1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle #253

I actually like the pinhole example I just graded better than this one by a hair, but the overall eye appeal to me is similar. I basically find tilt and centering more distracting than a well-placed pinhole, but on par with a small stain and print line that luckily steers clear of his face.

Registration is top tier. The centering distracts my eye a bit and there’s a surface flaw on the black nameplate.

At first look this image is so registered it feels like that could overcome the tilt and centering and still land in the high A's for my taste. But there are the faint beginnings of that vertical print line (some Micks have two of these). Despite those flaws the image and its cleanness and brightness keep this an A-.

Very clean card and the color looks great. Centering is off with some tilt and it has the vertical print line that is common on this card.

The tilt on this one dampens the eye appeal a bit, as does the side centering. The rest is strong. I was on the fence with B+/A- yet my hope is that if the card was sitting flush in its holder, the tilt would be less aggressive on my eye.

Love the color and registration. Well-centered. Small print line is visible and also the black name box has a couple small white lines. Overall, a beautiful example.

Great Eye Appeal on the card with the centering and tilt of the card as an opportunity. The colors and image are strong and the Borders are bright and clean. Yes there is a vertical line on the card and yes some surface wear but they blend in fairly well Overall to me the colors, and brightness, and sharpness carry the day