'65 Mantle

[txbevo]

I picked up the following '65 Mantle with the idea of submitting it for grading. I have never submitted anything to be graded yet. To my untrained eye it looks to be in extremely good gradable condition. First, I would like experienced opinions as to whether this would be a good card to submit. If so, should I shell out the money to join PSA to get it graded or submit it to SGC? Right now I don't have enough vintage cards that I would want to submit to PSA to justify the initial costs. Not sure if I will over the course of the next 12 months. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[nsucolonel]

With vintage I only go with SGC and BVG.

jason

 

[jrchoholic83]

PSA is just as good as BVG, and SGC for vintage. I would go BVG if your only submitting one card. I paid around $50 for the grading of my Ruth.

 

[Beatles Guy]

I'm an SGC man though if you plan to resell then PSA would be your best bet. I just don't like their holders. That would really look great in an SGC holder and their customer service is top notch.

 

[37Jetson]

PSA is your best bet for Vintage Cards. It is the industry standard for graded Mantle vintage.

Before sending in this card I would suggest a quick size comparision of the card. On a different forum I recently saw a shaved 1966T Mantle.

The two corners that I can see on the card look nice. I do have a question if that is a scratch to the right of the Mick's head. Is the discoloration on the back of the card from light or something else?

Good luck on the card!

 

[txbevo]

Thanks for mentioning that I measure it. I had never thought to do that or even considered that it might have been trimmed. It measured right at 2 1/2 x 3 1/2. The discoloration on the back is from the light reflection of the penny sleeve. It does not appear when you look at the card raw. Yes, there does appear to be a small scratch. I had never noticed that before either. It shows up on the scan, but is hard to pick out when looking at the card with the naked eye.

This has been an education already. I don't have a trained eye yet to look that closely at all aspects. I have pretty much focused on centering and corners.

 

[baseball jack]

I agree with 37 Jetson. PSA is the primary choice for vintage graded. The least expensive membership is like $110, but you get 6 free submissions. Your card does look nice (7.5, maybe an 8), but do the Shaving comparison Jetson suggests, as the card looks a slightly small, side to side.

If you get serious about grading, I'd suggest an illuminated magnifyer. I bought one 10 years ago for like $30, and it has saved me hundreds and hundreds over the years, by being able to better spot flaws on cards that are possible submissions. The 10X magnification is exactly what PSA uses for grading, and if you have never seen a card under 10X mag, it is a huge "game-changer", you simply can't believe what you can see in terms of flaws, stuff the naked eye can not see. In addition to being lighted, the magnifyer also has grid marks for precise measuring of centering. I would never submit a card for grading without a magnifyer, and an exact centering measurement.

Good luck

Jack

 

[don money]

Baseball Jack,

Thanks for the info! Where did you buy the illuminated magnifier?

Chris

 

[baseball jack]

Baseball Jack,

Thanks for the info! Where did you buy the illuminated magnifier?

Chris

Chris, I wish I remember where it came from, I think it came from a card show I attended about a dozen years ago.

It is called the FLASH MAGNIFIER, MADE BY A COMPANY CALLED I.L.K., MADE IN JAPAN.

It is black in color, hand held, about 7 inches long, and the base part where you hold it is circular, and about as thick as a sausage. On the box it shows a model number
"V-980-10", and on the side of the magnifier it says "M-100 10X".

I found I.L.K. flash magnifiers on line, but not the particular model I have, which my well be discontinued after all this time.
The maker and model are probably not that important, you just have to find a model that is 10X magnification, is illuminated, and mentions the grid marks for measuring. The lighted part and 10X mag seems easy to find in a lot of models, a mention of the grid marks seems harder to find.

Hope this helps.

Jack

 

[CARDMAN2011]

Nice card .

 

[mort]

I'm interested to learn if you did end up submitting the card, to which grading authority, and the grade they assign it.

(I'm a SGC customer. I like the PSA slabs on how they look but I don't like how PSA requires you to become a member. So, they don't get my business. )

 

[Ianril]

I'm interested to learn if you did end up submitting the card, to which grading authority, and the grade they assign it.

(I'm a SGC customer. I like the PSA slabs on how they look but I don't like how PSA requires you to become a member. So, they don't get my business. )

You don't have to be a member to grade cards with PSA.

http://www.psacard.com/services/cards_packs_tickets.chtml#cards

Notice the "non-member" form option.

I figure it would cost him about $50 to have this card graded with a 5 day turnaround. Beautiful card. 7 or possibly an 8? Probably a 7.

 

[basebal1fan]

That "member" thing is so confusing to me. On some areas, it says that you have to be a member, but yet they have the non-member grading forms. I'm still not clear whether "member" means simply having an account or paying that $100 initiation fee. Anyways, I sent in some regular vintage to be graded (first time) and on the site it says that there's no problems with my order. So, if you print out the non-member submission form you shouldn't have any problems. But, if you're doing it in bulk, the paid member services are cheaper.

 

[Ianril]

That "member" thing is so confusing to me. On some areas, it says that you have to be a member, but yet they have the non-member grading forms. I'm still not clear whether "member" means simply having an account or paying that $100 initiation fee. Anyways, I sent in some regular vintage to be graded (first time) and on the site it says that there's no problems with my order. So, if you print out the non-member submission form you shouldn't have any problems. But, if you're doing it in bulk, the paid member services are cheaper.

You have to be a member to take advantage of the monthly specials. If you don't have a membership, you have to submit everything at full, regular price.

 

[txbevo]

I'm interested to learn if you did end up submitting the card, to which grading authority, and the grade they assign it.

(I'm a SGC customer. I like the PSA slabs on how they look but I don't like how PSA requires you to become a member. So, they don't get my business. )

I submitted this card to SGC and they determined it had been trimmed. I measured it prior to submission and it measured out fine. I didn't have another '65 Topps to compare it to though. Have thought about resubmitting or sending to Beckett or PSA and see if I get the same results.

Needless to say I was extremely disappointed. It is in a one touch and sitting on a book shelf. It looks beautiful and is nice for display, but it is now diminished in my eyes knowing that it has been trimmed.