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Removing a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Rookie Kept in Screwdown for YEARS

Iconic Card Gets Removed from Screwdown Case - Did it Get Damaged?

July 25, 2026

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The holy grail of baseball cards arrived at our Just Collect office and it was stored in an old screwdown case! These thick cases were great for protecting cards in the 1980s and 90s, but as we all learned the hard way, these cases ruined many cards over the years. Watch us remove a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card that was stored in a screwdown for YEARS to see if this piece of hobby history was damaged.

A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card is THE card to own in our hobby. Mantle led his New York Yankees to 7 World Series championships, he won 3 MVP awards, and has been a household name for half a century. Even in poor condition, a '52 Topps Mantle is valued around $20,000. High-graded examples have commanded six to seven figures! As a top buyer of vintage cards in the country, Just Collect is always buying these Mantle cards. When a collection arrived in our office for a , one thing our owner, Leighton, noticed: the card was in a screwdown!

In the 1980s and 90s, the screwdown case was a go-to for protecting your valuable cards. However, these cases ended up presenting two problems:

Flat cards
Sticking

Cards ended up being recessed and flattened over time as they sat in the screwdown case. With that, cards would then stick to the case and could be ripped or damaged when pulled off!

PSA, one of the top graders in the industry, would grade such a flat card as Authentic Altered rather than providing a numerical grade. A grade of Authentic Altered lowers the value of the card substantially! This is why we offer tips on how to safely store your cards.

Watch us open the screwdown case for the first time in years on our Instagram to check the Mantle for any damage:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leighton Sheldon (@leighton_sheldon)

No damage taking the card out! We are going to have the card graded and will let you know if the card is trimmed as Leighton believes, and if the screwdown flattened the card at all.

Do you have a Mickey Mantle card you're interested in selling? We are buying! Just Collect has purchased many cards of Mickey Mantle over the last 25 years including multiple rookie cards. Just Collect always offers a ! You can read stories about collections we've purchased, one of which is about a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle discovered after being stored in an old barn on a family farm for decades:

INCREDIBLE COLLECTIONS PURCHASED

Check out blogs featuring incredible collections Just Collect proudly purchased such as:

The Oregon Farm Collection with a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle discovered in an old barn!
Two 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie cards - a pair of rookies from the Great One!
1990's Precious Metal Gem basketball cards include some of the rarest, most sought-after cards in modern history.
The Aaron Judge Collection with high-end one of one cards and multiple rookie autos.
Topps Venezuela Collection including a scarce Willie Mays card.

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WE ARE ALWAYS BUYING

Just Collect is always buying vintage sports and non-sports cards from 1879 to 2009 as well as select modern cards. If you have a collection that you are considering selling, contact us today to discuss or get our industry-leading purchase offer. If you have a collection that you want appraised, please contact us and we would be happy to discuss your collection and help you understand the real cash value of your collection in the current marketplace. Check out the Just Collect Buy List.

We always offer a FREE APPRAISAL for your collection here at the Just Collect site. Just click here:

We offer many ways to evaluate your cards other than or using our website, too.

Travel to Us

If you can make the trip here like the son from my hometown did for this collection- we can make a deal at the office. We once met a father-son duo that drove eight hours from Virginia to meet us to sell a Michael Jordan rookie card stored in Tupperware since 1986 - great read here.

Come to convention

We keep a LIST of card shows we'll be attending. Come stop by the Just Collect table and chat.

Meet in-person

If you have a valuable collection and want us to come to you, we'll hop on the next plane out.

Meet in New York City

If you're near New York City and would like to meet in a public place, our owner, Leighton, would be happy to meet you; read all the information here.

SHIP your collection

If you choose to mail your cards for an appraisal, we will evaluate your cards for FREE still. If you choose not to sell the cards, we'll ship them back shipping fees paid by us! We can offer our FedEx account with 2-day shipping, fully insured, all covered by us. Simply contact the office to set up this option.

OUR BUYING PHILOSOPHY

We've run into a wide range of people and collections over the last 25 years. Although Just Collect is known for buying vintage sports cards and especially vintage baseball cards, we are also extremely interested in buying non-sports cards, too!

Every collection and every collector is different and we treat EVERY collection with the respect and attention that we show for our own collections. We understand that many have put their heart and souls into building their collections. So when you're ready to sell, we understand the feelings that you're going through and will work with you to help you reach a decision that is a WIN/WIN, because if you're not happy, we're not happy.