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Friday, September 29, 2017

The joys of Ebay : a Mantle (very) vintage card

Last July, I was really psyched because I'd won a 1960 Topps Mantle on Ebay at a reasonable price (around $35 shipped). I really do not care about condition, as long as it wasn't doctored or it isn't ripped. From the scan the seller provided, I could tell it was in very poor condition, with parts of the bottom of the card missing, maybe because some tape had been teared off. I could live with that and was surprised to end up with the winning bid (it usually sells for around $60 in poor condition, and they don't pop up that often). So yay, a Topps Mantle base card for me ! And one with one of my favorite designs at that.

First bad surprise, the seller sent it in a PWE to COMC. A PWE for a $35 card. A Mantle card. This doesn't make sense. Second surprise, for the first time, I received an email from COMC asking me if the condition was normal. And I've had some cards in very bad shape shipped over to COMC...I answered that indeed it was the condition as advertised.

And I received the card today.
I expected to be a little disappointed (I had seen the scan up close of the front of the card, and again, it's still cheap at $35), but what I didn't expect was to see how bad the back of the card was. It's ripped in several places and we're far from a 2x3 frame. The really bad part is that there's tape all over the front of the card, annihilating that great cardboard feel we all love. I did not want a laminated Mantle !

As always, buyer beware and I kinda knew what I was getting into, but I would've liked a better description and warning from the seller, and more photos.



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8 comments:

  1. BrianSeptember 29, 2017 at 5:47 AM

    Bummer about the tape on the front - I would say that $35 is still a good price, even in horrible condition. Most sellers on eBay would start bidding higher than that.

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    1. Kevin PapoySeptember 29, 2017 at 1:22 PM

      very true. And I have a Mantle in my collection from before all the injuries !

      Delete
  2. NickSeptember 29, 2017 at 8:28 AM

    I'm like you, I'm not often concerned about condition when it comes to vintage. BUT...if a card is in that bad shape, then it warrants a more detailed description to the buyer. Still hard to beat a '60 Mantle for that price, but I agree that it could've used some better communication from the seller.

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    1. Kevin PapoySeptember 29, 2017 at 1:20 PM

      my thoughts exactly ! Then again, I won 6 cards from that seller on the same day, and he sent each one in a separate PWE. Go figure...

      Delete
  3. CaptKirk42September 29, 2017 at 11:35 AM

    That is a real good price for that card, no matter what the condition. With the COMC connection the Ebay auction should have had the notation that it was a COMC listing. Searching for their wording... "Fulfilled by COMC - World’s largest consignment service" should appear under the listing title on the actual listing.

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    1. Kevin PapoySeptember 29, 2017 at 1:19 PM

      It was a normal Ebay auction actually. I mention Comc because they offer a mailbox service where overseas customers can have their cards sent to avoid paying too high for postage, or for sellers who don't offer international postage. And you're right, it's still a good price !

      Delete
  4. FujiSeptember 29, 2017 at 3:08 PM

    Bummer. That's not the kind of surprise collectors want. On a positive note, the front of the card scans well. I still think it's a beautiful looking card. The back is pretty rough, but who doesn't like a card with a little character?

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  5. acrackedbatOctober 11, 2017 at 7:00 PM

    Fuji's correct. This Mantle has character, not unlike the man himself. Neat pick up Kev! I don't understand sellers sending several pwes. I had this happen recently with EIGHT pwes. He would have saved $1 shipping them together in a mailer for $3.

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