Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by CJCollector on July 8, 2018 at 11:19am

John, that is rare and authentic, so it would definitely be worth it to that special collector who could afford it.

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Permalink Reply by John Spillane on July 8, 2018 at 1:32pm

And that's why I was asking Chris! Thank you!!

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Permalink Reply by Steve on July 8, 2018 at 11:41am

Beautiful ball and definitely worth a special premium.  $50,000?  There may be someone willing to pay it.  The couple times I met Mantle at a show, he always added no.7.  I never thought to have him add additional inscriptions, with some many people waiting, I felt bad that I was taking up his time.  He was a very nice guy and probably would have, but I felt it would be inappropriate.  Wish I wouldn't have listened to myself.  I did the same thing with Koufax.

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Permalink Reply by John Spillane on July 8, 2018 at 1:41pm

Wouldn't that be great? Mr. Mantle, I was wondering if I could ask you to write, along with your signature, all of your accomplishments on my ball.That'd be great. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by BG Meadows on July 8, 2018 at 1:36pm

I missed a royal opportunity to get autographs of authors Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, Ernest Gaines, and Walker Percy when they attended the 50th anniversary forum for the LSU Review because I didn't want to bother them. Welty and Warren were very old at the time and I just couldn't bring myself to ask for them to sign a book. I said all that to say I can relate to your sentiment about not wanting to take up Mickey's time.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on July 8, 2018 at 5:39pm

It's tempting to say that $50k is insane, but this could possibly be a one-of-a-kind item. Given people are paying 6 figures for "10" rookie cards of players who have not even proven themselves, $50k doesn't seem so insane.

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Permalink Reply by James on July 8, 2018 at 8:08pm

I share your sentiments.  Personally, I feel like this beautiful ball should carry more value than the $99,100 someone paid for that Gem Mint 10 Jeter rookie.  However, for $70,000 you can get an absolutely stunning single-signed Babe Ruth baseball.  And, please, someone explain to me how that Babe Ruth ball can be had for “only” $70k, yet someone pays $312,000 for a Lebron James rookie.  SAY WHAT?!

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Permalink Reply by James on July 8, 2018 at 8:15pm

Here’s a pic of the Babe Ruth ball.

Attachments: No photo uploads here

• BD418A8F-BD28-4B1A-A706-5B8CD34BD025.png, 1.5 MB

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on July 8, 2018 at 8:54pm

It's all supply/demand. The card collectors compete for the finest known sets. And think of how many more people collect sportscards than autographs.

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Permalink Reply by James on July 8, 2018 at 8:58pm

That’s true.  It’s funny, but when you’re into one thing, it’s sometimes harder to understand the other guy’s perspective who’s into collecting something else.

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Permalink Reply by TradeGeek on July 10, 2018 at 2:11pm

Supply and demand isn't always logical. You can pick up a Frank Thomas game used bat with solid provenance for less than $1,000.  

Or you can pay $2,000 for a card where Topps chopped off the knob. 

I'd rather have the bat. 

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• Thomas Knob.JPG, 28 KB

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Permalink Reply by John Spillane on July 9, 2018 at 4:49am

I think it's a mindset. For one, a love of Mantle. A love of the hobby. The inscriptions that you never see on a ball. The rarity that comes with it. Like Steve said, one-of-a-kind item. It's just like collecting art or stamps. Having $50,000 just lying around to drop down on a ball. Fascinating, really. It's funny. I have (my opinion) 3 of the most beautiful Mantle autos out there and they didn't cost me more than a thousand dollars. Two in person and I bought the other one. So, in closing, you buy a nice Mantle signed ball for $500- $1000 on the high end and with every inscription it cost about $5,000 more. Wow!!

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