Would You Rather? 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle vs. 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle Autograph

There is no such thing as a bad Mickey Mantle card. The iconic status of Mantle within the hobby is unmatched, making “poor” Mickey Mantle cards from his playing days more desirable than near-perfect cards of other players.

This makes deciding between two Mickey Mantle cards a very good problem to have. That being said, collectors have to use their hobby dollars wisely to build the best possible personal collection (PC). In this scenario, hobbyists must choose between a mid-grade (PSA 5) copy of a classic 1956 Topps Mantle and a low-grade (BGS Authentic) 1958 Topps Mantle with an on-card autograph. Both cards sell for around $3,000. How would you choose to spend your baseball card hobby money?

The Case for the 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle (Gray Back) PSA 5

56 Mantle — https://app.cardladder.com/dashboard?saleId=ebay-376454843967&index=new_salesarchive

The 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle is one of the most iconic cards of the legendary slugger. It is Mantle’s third card with Topps because he had a contract with Bowman in the years prior. This made it highly anticipated by collectors at the time, and it still highly sought after because 1956 was the year “The Mick” won the Triple Crown (this means Mantle led the league in homeruns, RBI, and batting average). There have been a few other players that have won the Triple Crown, but Mickey Mantle is the last player to lead the American League AND National League in both categories.

The 1956 Topps set is highly regarded and incredibly popular. It is the last Topps set to use artwork for their player cards, moving to color photography in 1957. People just love the look of these cards, and this Mantle is the crown jewel of the entire set. The Mantle card is worth more than the 1956 Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente etc. and it isn’t even close.

A 1956 Mantle in a PSA 5 is a much nicer looking card to put on display than a “poor” conditioned 1958 Topps card. PSA is much more highly regarded than BGS, and people pay a premium for PSA cards. The 1956 Mickey Mantle is many people’s grail card, while the 1958 Mantle is not.

The Case for the 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle Autograph BGS Authentic

58 Mantle Auto — https://www.instagram.com/p/DNbtXPJA3fG/

A vintage on card auto is one of the best investments a collector can make, largely because of scarcity. The 1958 Topps Mantle has been graded by PSA just 58 times. The 1956 Topps Mantle (Gray Back) has been graded 8,497 times by PSA. The population counts are miles apart. The average collector can find a mid-grade 56 Mantle listed on eBay any day of the week, but a 1958 Topps Mantle auto only occasionally gets listed on one of the online marketplaces.

1958 Topps isn’t as well-regarded as the 1956 set, but it is still iconic. The simple, but beautiful color backgrounds make the 1958 set perfect for on-card autographs. The blue ball-point pen auto adds to the aesthetic appeal of the card. Additionally, autographs continue to rise in popularity. Autos are the ultimate chase cards among modern collectors, and the popularity of signed cards will continue to rise.

The Verdict:

The classic 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 5 wins out. I am basing this answer on an informal poll done among baseball card collectors in the Sports Cards Nonsense Facebook group. I was surprised to see that most collectors chose the 1956 Mantle in this exact “would you rather” scenario, especially when you consider the difference in population reports.

Even though the 1956 Mantle isn’t rare, the demand for this classic card is high. The 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan is similar in this sense (it also has a very high population report). Truly iconic cards are “grails” for so many collectors and the demand for these pieces of cardboard will always exceed the supply.

People will always be searching and seeking out the 56 Mantle. Can the same be said for the 1958 Mantle auto? It is hard to say for sure, and this is why the 1956 Mickey Mantle PSA 5 wins by a hair.