WHOA NELLIE!

[softball66]

TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE PARTY'S OVER! Congratulations
Fuzzy!
Sorry, Dave Bushing.
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAG-N-BOX-RAWLIN ... dZViewItem

[Centerfield]

Just takes two who want it bad enough! Scott wrote me this afternoon about pics for the book, Joe. Have nine Mantle boxes, four of which are picture boxes. Let me know if you need them.

[vintagebrett]

Hunts has two later models up for auction on Tuesday. They aren't picture boxes but I'm sure the price will be pretty high. It was fun watching the auction items for a while today. I was shocked to see the junky Ruth glove go for $1700 without the buyers premium.

[softball66]

Thanks Jerry. Yes, when you can get around to it, would love to have the Mantle pic boxes pictures for the book.
Thank You!

[softball66]

Brett, do you have a link to the page with the Ruth glove in Hunts?thanks!

[Centerfield]

Here's the link to the Ruth glove...

http://www.huntauctions.com/online/imag ... search.cfm


I'm in the process of moving, almost complete, so can you give me some time on the Mantle photos, please. When is your deadline for them?

[softball66]

No deadline, just whenever you get time on the pictures, thanks.

Hard to figure that $1700 sale on an estimated $300 to $400 glove. Glove was just passable. Maybe the buyer liked the framed ad for the glove.

[vintagebrett]

The two mantle's did well in the Hunts auction on the 2nd day. The one with the box went for $2500 (plus the 15% juice).
http://www.huntauctions.com/online/imag ... search.cfm

Glove with original die and hang tag went a bit cheaper at $800
http://www.huntauctions.com/online/imag ... search.cfm

[spedrunr]

ok, as many of you probably know, i am what is affectionately known as a "modern" glove collector (1970's and up as defined by the CEO of this forum:)

i'm still trying to make sense of the vintage glove collecting community here so humor me.

in 1960:

1)MMP=$34.95
2)MM3=$21
3)MM6=$12.95
4)MM9=$7.95
5)TG12/15, XPG3=$39.95

can anyone explain with any sense of logic why a 2nd from the bottom kids model would go for 10x's that of the current market value of the top-o-the-line models?

here are my top 5 reasons why a glove would go for the price of a decent honda accord:

5)the box (which, i suppose you could use it to play catch with in a 3rd world country)
4)the glove was only made for 2 years?
3)it's fun to play catch with a glove that creates a huge disadvantage in the field compared to the "modern" (i know, my definition is based on design not year of manufacture) TG12/15 XPG3
2)the winner really meant to press $32.27
1)we're americans and we can....

i wonder if the seller was expecting it to end that high

if anyone from the VG community is offended by my comments and sarcasm, feel free to use this thread to debate and/or bash me

[vintagebrett]

I think it's simply because it's a Mantle glove, Mantle played for the N.Y. Yankees and there are lots of people who are fans. Mantle gloves have always done well, especially gloves with boxes, regardless of the quality of the mitt. I would guess that if a MM or MMP with picture box came up for auction it would go well over 5 grand.

[wjr953]

I have to agree with Brett on this one. Mickey Mantle is a mythical figure for people like me that love the history of the game of baseball. He was revered by many, many, many fans, and that was not limited to just Yankee fans. I got a chance to watch the special on HBO last night about number 7, and I have to tell you that even I had tears in my eyes. I'm most definitely NOT a NYY fan, but I was very moved by the whole story of his sad and tormented life. Mickey Mantle was a hero for so many of us growing up, to the point that even he couldn't begin to comprehend why. Grown men would meet him in his later years at different public appearances, and they would be choked up with tears, not knowing what to say to him. I don't think that there are many athletes in any sport that command that kind of respect and admiration. Ted Williams? Michael Jordan? Babe Ruth? In the end, the life of Mickey Mantle was a tragedy, but I for one will always, always, always consider myself to be a fan of the great Mickey Mantle.

br

[vintagebrett]

I also think the box has more appeal to vintage collectors rather than modern glove collectors. During the 60's it seems that companies started making more generic boxes to place their gloves in and then did away with them completely as they moved through the 1970's. Obviously, the boxes are going to be a lot rarer than the gloves because most kids would have just tossed them aside after opening it. A lot of the older boxes, especially the picture ones, hold a certain appeal for vintage collectors. A lot of them are very ornate and make great displays. The box most certainly contributed more to the price that was realized rather than the glove. You don't see too many of them (and this one looked like it was in excellent shape) and because of the rarity, the price is going to be high.

Another thing, with Mantle stuff (and high profile Yankees in general), you are not competing with glove collectors solely. You are competing against other collectors as well. This is going to cause a spike in the price.

I agree with wjr953 about Mantle having a myth to his legend. Ruth items also have that mythological trait associated with them. I wouldn't put Williams on the same level as these two - I would actually put DiMaggio ahead of Williams in this aspect. Jordan, time will tell, but there is obviously a lot more of his items to be had. It's hard to put modern athletes that are still alive into this discussion.

[Centerfield]

spedrunr... the glove is worth a couple hundred dollars, that's what I'm expecting to get when list it on eBay down the line. The box, on the other hand, holds the value. I have two mint, unused MM6 gloves, one in a box (non-picture). Now the second has a picture box!

As for my theory for the high price of boxes... items that were initially intended to be thrown away turn into the the most desired/valuable collectibles when discovered. Granted, boxes (especially ornate picture boxes) make fantastic display pieces. But more importantly, there are far fewer boxes remaining than their accompanying gloves. If a kid in 1960 opened up a boxed Mantle glove on Christmas morning, he cherished the glove but discarded the box along with the wrapping paper. It's because of this small supply (in addition to the inherent demand by baseball fans, Yankee fans, Mantle fans, glove collectors, advertising collectors, etc.) that it skyrocketed despite being a lesser quality glove.

I am a glove collector... but given the opportunity to add a matching box to a glove, especially a picture box, makes it all the more special.

[spedrunr]

oh that makes more sense how a piece of cardboard can be worth more than a labor intensive piece of leather.

hundreds of years from now societies will read about this in their history books

little johnny to mom at the museum:

".....you mean they thought the box was worth more than the glove?...."

[spedrunr]

since we're talking about sports idols and favorite players, it's a given that performance on the field is a must.

how much does a sports figure's character or off field "performance" affect your opinion of him or her?

is it something that adds or subtracts from his popularity?