On my very first post on Mantel, I shared my mantel of Mantles and it was around then I decided I wanted to collect all of his Topps and Bowman cards (other than the '52 legend, unless I'm left in the will of a wealthy relative I didn't know I had). I made 2025 the year of finishing his base '50s run and just got the '59 card a few weeks ago.

Like many do here, it took a bit of effort to find that right combination of quality & price and even though none of them are high grades, I was happy with what I ended up with. I have a few other things I want to collect in 2026, but will also look to get his '60s cards as well as all the various highlight/All-Star/etc. cards.

Guess I'm going to need a bigger mantel...