been short-printed and minimally distributed, as retailers anticipated a seasonal falling-off in card sales and reduced or cancelled orders

The sixth sheet included cards numbered 311-407, the famous "high--number" series. It contained 94 single-printed cards and 3 double-printed cards. These cards were produced in extremely small quantities and are generally regarded as the rarest regular-issue Topps cards of all time

Mickey's card was a 6th series card and extremely short printed, compared to Willie's card being a 5th series.

As for your poll, that's a tough question but I personally feel the '54 Aaron will be the best value going forward but there's certainly not a bad option listed. The value of Aarons rooking has been climbing at a very good clip lately

[devo]

Originally Posted by Firerunner4

Production numbers of Series 6 of Topps' inaugural release are believed to have been short-printed and minimally distributed, as retailers anticipated a seasonal falling-off in card sales and reduced or cancelled orders

The sixth sheet included cards numbered 311-407, the famous "high--number" series. It contained 94 single-printed cards and 3 double-printed cards. These cards were produced in extremely small quantities and are generally regarded as the rarest regular-issue Topps cards of all time

Mickey's card was a 6th series card and extremely short printed, compared to Willie's card being a 5th series.

As for your poll, that's a tough question but I personally feel the '54 Aaron will be the best value going forward but there's certainly not a bad option listed. The value of Aarons rooking has been climbing at a very good clip lately

Fantastic post. More info than I could have asked for. Thank you for that.

[devo]

Does anyone know what the production numbers for 51 Bowman look like? Were they overproduced at all?

[GC1980]

Originally Posted by devo

Does anyone know what the production numbers for 51 Bowman look like? Were they overproduced at all?

With the 51 Mantle production numbers are irrelevant. First off, the card is over 65 years old so whatever was produced, many are long gone. Pop numbers are more telling (and even these are bloated from crossovers and crack outs).

What is important in the 51 Bowman Mantle is condition. There are a number of specific condition issues that plague the Mick's RC. Centering on this card is a nightmare. it may be one of his toughest cards to find well centered.

If you are lucky enough to find a well centered copy, many suffer from 2 black roller marks that mar his image. Speaking of image, focus of the Mick on this one is another problem. Very often, the central image of this card is out of focus or blurry.

The last issue specific to this card is white marking on the black name box.

Finding one in any grade that is free of all of these issues is VERY tough.

As to what will be worth the most in the future? The Mantle has a huge head start and is just starting to see big spikes. It's his true rookie and is one of the most condition sensitive post war cards around. Is it the best value buy? Who knows. It is and will continue to be the most expensive and sought after of this group of elite cards.

[devo]

Originally Posted by GC1980

With the 51 Mantle production numbers are irrelevant. First off, the card is over 65 years old so whatever was produced, many are long gone. Pop numbers are more telling (and even these are bloated from crossovers and crack outs).

What is important in the 51 Bowman Mantle is condition. There are a number of specific condition issues that plague the Mick's RC. Centering on this card is a nightmare. it may be one of his toughest cards to find well centered.

If you are lucky enough to find a well centered copy, many suffer from 2 black roller marks that mar his image. Speaking of image, focus of the Mick on this one is another problem. Very often, the central image of this card is out of focus or blurry.

The last issue specific to this card is white marking on the black name box.

Finding one in any grade that is free of all of these issues is VERY tough.

As to what will be worth the most in the future? The Mantle has a huge head start and is just starting to see big spikes. It's his true rookie and is one of the most condition sensitive post war cards around. Is it the best value buy? Who knows. It is and will continue to be the most expensive and sought after of this group of elite cards.

Great info, thank you. I believe I've seen all of those issues you mentioned except for the black roller marks. What exactly do those look like?

[Doctor Claw]

GC1980 has it all correct.

The 1951 Mantle has already begun to make major moves in terms of price.

+ It's The Mick's true rookie.
+ It's an aesthetically pleasing card.
+ It has three major condition sensitivity issues (namely the aforementioned centering, focus, and vertical roller mark problems).

Finding a specimen that is just centered and focused is a major miracle. And when talking about the 51 Mantle, it's worth noting that dream centering is 55-45. Perfect centering basically doesn't even exist on this card.

Once one starts shopping for one, they see just what a beast it is. Heck, I bought mine in 2013 and have been seeking an upgrade in grades 6 and 7 every day ever since-- and not a single upgrade has popped up on the market, and I mean anywhere.

