The Complete Collectibles Guide
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Business: Country Cookin’
By Kelly Eisenhauer
T
o be successful in the business world, a corporation
knows the value of a good advertising slogan. In 1968,
Mickey Mantle thought he had the perfect phrase that
would stick in the minds of people looking for a good oldfashioned country dinner. The slogan, “To get a better piece
of chicken, you’d have to be a rooster,” was humorous and
direct. Even today, some 40 years later, the saying still brings
a laugh that was reminiscent of the great number 7’s personality. It showed his practical-joking manner and at the same
time promoted a chicken dinner to rival Colonel Harlan Sanders’ Kentucky Fried Chicken.
As time would tell, being a successful businessman was
not in the cards for Mick. This was a business endeavor that
would start in 1968 and end very abruptly in the early 1970s.
“The Mick” was a poor businessman who made some bad
investments. He really didn’t possess the knowledge of what it
took to run a successful franchise.
After being successful with his Holiday Inn in Joplin, Mo.,
Mantle was hopeful that his name would be enough to make
the Country Cookin’ chain prosper, but this was not the case.
Part III
Real estate,
a bowling
center and
good ole
Country
Cookin’
Go to MICKEY MANTLE on page 20
“To get a better piece
of chicken, you’d have
to be a rooster.”
– Mickey Mantle
In this, the third installment in a multi-part series
“Mickey Mantle: The Complete Collectibles Guide,”
we’ll look in-depth at items connected to many of
Mantle’s business ventures, including his Country
Cookin’ and Mickey Mantle Family Restaurants, real
estate and land development and his billiards and
bowling centers.
The first part, “Topps Test, Secondary Issues and
Inserts 1952-69,” appeared in the Feb. 6 issue of SCD;
Part II, cataloging memorabilia related to his Yoo-Hoo
Beverage Co. contract and the two trips to the Orient
in the 1950s, appeared in the March 6 issue.
Mickey Mantle
artwork by
Andy Jurinko
MANTLE SERIES from page 18
MickeyMantle
After opening the first restaurant in his hometown, located at 3651
Marvin D. Love Freeway in Dallas, Mickey tried to franchise the Mickey
Mantle Country Cookin’ Restaurant. He would frequently make appearances and sign autographs to promote his business. Other locations
quickly followed in Florida, Louisiana and Longview, Texas. Lawsuits
and bad decisions would ultimately spell doom for the Country Cookin’
franchise (Photo Nos. 103-104).
Today, there are numerous collectibles from the Country Cookin’
chain that have made their way into the baseball memorabilia marketplace. Most of these mementos are the typical items that are associated
with any restaurant operation. What makes them very collectible is the
fact that they all have Mickey Mantle’s name on them.
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108
114
104
Matches – There was only one design that existed. The matchbook
had the Country Cookin’ logo with black coal stove on the front and a
sketch of Mickey on the reverse (Photo Nos. 105-107). In unused condition, these can bring between $75 and $100. They are very collectible to
matchbook collectors, as well as Mickey Mantle collectors.
Postcards – There were two different postcards produced. The first
shows Mickey hitting his 535th home run of Detroit Tigers’ pitcher
Denny McLain (Photo No. 108). The reverse has a write-up of the famous home run on Sept. 19, 1968 (Photo No. 109), and has a facsimile
signature with “Best Regards.” The second postcard shows a kneeling
Mickey Mantle in his pinstriped uniform at Yankee Stadium (Photo No.
110). The reverse has a machine hand-printed message about more restaurants possibly opening near your town (Photo No. 111). It also has
a facsimile signature with the closing, “Best Regards.” The signatures
on both postcards are machine printed, but look very authentic. When
Mickey was at the restaurant, he would usually sign the front of these
two issues.
The value of these postcards is between $200-$400. They are very
scarce and not as readily available, as are the Holiday Inn postcards.
China – The china that was used at Mickey Mantle’s Country
Cookin’ Restaurants was manufactured by Shenago (Photo 112). This
heavy stoneware came in a variety of shapes and sizes and made its
way into the baseball memorabilia market when a large part of the
total inventory was sold to a major collector. In the last 10-15 years, the
Shenago china can be picked up quite easily, especially on eBay.
Some of the pieces that were manufactured by Shenago included
9-inch soup bowls (Photo No. 113), 10-inch dinner plates (Photo Nos.
114-116), 61/2-inch vegetable bowls, 7-inch bread plates, 5-inch mini
bowls or dessert bowls and 7-inch butter dishes. All have the Mickey
Mantle Country Cookin’ name printed around the circumference of the
stoneware.
