A few years ago when I was putting together my '58 Topps set I had to hunt around for a Mantle card that was in decent shape yet still affordable.Atone of the TriStar shows here in Houston I found the card above in a dealer's case and asked about it. The price he quoted seemed too good to be true but he proceeded to mention that he had submitted it to PSA and had it sent back ungraded. He suspected it was trimmed. After showing it to a couple of people at the show that I've dealt with and trust I ened up buying it.
As you can see it's really a beauty. I stuck it in the slot in my '58 binder, knocked off the last few cards I needed for the set, and figured I was done. But something nagged at me. What if PSA had rejected the card because it was a reprint/counterfeit? Trimmed I could live with. Heck, I have cards with writing on them and it doesn't bother me. But the thought that it might not be real bugged me.
Flash forward to this spring and during one of eBay's 20% off days I happen upon a cheap graded Mantle for a good price. With that discount and beaucoups of eBay Bucks I nabbed it for less than $70.
Meanwhile, with a verified Mantle in hand I did what I'd wanted to do for a long time. I sent my trimmed(?) Mickey to SGC for authenticating. It was my first venture into the world of paying to have cards graded and slabbed. SGC has a box on their submission form which allows you to request them to slab a card even if it is altered as long as it's deemed to be real. It took a couple of weeks and about $30 but back it came, looking good in a slab:
It was a relief to know it was a real 1958 Topps mantle even though by now I had another one. And it didn't stay cooped up in plastic long. Once I' scanned it I broke it free and Mickey returned to his rightful spot in my '58 Topps binder. Right there in the sheet with, among others, Don McHahon, Les Moss and my slot-filling Bob Lemke-made #145 Ed Bouchee card.
It's a beautiful thing.
That newer Mantle will stay in it's slab until I decide what to do with it.
It's a strange world when you have to pay to have something authenticated and slabbed, only to then free it once it's deemed real. If the card was trimmed, can't you just measure it to find out?
ReplyDeleteI measured it when I first got it and it's just a 'tick' smaller than some of the other '58s. With Topps using some outside printers ('62 green tints for example) lots of cards from sets back then were 'off' by a bit.
DeleteBut my concern was whether or not it was a reprint. I came across a few '58s that were not real when I was chasing the set (a Maris rookie for one). Some folks recommended using a black light but I wasn't sure it would help my untrained eye.
But you're right, it's a strange world when you're dealing with the grading companies.
I could totally see my own OCD driving me to do something similar to this haha! I'm still plugging away slowly at my '59 set and have yet to find a Mantle just yet. Will probably do something similar to what you did here and find a low grade PSA copy...
ReplyDeleteThe stuff dreams are made of. I still get a little down when I think about me used to owning all but 1 Mantle. (no guessing which one I didn't have).
ReplyDeleteI wish you could get things just slabbed as "authentic" even if they weren't altered.
ReplyDeleteThat SGC authenticated Mantle is a beauty! I would have done the same thing-though I don't think I could bring myself to break it free. One, because I like slabbed cards (especially high-value cards like that) and two, I'd be too afraid that my case-cracking would damage the card. But I gotta admit it looks great in the binder page with the other '58s.
ReplyDeleteSGC cases are easy. Small screwdriver snaps it open in seconds. PSA cases are the ones that require a jackhammer and dynamite. I've dinged a few cards getting them out. Most notably my Killebrew rookie for my '59 set binder. :-(
Deletetwo gorgeous Mantles creating a little collector envy! my oldest Mantle is a 69. I have a few cards I'd like graded but don't care for slabs. The thought of breaking a slab up to free the card within is too nerve-wracking for me.
ReplyDelete