As a collector, I love it. In terms of sheer price/value, I believe it will continue to grow. That said, in terms of appreciation from current value, my top pick is the 1952 Bowman Mantle, for many reasons.

[devo]

Originally Posted by Doctor Claw

GC1980 has it all correct.

The 1951 Mantle has already begun to make major moves in terms of price.

+ It's The Mick's true rookie.
+ It's an aesthetically pleasing card.
+ It has three major condition sensitivity issues (namely the aforementioned centering, focus, and vertical roller mark problems).

Finding a specimen that is just centered and focused is a major miracle. And when talking about the 51 Mantle, it's worth noting that dream centering is 55-45. Perfect centering basically doesn't even exist on this card.

Once one starts shopping for one, they see just what a beast it is. Heck, I bought mine in 2013 and have been seeking an upgrade in grades 6 and 7 every day ever since-- and not a single upgrade has popped up on the market, and I mean anywhere.

As a collector, I love it. In terms of sheer price/value, I believe it will continue to grow. That said, in terms of appreciation from current value, my top pick is the 1952 Bowman Mantle, for many reasons.

Interesting. Why do you think the 52 Bowman Mantle stands above the rest as far as potential growth?

[CxG Voodoo Doll]

A lot of the high numbers (52 Topps) were dumped into the ocean if I'm not mistaken. Can pretty much Google about it. Good story/history behind it.

[devo]

Was just looking at the crazy high 52 Topps Mantle prices on Ebay. How much room do you guys think those still have to grow?

[broadway6]

i have been thinking about getting into vintage to buy awesome cards for my little boys. i' have learned more in the few posts above than i have anywhere else. thanks

[rats60]

I don't know why anyone would buy Aaron or Mays. They are two of the most unfriendly bitter old ex-players. As long as they are still alive and being nasty to collectors, their poor attitudes are going to hold their card values down.

Mays and Mantle prices used to be equal. It wasn't until after Mantle became more pleasant, that his card prices took off. Now compare the price of 51 Bowman Mantle to Mays.

Collectors and fans have made Mays and Aaron rich. Yet, they still treat us like garbage, bitter about how now dead people treated them when they were younger.

[Leon]

The 1951 Mantle is the Micks true rookie. A better comparison might have been with the 1951 Mays. Mantle is always a bigger draw than Mays.

[boadster]

Originally Posted by rats60

I don't know why anyone would buy Aaron or Mays. They are two of the most unfriendly bitter old ex-players. As long as they are still alive and being nasty to collectors, their poor attitudes are going to hold their card values down.

Mays and Mantle prices used to be equal. It wasn't until after Mantle became more pleasant, that his card prices took off. Now compare the price of 51 Bowman Mantle to Mays.

Collectors and fans have made Mays and Aaron rich. Yet, they still treat us like garbage, bitter about how now dead people treated them when they were younger.

In my thread comparing Jackie Robinson and Mantle, there were posters who said that Jackie didn't put up the numbers that Mantle did, and that explained why Mantle was a better investment than Jackie. In this case, both Mays and Aaron have comparable, and in some cases, better numbers than Mantle- except in the rings dept, and now personality is cited. It seems Mantle fans will cite whatever they can to keep their boy up.

[seabass97166]

1951 Mantle, no contest.

Originally Posted by devo

Was just looking at the crazy high 52 Topps Mantle prices on Ebay. How much room do you guys think those still have to grow?

A ton. It goes up with every single PSA price update. Will double in 2 years

[Leon]

Originally Posted by boadster

In my thread comparing Jackie Robinson and Mantle, there were posters who said that Jackie didn't put up the numbers that Mantle did, and that explained why Mantle was a better investment than Jackie. In this case, both Mays and Aaron have comparable, and in some cases, better numbers than Mantle- except in the rings dept, and now personality is cited. It seems Mantle fans will cite whatever they can to keep their boy up.

Nothing needs to be cited whatsoever. If this board didn't exist the Mantle pricing would be the same. It's called demand and "reality".

.

[GC1980]

Originally Posted by boadster

It seems Mantle fans will cite whatever they can to keep their boy up.

Baseball Card Value Price Guide, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Boxing, Non-Sports, Sales History

There is something you can cite for Mantle prices. Numbers don't lie or have any emotional connections. They are simple facts.

OP, if growth is a major concern, the 51B, 52B and 53T are all fantastic choices.

[RandyB]

This is by far the most informative thread I've seen on BO!!! A lot of questions I've had were answered eloquently here! Really nice to see a good question asked by the OP be answered without an abundance of sarcasm!