The coffee mug (Photo No. 117) remains the most expensive piece in
the collection, simply because of supply and demand. Not to say that the
coffee mugs or cups are scarce; they were just not produced in the same
quantity as the plates, bowls and dishes. The Country Cookin’ coffee
mug goes for around $100-$125. The plates and bowls are in the $25-$40
range.
Carrying Tray – The plastic carrying trays that were used in the
daily operations remain one of the most sought-after items from the restaurant. It features a nice black-and-white drawing of Mickey wearing
his Yankees pinstriped uniform. It also has a facsimile autograph with
the M.M. Country Cookin’ logo (Photo No. 118). These trays are so rare
that, when available, they can command prices of more than $3,000.
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113
118
MickeyMantle
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Menus – There were two different menus. The first was
a black-and-white menu that had a drawing of Mickey on the
reverse side (Photo No. 119). The most expensive item on
the menu was an eight-piece chicken bucket for $3.25 (Photo
No. 120). The menu goes for around $300. The second menu
was the dinner menu (Photos No. 121-123), which showed
a very colorful, plaid mixture of photographed fabric on its
cover with the M.M. Country Cookin’ Logo. These menus are
relatively scarce and are valued in the $1,000 plus range.
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129
120
Pot holder – And no, not that kind of pot. Other than
postcards and matches being available to all customers, pot
holders featuring the Country Cookin’ logo with Mickey Mantle’s name on it were just about the only other item available
for sale (Photo No. 125). It featured a flowery design on one
side and the logo with black coal stove on the other. The
value of these holders is usually around $500 or more.
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121-123
128
Chairs – There were two types of chairs. Both were simple in design and country-looking in appearance. A captain’s
chair (with high arms) and a regular chair were used. Both
possessed an aluminum identification plate underneath the
seat area. The plate had the Mickey Mantle Country Cookin’
name and an identification number. These chairs are valued
between $700-$1,000 each (Photo No. 124).
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Waitress/waiter ordering pad – Without a doubt, the
ordering pad from the Country Cookin’ Restaurant is one
of the nicest and most coveted paper collectibles. It shows
Mickey with a follow-through swing batting left handed
(Photo No. 126). What makes this so desirable is the fact
that very few of them survived. Most were thrown away after
orders were completed and no one had the foresight to ask
for an unused one. They are very scarce and can bring up to
$500 per sheet. A pad that had only 4–5 sheets brought close
to $1,800 in a major auction about 10 years ago. I have never
seen another.
Stock certificates, business reports and prospectus
– One of Mantle’s goals was to franchise and incorporate the
restaurant into a successful chain (Photo No. 127). As the
business was incorporated in 1969, stock certificates (Photo
No. 128) were purchased for investment purposes. When the
chain imploded in the early 1970s, these stock certificates
became worthless, but would later become sought after by
Mickey Mantle collectors and stock certificate collectors,
alike.
Business reports of the financial year were issued to the
stockholders (Photo No. 129). Periodically, some of these
documents (Photo No. 130) and certificates would show up
and are valued in excess of $500. The prospectus booklet is
also very rare, as only individual investors, who had financial interest in the chain, might possess these (Photo Nos.
131-132).
Ironically enough, napkins and placemats with Mickey’s
name and Country Cookin’ logo have never been seen. Either
the chain used generic napkins and placemats or people
didn’t bother to save them. The same goes for pencils and
pens that were used in the daily operations.
GO to MANTLE SERIES on next page
136
MickeyMantle
MANTLE SERIES from previous page
All in all, with the exception of the Shenago china,
memorabilia from the Country Cookin’ Restaurant is considered to be quite scarce and valuable.
133
Real estate and land development – In the early
1970s, Mantle was hired to serve as land developer for GWM
Corp., which billed itself as the leading resort property developer in Dallas. Using Mantle’s name and popularity was
the battle plan to sell real estate lots in the Dallas area. The
GWM Corp. featured different types of lots for people with
different lifestyles. Three different packages existed, all with
Mickey Mantle being used as their pitchman.
Mickey Mantle Manors was one of the most popular
developments on Cedar Creek Lake. The popular lakefrontview lots with dimensions of 95-by-150 feet sold for a meager
$695. The Mantle Manors brochure loaded with caricatures
of Mickey, boasted boating, sailing, fishing, swimming and
water skiing. There were two different pamphlets issued
from GWM. The first was a three-panel foldout brochure
(Photo Nos. 133-134) that had the previously mentioned
caricatures, while the second brochure (Photo No. 135),
slightly smaller in size, featured a large map and picture of
Cedar Creek Lake.
