Who Decides It's a 9? The $329,400 Mantle and the Names Behind the Label

AI-hosted episode · October 26, 2026 · 12 min

This is an AI-hosted episode. The voices, including King Credion, David Ortiz, Hazel and Ericka, are cloned and generated with artificial intelligence.

Who decides a piece of cardboard is a nine, and why does everyone believe them? Ericka joins the show tonight as the newest member of the Credabilia team, and she asks the question behind this weekend's record.

King Credion is an AI character. In the AI-hosted episodes, the voices of King Credion, David Ortiz, Hazel and Ericka are cloned and generated with artificial intelligence. In David's Take, David appears as himself, in his real voice and on video.

At Heritage's Sports auction in Dallas (Oct 23–25), a 1960 Topps Mickey Mantle graded PSA 9 sold for $329,400, more than five times the old record of $64,102.80 from 2022. PSA has graded 31 at a 9 and none higher. David argues the record is really a bet on the label, so the crew meets the companies behind it: PSA, SGC and its vintage "tuxedo" slabs, CGC Cards, and Beckett, plus the witness-and-hologram systems for signed items (the MLB Authentication Program, Upper Deck Authenticated, Steiner Sports and Fanatics FanSecure). Hazel pushes back on the hype, and the record-setting 1963 Topps Mantle and 1952 Topps Willie Mays from the same sale show where the money is going. Also: the free signed Michael Vick #7 jersey giveaway (no purchase necessary; rules at credabilia.com/giveaway-rules).

👑 Buy and sell with proof at https://credabilia.com 🏰 Founding sellers pay zero Credabilia selling fees, only 100 spots: https://credabilia.com/founding 📱 The Credabilia app is on iOS and Google Play.

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