It was a one eye, off and on search, but as of now I can say I have "seen" two 52 Merc drop tops and have owned them both.. This one is a lot nicer than the one I had back in the 60's, which I abused and sent to it's eternal resting place.
I pledge to do better with this one.
FWIW the 52 Merc ragtop is probably more rare than your favorite 30's car.. Per one owner there are only 49 registered in the US, and probably half of those have been rodded.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...ht_1962wt_1165