Two other items were made to promote Mantle Manors.
There was an introductory letter (Photo No. 136) that was
sent to prospective clients. It came with a picture of Mickey
in his Yankees uniform and had a facsimile autograph. The
value of the pamphlets and letter are about $100 each. A
prepaid green Mantle postcard was also issued for clients
who wanted further information (Photo Nos. 137-138).
The postcard is valued at $40. The company also issued a
$3 payment voucher to attract clients to visit Mantle Manors (Photo No. 139). The voucher or check had Mickey’s
photo in the upper left. Value $150-$200.
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Willowwood – “Mickey Mantle’s Homesites of Distinction on Cedar Creek Lake,” Willowwood was a lakefront
resort and residential mobile home community. Willowwood
promoted itself as ideal for a weekend hideaway, retirement
or investment.
Two issues were used for promotion (Photo Nos. 140141). The first was a large 8½-by-11, six-page booklet that
featured a nice photo of Mickey on the back page. The second item was a brochure with a large map of the development. Both pieces are valued between $75 and $100 each.
Arbolado – “Arbolado,” which is Spanish for “wooded,”
was another residential and resort community with views
of Cedar Creek Lake. The development offered swimming,
boating and fishing in a wooded, secluded area. Two different issues also exist. The first is an 8½-by-11-inch, blackand-orange glossy six-page folder (Photo No. 142) and the
second issue was a large 17-by-22-inch folded map of the
Arbolado Development (Photo No. 143). Both pieces are
valued between $75 and $100 each.
MickeyMantle
Mickey Mantle Family Restaurant – 9500 Parkway East. Not
much is known about this restaurant (Photo No. 144). It operated in the
late 1960s to early 1970s, after Mickey had retired from baseball. This
Mickey Mantle Family Restaurant featured steak dinners, hot dogs and
hamburgers, as well as fish. The prices were very reasonable in their day,
with a T-bone steak dinner selling for $2.99 and a shrimp platter selling
for $1.59. The restaurant even had a burger named after the great number 7 called the “Mantle Burger.” It sold for a whopping 59 cents.
As far as memorabilia from the eating establishment, a very colorful scoreboard menu exists (Photo No. 145). The menu is valued between
$100-$150. In the early 1970s, Mantle was seen at several business fairs
in Florida, distributing Mantle Family Restaurant prospectus (Photo Nos.
146-148) to future investors. It is thought that the chain never materialized.
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148
Mickey Mantle Billiard Center – Without a doubt, the Mickey Mantle Billiard Center had to be one of his smallest business ventures, and
also his most grammatically incorrect (billiards is traditionally in the plural usage). Very little is known about this enterprise, which was located
at 4650 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53207. It is quite possible that
Mickey was paid by someone to use the Mantle name. A billiards rules
book with the business’ name and address exists (Photo No. 149-150), as
well as a ticket good for one free visit (Photo No. 151). The Billiard Center
advertised itself as “America’s most beautiful billiard lounge for family
recreation.” It featured Mickey Mantle customized billiards tables and
free instructions to all men and women.
Mickey Mantle Bowling Center – The Mickey Mantle Bowling
Center was very well known and a popular place to go. Opening in 1956
and located at 200 Exchange Park North in Dallas, Mickey was frequently
seen in attendance during the offseason. Coming off a Triple Crown
season, Mickey obviously tried to cash in on his name and popularity. One
would think that there would be the typical bowling alley memorabilia,
like score sheets, ashtrays, placemats, etc., sporting Mantle’s name, but
very few items have surfaced.
The only items that have reached the sports memorabilia market are
matchbooks (Photo No. 152), pencils, and gold-plated lighters (Photo Nos.
153-154). The matches are valued between $100-$150 in unused condition.
The lighters are worth about $500. u
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About the author
Kelly R. Eisenhauer of Lehighton, Pa., has been
a fan and collector of Mickey Mantle memorabilia
for more than 40 years. He supplied photography for
the HBO documentary “Mantle, The Definitive Story”
and is featured in Richard Wolfe’s current book, For
Yankee Fans Only – Vol. 2. Eisenhauer owns and
operates his own Mickey Mantle webpage at www.hofmemories.com.
Anyone with questions or comments can reach him at [email protected].
Many of the photographs from this multi-part series, including a remarkable number of one-of-a-kind pieces, came from the Mickey Mantle
Collection of B.S. Alpert.
For pricing of more than 3,000 entries involving Mickey Mantle, go
to the exclusive SCD Auction Database at:
www.sportscollectorsdigest.com
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