Mantle Gamer on Ebay for $50K

[cjw]

http://cgi.ebay.com/1954-56-MICKEY-MANT ... dZViewItem

[czog32]

It has been listed for quite some time. I believe it is through MEARS.

[softball66]

If this is the same glove it was run by me and it really doesn't hold much credibility as a Mantle game-used glove, despite the letter, despite the uncle in the service, despite Eddie Joost taking the guy to Mantle's locker etc. Joost and Mantle didn't even play on the same team.
There's NO EVIDENCE that Mantle ever played with an MM model. Why should he when we have proof that he used HH models and those modified in this same time period?
I suggested to MEARS that they write an opinion as "not authenticated." Instead they went ahead and say what they said in their letter which is
factual to a point but misleading.
So now it's back up on eBay as the seller won't give up on it. Caveat emptor.

[Number9]

While I certainly respect the knowledge of Dave Bushing and the guys at Mears, 50 Gs is a hell of a lot of money to put on the line for someone's opinion. That said, I really can't see anyone pulling the trigger on an item like that without doing a lot of research on their own. Hopefully, any prospective buyers will find Joe or this forum before they mail the certified check.

[vintagebrett]

We did discuss this glove when it was up for 100 G's:

http://www.vintagebaseballgloveforum.co ... php?t=1314

Guess the guy had to drop his price in these economic times.

[softball66]

The seller makes it sound like Bushing declared it a Mantle gamer which is not what the opinion letter expressed, I believe. There's no proof in the glove itself that Mantle ever used it or even owned it, except for the letter if one accepts that. No photo matches, comparisons. Just, as I feel, an unfortunate letter from MEARS.
JMO

[Number9]

In the Bushing letter it states that the strength of the "game use" declaration is as strong as the letter of provenance. For me, I read that to mean that Dave had no belief in the game used statement, but accepted it as a part of the glove story and the family history. I felt that that statement was put in the description to appease the person for which he was writing the assessment. A misleading and unfortunate mistake. Those words can be taken in completely different directions, as evidenced by the ridiculous BIN price, which is around $49,500 higher than it should be on even a good day.